More than three quarters of the songs listened to on QUB musique are from Quebec, the result of a deliberate strategy by Quebecor since the launch of its platform, almost two years ago. But can this approach really allow the application to hold its own against the giants Spotify and Apple Music?
“Our main objective at the moment is not to exceed the number of subscribers of other platforms. It is to allow the radiation, the discovery and the rediscovery of what is done here. We think we can create real change, considering that we give a lot more to what is created here than the competition”, immediately insists the principal director of QUB musique, Marc-André Laporte.
The latter does not disclose the number of subscriptions, nor how many listeners the platform has generated since it went into service in May 2020, in the midst of a pandemic. The only data available dates from last summer, when the application gathered some 25,000 users.
The new figures published on Wednesday show this time that Quebec music accounts for 76% of listening. Quite a contrast with what is happening on the Apple Music and Spotify of this world, where only 8% of the music listened to in Quebec is from Quebec.
Bill C-11
“We have 3600 playlists that are built by people and not by algorithms. On top of that, we’re betting on mixing Quebec music with what’s being done abroad. So it greatly improves the discoverability of music from here,” says Marc-André Laporte.
Certainly, the major platforms give little exposure to local content, which is why Bill C-11 seeks to bring them under the Broadcasting Act. But the statistics made public by QUB musique suggest that the platform has an audience that is not only smaller, but also much older than its competitors, which could partly explain the preponderant weight of Quebec music in its charts.
And for good reason. Of the 15 most listened to albums in 2021 on QUB musique, 13 are from Quebec. Among these are two opuses associated with the show Star Academy, as well as Mario Pelchat’s latest album. No rap album is in the ranking, while hip-hop represents a significant part of Quebec music that is listened to on major platforms, as revealed The duty two weeks ago.
“It’s true that there is no rap. But that Hubert Lenoir finds himself in the top 15 with Mario Pelchat and the Fringant Cowboys, it shows that there is a great diversity of listening on the platform, ”retorts Mr. Laporte, who seeks to reach so many young people than the older ones with QUB music.
Same system as Spotify
The music app prides itself on paying $6.38 per subscription to the local industry, while other platforms only generate an average of $0.56 per subscription. However, QUB musique operates according to the same compensation system for rights holders as Spotify and Apple Music.
This means that if QUB musique were to expand its audience, foreign music would necessarily end up taking up more space, underlines Alexandre Alonso, general manager of the Professional Society of Authors and Composers of Quebec (SPACQ). Thus, we would see a drop in the proportion of money redistributed to the Quebec industry for each subscription, he continues.
“When we say that we give a lot of money to artists [québécois], it can also mean that we record little listening. And if we don’t have a lot of plays, we divide a small amount of money between the artists. We agree that 25,000 users will not make a difference in the performers’ income. On the other platforms, we are talking about millions of subscribers, and the amounts collected by the artists are minimal”, illustrates Mr. Alonso, who recognizes the efforts of Quebecor to promote Quebec music. QUB musique has the firm intention of continuing to carve out a place for itself in the world of online listening. For $11.99 per month, subscribers have access to a catalog of 75 million Quebec and foreign songs, an offer that is essentially the same as the other platforms.
Quebecor, which has several record labels in its fold, does not intend to offer some of its content exclusively on QUB musique for the time being.