Quebec music is increasingly struggling to find its way to young people, and there could not have been a more striking example than the first gala of Star Academy, Sunday evening, during which 10 of the 14 candidates in danger preferred to sing in English. Some purists have no doubt lost their Latin behind their TV, but few players in the industry have fallen from their chairs.
However, the famous TVA tele-hook gave a prominent place to French and Quebec culture in its first version, hosted by Julie Snyder between 2003 and 2012.
The Black Eyed Peas and the Britney Spears of this world may have exchanged the first places of the charts, most of the candidates naturally chose to interpret pieces in French from the auditions, recalls Pierre “Bill” St-Georges, who was judge during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. A time well and truly over.
“Today, the main showcase for music among young people is called Spotify, where the French-language repertoire is far from dominant. It’s not like it used to be, with radio that is subject to CRTC standards so that there is a minimum of French-language content on the air,” says the man who is still a consultant in the radio industry today. music.
ADISQ also points the finger at Spotify and other online listening sites to explain the hegemony of music in English among Quebec youth. Since the algorithms on these platforms are not subject to quotas, Quebec music has little chance of reaching the ears of young people, we lament.
The figures speak for themselves: barely 8% of the music listened to on online platforms in Quebec comes from here.
“I’m not ready to say that there’s a lack of interest in francophone Quebec music among young people. On the other hand, there is obviously a problem of discoverability on the platforms. And the absence of shows currently accentuates the trend,” adds Ève Paré, the general manager of ADISQ.
She is pinning a lot of hope on the Trudeau government, which is expected to table its new bill this week aimed at subjecting the digital giants to the Broadcasting Act.
A cultural exception
Mme Paré is less clear-cut when it comes to imposing quotas on variety shows, but she nevertheless believes that it would be desirable for Quebec music to enjoy “maximum visibility in shows like Star Academy “.
There is a typically Quebec obsession there, underlines Pierre Barrette, professor of television at the School of media of UQAM. In other countries, the omnipresence of English songs in this kind of competition is far from disturbing as much, he observes.
Moreover, the French version of Star Academy was spelled ” star Academy », and Quebec is one of the only places in the world where the name of the Dutch concept The Voice has been translated.
“It’s true for all the concepts of reality TV. Elsewhere, the international side has a positive connotation. But here, all the concepts are quickly adapted to make local material. The political nature of the distinct society is still very present on TV, but we feel that it is less and less so”, notes Pierre Barrette, with proof of the last Sunday gala of Star Academy.
In French !
He is still surprised that the TVA Group, whose owner is none other than the former leader of the Parti Québécois Pierre Karl Péladeau, was able to give his approval to such a predominance of English on Sunday evening.
The production of the show defends itself by pointing out that the candidates had carte blanche during the last Sunday gala to choose the song they were going to perform. For the second gala, next Sunday, it is promised that the three candidates in danger will sing, unless there is a last minute change, in French. Quit imposing it.
“There is a growing divide between the musical taste of the young people who participate in this kind of program and the public who watch”, maintains Jean-Philippe Dion, the executive producer of Star Academy, in response to the many comments that followed the broadcast of the first gala.
The host and producer acknowledges that there are more songs in English since last year compared to the first editions. This would be due, among other things, to the fact that the French-speaking repertoire is much less filled with songs ” up tempo “. The ballads of vocal singers, à la Ginette Reno or à la Céline Dion, are no longer as popular as in 2003, explains Jean-Philippe Dion.
It makes you rap
In 2022, young people are listening to a lot of rap and urban music, styles that have been slow to take hold in Quebec. A disconnection that is perhaps not unrelated to the current difficulties of the industry, believes Pierre “Bill” St-Georges.
There is a growing divide between the musical taste of the young people who participate in this type of program and the public who watch
“The problem is that the industry still relies on radio stations, even if they are not listened to by young people. And the radios refuse to play rap because it doesn’t attract the audience they want to target for advertising, ”explains the consultant.
In France, where hip-hop has been popular for several years, around 39% of the music listened to on online platforms in 2019 was produced in France, according to data from the National Music Center.