Bill C-11 on online broadcasting is not making waves, but it is nevertheless of paramount importance for the survival of our creators and the future of our culture.
Posted yesterday at 6:00 a.m.
This new law, which aims to refresh the Broadcasting Actstill based on the traditional radio system, is interfering with the world of digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Google Music, Amazon Music and others.
These platforms have replaced the good old record stores, which means that music and song artists are reaping crumbs from the digital giants. But these platforms are also dissemination tools. And if nothing is done to highlight the content they offer, artists will continue to settle for crumbs. Or worse, will change jobs.
The last attempt by the federal government (Bill C-10) to shake things up has failed. The work initiated by Steven Guilbeault died on the order paper when the election was called. This time, it is Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, who carries the ball. Hopefully it will do better than its predecessor.
Over the past few days, big names in the music industry have had the chance to express their vision. Discreetly, some fifteen organizations presented their point of view during a day of hearings held last Tuesday in Ottawa.
The Quebec Association of the Record, Entertainment and Video Industry (ADISQ) was among them. I read the brief that was presented. Basically, we are asking the platforms to offer greater visibility to the creators of songs from Quebec in order to ensure greater distribution and, by extension, more sales.
To support its position, ADISQ commissioned a survey from the firm Léger Marketing, which I obtained. We learn that 73% of Quebecers agree that “governments should put in place legislation to ensure that online music platforms contribute to the financing of music as traditional radio stations do”.
In addition, 70% of those questioned “like being offered to listen to French-speaking Quebec music on listening services”.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Eve Paré, new director general of ADISQ
The other objective, which is pursued by certain Quebec organizations, is to contribute to creation and production. For the time being, the Canada Music Fund and the Canada Media Fund, the organizations that allow creators to receive grants, are funded through contributions from radio and television. “Digital platforms completely escape this,” explains Eve Paré, director general of ADISQ. “They don’t contribute to the development of Canadian content. »
Artists desperately need things to change, because the money they could make in the days of record stores absolutely does not compare to the meager earnings they pocket today. “Quebec artists find themselves drowned in a repertoire that contains millions of titles,” continues Eve Paré. At the time of record stores, Quebec records made up 50% of sales. Today, with platforms, it’s down to around 8%. »
You should know that for a million streams, the record company that produced the album will receive between $740 and $7,800 depending on the platform (Apple is the one that offers the most). It is therefore necessary to obtain several million plays to obtain a substantial sum.
How to showcase Quebec artists would be up to the various platforms, depending on their business model. This could be through the playlists, the recommendation engine or the showcase.
Do we dare to include in this bill (as C-10 provided) content offered on social networks such as TikTok or YouTube? This question risks dividing and complicating the work. But also to complicate the task of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which would be responsible for the application of these new rules.
This battle, ADISQ is not the only one to lead it. Jérôme Payette, director general of the Association of Music Publishing Professionals, also gave a speech last Tuesday in which he said: “If our music does not reach the public, this creates a ripple effect which affects the sale of concert tickets, the cover of songs by other performers, the incorporation of music in audiovisual productions, and on all other sources of income. »
I also spoke a few days ago with Jean-Christian Céré, head of membership services at the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. “We want there to be referencing in the digital world and that it generates volume. There are seven million of us in Quebec, it takes clicks for an artist to make a living from song. »
Eve Paré was going to Ottawa in order to defend the position of ADISQ. But she discovered that another battle was brewing: that of the resistance of Anglophones in the rest of Canada who do not see things the same way. According to her, the debate is splitting.
“It’s an epic game that’s being played out in Ottawa right now,” she told me. Our libertarian friends from Alberta, who are for the free internet, are against any form of platform regulation. They are obviously fed by the platforms which, for their part, wish to evade all regulation. »
We have witnessed the same phenomenon in Europe from the digital giants when certain countries have set up regulations to regulate copyright.
They use unfair disinformation tactics. They tell those who produce content for TikTok or YouTube that they are going to be disadvantaged by regulation. These people are obviously terrified of losing their meager income.
Eve Pare
On Tuesday, the Quebec government tabled a motion to support this bill. All support will be needed if we want to lead a real fight against those who are now pulling the strings of the music industry.
We have lost a few links over the past two decades and we have the unpleasant impression that this industry no longer belongs to us, that we are only “content providers”.
A people who no longer have control over their culture are a lost people. It’s well known. This is why this law must be enacted.