Music to our ears: CBC/Radio-Canada’s commitment to Canadian music

This op-ed from Catherine Tait, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, was published by Cartt on March 21, 2024.

What would your life be like without music?

Humans communicate in many languages but we all understand music. It is a universal language and without it, our lives and cultures are impoverished. That's why the public broadcaster has been supporting Canadian musicians, songwriters, composers and performers for decades. Music is one of the ways we know who we are as Canadians.

During the pandemic, Canadians couldn't hear music live. Music venues were forced to close their doors and artists to cancel their tours. According to the Canadian Live Music Association, the average loss of revenue for the live music sector was 92%, and two-thirds of live music venues were at risk of permanent closure. CBC Music responded. We upped our Canadian music programming so that we were all-Canadian for about six weeks. That change meant more people heard more Canadian music. It also meant more royalties for Canadian artists at the time when they needed help.

Like the entire cultural sector, the Canadian music industry has faced its share of disruption from technology, changing consumption habits and massive competition from foreign streaming platforms. CBC/Radio-Canada has been with Canada's artists every step of the way. As we prepare to celebrate the 53rd Annual JUNO Awards, it's a good moment to take stock of the industry, and how CBC/Radio-Canada supports it.

More than 37,000 Canadians make their living as musicians and singers, about one in five artists in Canada. In 2021, the live performance and sound recording industries contributed $2.9 billion to Canada's GDP. This industry matters economically as well as culturally, as the restaurants and hotels in Halifax can attest during this year's JUNO Week.

As the public broadcaster, we are proud to bring the JUNOS to Canadians for the next five years, and to partner with the Canadian Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences. We are passionate about discovering, nurturing, and developing Canadian talent. We make a special effort to showcase the musical talent of artists who have too often been overlooked by the industry. CBC dedicates more than half its airtime to female artists, and more than 30 percent to racialized artists. And for the past three years, all of Radio-Canada's shows on ICI MUSIQUE have broadcast music exclusively by female artists for International Women's Day on March 8.

Our support for Canadian artists is baked into so much of what we do, across all our programming. Our local morning shows on CBC Radio One feature local musicians. Q with Tom Power regularly showcases Canadian musical talent, whether it's the godfather of Canadian hip-hop or a saxophonist with a new record about her family's history of immigration. Every year, Révélations brings up-and-coming musical talent to francophones across all of Radio-Canada's platforms, and we showcase the richness of francophone music at l'ADISQ.

I'm particularly proud of what we do to showcase Indigenous music, every day, across our platforms. CBC plays solely Indigenous music across all shows every year for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Every week, CBC Radio's Reclaimed and Radio-Canada's Minotan explores contemporary Indigenous music. Radio-Canada's Kwei! Kwe! recently showcased the talent of female Indigenous artists, while CBC's arts and entertainment podcast Commotion discussed the legacy of the Indigenous categories at the Junos.

No other Canadian broadcaster is as invested in promoting Indigenous music. Or Acadian music. Or emerging artists. Or music education. Or simply Canadian music. No one else offers Canadians such a range of music and musicians on radio, online-with more than 200 digital music streams from CBC Music alone-and live.

Our commitment to live music is one of the reasons Massey Hall has partnered with us for the CBC Music Live at Massey Hall concert series. Recordings from the series, which has featured performances by Charlotte Cardin, Charlotte Day Wilson, Geddy Lee, Jeremy Dutcher, Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy and more, are available on CBC platforms including CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Listen, CBC Radio and CBC Music.

This is what Canadians expect from their public broadcaster: to connect them to music that inspires and speaks to them. To connect them to their music. We are proud to connect, reflect and engage Canadians through music, during the JUNOS and year-round.

Catherine Tait is the President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada.

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