CanCon and its Digital Discontents: A Public Infrastructure Model for Canadian Music

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Fauteux, Brian

• SSHRC IG awarded 2023: Making a living from music is increasingly precarious. A 2020 study of the 1.6 million artists who released music to streaming services found that 90 percent of plays were generated by one percent of artists (Alpha Data). With fractions of a penny being paid per play, streaming platforms have eliminated reliable royalty revenue of recordings for all but the most popular musicians. Independent and diverse voices are increasingly unable to compete against a small handful of American megastars. Our project provides the research results to find a solution to a dire problem, the longevity and sustainability of one of Canada' most important public resources: its diverse musical heritage. Our research and analysis aims to inform policy for a potential public infrastructure for Canadian music communities that responds to larger issues of media industry concentration and unequal power dynamics in the global music industries.

• Date created

  2022-10-28

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Insight Grant
  • IG
  • SSHRC
  • Music in Canada
  • Public Infrastructure
  • Music Industries
  • Music Scenes
  • Streaming Music
  • Public Libraries
  • 1960AD-2022AD
  • Canada
  • United States

• Type of Item

  Research Material

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-x01w-5e21

• License

  ©️Fauteux, Brian. All rights reserved other than by permission. This document embargoed to those without UAlberta CCID until 2030.