CRTC Will Try To Sort Out Airplay Disputes

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission will sit down and explain what a “hit” is, and possibly who “emerging artists” are, in order to settle disputes over the airplay that Canadian law requires for domestic artists (35 percent).  The problem? The artists say that radio stations play the same established artists over and over, rather than take a chance on untried performers and labels. Thus, in a classic chicken-and-egg situation, those folks never get the opportunity to make their case before the public. Broadcasters say playing new acts would mean putting their stations at financial risk.

A CRTC official said Wednesday that the regulator has long required stations to devote 35 per cent of airtime to Canadian music, but has not asked for a specific amount for new, emerging musicians. This is a problem for recording artists, industry groups say.

“We’ve done research that shows, even with Canadian acts, that the average act played on radio is 15 to 20 years old,” said Duncan McKie, president of the Canadian Independent Record Production Association.

“They play the hell out of the established, recognizable acts. And then they’ll turn around and say, well, the reason we don’t play your acts is that they’re not recognizable,” Mr. McKie said.

Broadcasters argue there are financial risks in deviating too much from the mainstream, should audiences go elsewhere. In the past, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has asked the CRTC to consider incentives for radio stations to take chances with their play lists. Emerging artists for example, would count for more points towards Canadian content requirements. The CAB, which speaks on behalf of broadcasters, would not comment on the report yesterday.

Read more in a Globe and Mail story here.