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Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers delivers “State of the Industry” remarks at Departure 2025

Today, Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers shared his annual “State of the Industry” remarks at Departure, followed by an informed discussion about the political shifts that are affecting the global music industry.

Read his full remarks below.


 

Good morning, 

It is great to be here at Departure.

I want to thank Randy Lennox, Jackie Dean and Kevin Barton for making this opening time slot available to Music Canada and our annual State of the Industry update. I’d also like to take a moment to congratulate CMW founder Neill Dixon on his lifetime achievement award. Neill was an important ally to Music Canada for decades and understood the importance of us coming together in the daylight and not just in venues.

Each year, CMW was always a time that we could cover all the most important issues of the day not just for our members but the Canadian industry as a whole and we are thrilled that Departure has given us the opportunity to do the same here, in a new setting, with a new vibe, with artists and their creations at the centre of the programming.

And it makes sense to have a new, refreshed conference and festival because the industry has changed. Even for an industry that is always innovating, the industry has transformed fundamentally in the last ten years and the acceleration of that progress appears to be speeding up all the time.

All of that to say, me and the team at Music Canada as well as Canada’s major labels, are excited about this week. We are excited about who you will hear from, and we are thrilled that Departure stands to be the premiere music conference in the country.

Today, I’m going to start with saying a couple of words about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the global music industry and Canada’s place in it. In a moment I will sit down with journalist Hannah Sung to talk about how the results of last week’s federal election impact those items.

Tomorrow, Beatdapp’s Founder and Co-CEO Morgan Hayduk and I will talk about the Rules and Tools of AI. We are going to dive into some of the biggest headlines, and talk about what it all means for the music industry.

And importantly, throughout the week, members of Canada’s major labels and artists will be on panels and at the festival throughout the city.

But let me get back to why I think Departure is important for the Canadian music industry.

It matters because the world continues to spin faster and faster and there is so much news. Our instinct to look away threatens to beat the instinct to lean in. But the answer is to check in on one another. Say what we think is important. And update each other on the things that we’ve said before.

So let me update you on two things that I talked about last year.

I’m going to start with the one I got right.

Last year, I talked about AI. My journey with AI went from holding out the belief that maybe it really was a giant machine brain listening to music just like Harrison and Hendrix and coming up with its own music.

To fully realizing that the reason that generative AI models kept producing rip offs of the world’s most famous music was because the AI was ripping off the world’s most famous music.

I should have known. Because, the biggest academic and legal proponents of AI-being-allowed-to-steal-everything, are literally the same academic and legal proponents that once argued the Internet-should-be-able-to-steal-everything not that long ago.

Well, here we are a year later and… the line from AI companies- companies that have already scraped the internet – scraped your music –  to train their models –  is that copyright is old and complicated and a barrier to innovation. That it’s too hard to track down the rightsholders, and it’s way too difficult to track what’s ingested, or even think about putting a price on it.

I for one am glad that they’ve given up on the giant machine brain stuff. I found it difficult to wrestle with. I worried that policymakers would look to AI companies as tomorrow – a new frontier of science and innovation, flying cars and the Jetsons. And that in turn cultural industries would be seen as yesterday, golden oldies and the Flintstones.

But under the pressure of court cases and public scrutiny they have chosen to fight on – copyright. And copyright is an issue the music industry is especially well fit to fight. Because we just did this. After years of tough decisions around the streaming economy, the industry is now more technologically prepared to deal with the licensing of AI than any other cultural industry in the world.

The global music industry, driven by streaming, is innovation at its peak. We have invested in the people, the infrastructure and the tech that can distribute and license more than 100,000 new tracks a day, crediting and compensating all of the many rightsholders along the way.

One of the claims that AI-should-be-able-to-steal-everything proponents like to say, is that they need text and data mining exceptions because most of what they are ingesting has no value.

That argument may or may not make sense when it comes to medical data sets or traffic patterns – but it makes no sense in music. We put a price on music all of the time and basically since the inception of iTunes and now streaming, consumers have been happily paying for it. AI must not be different.

Do not be fooled. Copyright is how artists are paid when their music is played. To complain about copyright in this business is like the student who doesn’t want to learn spelling or math – and I know that those very people will say that they have AI for that – but we are all better when we understand the fundamentals of our world, and our industry.

And I say this to you as AI proponents are lined up at the doors of our new government (as they are around the world) with promises of investments, productivity and jobs if we just get rid of copyright law. We must arm the government with why that would be a mistake and the harm that it would do. Curing cancer, mapping the galaxies and improving crop yields don’t require stealing your music.

As I said, tomorrow, Morgan Hayduk and I are going to talk more about the opportunities that AI presents the industry – the tools – and the rules that are required to make them possible. But if you can’t make that, let me leave you with this:

If you want to protect creators, their art, and the human creative process as we have known it since Michaelangelo – you have to fight to protect copyright.

Ok, now to discuss something that I got wrong last year.

If it’s ok with you, I’m going to ease into this a bit and set the context. The first thing that I want to let you know is that the time I spent working in politics left me believing in politics and government. I know, because I have first hand experience of the good that good policy can do. That careful consideration by smart people can lead to important change.

So from the very beginning, I have been hopeful about the once in a generation regulatory process that the CRTC has undertaken following the passage of C-11. And last year, I gave a speech about how the CRTC should turn over every stone, and build a new system for the new digital global economy and I gently warned that we couldn’t regulate streaming with radio rules.

… And it only took about 22 hours after my speech for the CRTC to release their Phase 1 decision which could be called  “bringing the foreign streamers into the Canadian broadcasting system” but could also be thought of as “regulating streaming services like Canadian radio stations”.

I cannot hide my frustration about this. Part of the frustration comes from understanding how we got here. I get that the parts of the industry that rely on government funding have seen traditional funding drying up for more than a decade in both film and television as well as music. Contributions to funding programs based on market consolidation have come to an end over the lack of consolidation. Funding based on levies on cable bills have evaporated over cord-cutting. Government funding directed to arts and culture has not met demand, even after ten years of traditionally friendly government. And now, especially now, the idea that massive foreign services should have to pay for Canadian content is a policy tempting to sell.

But let me be clear: the best cultural policy in Canada is one that incentivizes global digital platforms to invest in Canada. To have Canadians on the ground, working with Canadian artists, Canadian labels and publishers and Canadian festivals, venues and celebrations.

We should want Canadian employees, Canadian artist plans, Canadian splash pages and Canadian sponsorship.

But so far, the desire for foreign cash has won out. Phase 1 of the CRTC process did not recognize the contributions to the Canadian industry that platforms are already making.

This is a mistake. It will lead to less investment in Canada and will eventually, to the disappointment of all, leave us looking for more money sooner than later.

Two weeks ago, we filed a motion to intervene at the Federal Court of Appeal on the case brought forward by the platforms. Our specific approach will echo what we have said from the beginning: that the investments made by the platforms in Canada must be understood and valued by the regulator as part of the contribution system. We have been leading stakeholders in parliament and at the CRTC. It only makes sense that we should share the views of the commercial music industry with the court.

We will also be contributing the rest of the year to the formal CRTC consultations. Our goal continues to be to help the CRTC build the best regulatory framework for the streaming era so that Canadian and Indigenous artists can compete with every song ever recorded from everywhere in the world.

I am still hopeful. But hope is not a plan. We will be working hard on this file. Canada deserves a regulatory system as globally inspired as our artists.

I’m already looking forward to coming back next year to tell you how we did.

Now, we had an election last week. We’ve got a lot to talk about. To do so, I’m going to speak with journalist Hannah Sung. You first knew her as a MuchMusic VJ, she now writes on culture for outlets like the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and the New York Times. She’s the co-founder of Media Girlfriends, a company that prioritizes inclusion in Canadian media. Asking her to join me seemed very on brand for what Departure is to become.

Please welcome Hannah Sung.

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We’re Hiring: Director of Public Policy

Music Canada is seeking a dynamic and strategic Director of Public Policy to help shape and support the organization’s work in creating an environment for a robust and innovative Canadian recorded music sector. Based out of Toronto or Ottawa, this high-impact position combines government relations, policy development, advocacy, industry analysis and communications to help the team at Music Canada build the sector. 

Your Impact:

As Director of Public Policy you will be at the forefront of relating to policy and decision makers on Canada’s major music labels invest in and support Canadian talent around the world. Reporting to our Vice President of Corporate Affairs, you will work closely with our communications, regulatory and government relations teams.

If you are excited about music and passionate about helping to further grow Canada’s innovative and world class music sector, we would love to hear from you. 

See full details in the job description. Apply by sending your CV and information to clevine@musiccanada.com.

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Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers delivers CMW 2024 “State of the Industry” opening keynote

Today, Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers delivered remarks at Canadian Music Week’s opening keynote, “State of the Industry: A(nother) Year of Change.” Looking back on a year that changed everything (again!) Patrick shared his views on how the industry is working together to navigate seismic events like generative AI and the Online Streaming Act implementation.

Read his full remarks below.


Good morning,

It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the opening of Canadian Music Week and our morning of Music Canada programming.

What a year it’s been since last year’s CMW. We’ve seen government, regulators, industry, artists, and streaming platforms come to grips with what’s next in regulating the digital space. Simultaneously, we have seen many of those same players try to get their heads around the AI of today, the AI of tomorrow and the AI that we must guard against.

In just a couple of moments, I’m going to sit down with renowned economist and digital streaming expert Will Page to talk about the realities of streaming, glocalisation, Canada’s place in the global market and what we all need to understand as the CRTC ramps up its next phase of consultations.

After that, we are going to hear from Human Artistry Campaign’s Dr Moiya McTier, and Sony Music Entertainment’s Chris Frankenberg who are going to share their views on the industry’s efforts on AI and what we should be looking out for here in Canada.

I am very excited to hear from these two experts but while I’m up here let me tell you the two things about AI that I have become certain of since last year’s CMW.

The first is there is no doubt that the ingestion of songs to train AI is a use of copyright – everyone’s copyright in a song. We need to remember that AI is simply a technology – and copyright is the framework used to protect the VALUE of the art.

In so many ways, none of this is new. Every time a new technology comes around that harvests, mines or ingests that VALUE for free we have this debate. But I feel good about where we stand on this and am proud to join creators in the protection of the value of their creations.

Now, why do I feel this way – well, I could tell you that I can’t help but notice that those who spent the last 30 years as professors, lawyers and consultants for the anti-copyright movement have all suddenly become professors, lawyers and consultants for the AI-should-be-allowed-to-steal everything movement. It’s amazing really.

But the other reason that I know this is a copyright issue is because of the outputs. The undeniable voice of Johnny Cash singing Barbie World only proves that the AI was trained on Johnny Cash and Aqua. Or take the generated image that just happens to include someone else’s watermark – that proves the same thing. This past year has taught us that these systems aren’t actually creating anything truly new. Only humans can do that.

Our industry is an early adopter of AI and we’re excited about what AI can bring to Human Creative expression. But we need credit, compensation and consent. Creators must be able to decide IF and HOW their life’s work is used and they must be able to negotiate for that value in a fair market.

But I’m optimistic that if we respect creators and the copyright framework, we can go from the world’s most complicated paint-by-numbers to something truly magnificent.

The second thing I’ve become convinced of over this past year is the very real – and very urgent – danger of deepfakes. The pace at which the technology has accelerated from “I don’t think that’s real” to “I need to check if that is real” is terrifying. This isn’t just a music industry issue – it’s a society issue. Music Canada has spent a lot of time talking to politicians about this over the last year. What’s so striking is that, while we have laws to prevent impersonation or stealing a persona over the phone, in magazine advertisements and on billboards – and everyone agrees this is important – there’s still uncertainty about what to do about AI impersonations.

Our answer is simple – make what’s illegal in the analogue world – illegal in the digital world.

Deepfakes aren’t just a problem for our top artists, or world leaders, they are increasingly becoming a threat to hard working Canadians and distressingly – their kids. All Canadians deserve a clear publicity right that protects how their name, image and likeness is used. We are going to keep working on this and I look forward to reporting back to you next year.

Turning to Music Canada’s other priority in the digital space – CRTC’s work to implement the Online Streaming Act and their updated roadmap.

At Music Canada, we take this process really seriously, I believe it’s a once in a generation regulatory process and ALL involved, should treat it as such.

But I do think that it would be helpful to break down why I think it’s so important.

I’ll start with the simplest. We’ve had home internet broadly available in this country for 30-plus years. And we all learned to make the most of it without a Canadian regulatory body overlooking it for that entire time. So much so that on April 26, 2023 digital platforms in Canada were not regulated – and on April 27, 2023 – with the passage of the Online Streaming Act, they were . That’s always felt to me like a big change.

It’s why I believe that the CRTC should be encouraged to build the very best regulatory system for the digital platforms and the Canadian creators that create the songs that have seen us all flock to the services.

What we cannot do is simply try to graft the old radio rules to the global digital economy in which Canadian artists are finding success and that consumers enjoy.

We also simply cannot ignore the presence, investment and contribution of the platforms to the Canadian industry during the unregulated time. It matters that the platforms have teams based in Canada – everyone in this room knows how important that is to help artists reach their fans around the world. The same is true of our members – Canada’s major labels – with brand new buildings full of Canadians focused on Canadian artists and their global success.

In one of the most powerful parts of the Phase 1 consultations at the CRTC in November, Patrick Aldous from Nettwerk warned that we must not forget the damage done to the music industry in the dark days of the digital piracy era – and that those dark days have been replaced by a licensed streaming era that has opened doors for Canadian and Indigenous artists to build global fanbases.

To me, this means that regulation must not interfere with the listening experience on streaming platforms or we risk driving users back to unlicensed services.

If this regulation is going to work, we need to build a system for today and tomorrow and not simply try to catch up on 30 years of lack of regulation.

That’s why I believe it’s time to turn over every stone. Really REALLY understand streaming. How Canadians listen, how artists benefit from it; dive deeply into how we can create more success.

It’s also why I’m so skeptical of those who encourage us to turn over NO stones.

Here’s what I think we will find when we really really dive in and look carefully at all aspects of the streaming market and our regulatory framework: at its heart, we will find artists. Canadian and Indigenous Artists in every corner of this country singing, writing, rapping and performing. Not just for audiences in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal or EVEN New York but for fanbases made possible by the global digital industry in Nigeria, Senegal and India.

Canadian artists don’t need a “made-in-Canada ceiling” to “keep them here.” They need and importantly WANT a map of the world.

We need a system that encourages Canadian artists to work with the best in the world so that they can compete with the world.

We have a lot of work to do. Because streaming isn’t just different from radio it’s the opposite.

I’m going to explain how I know this to be true. Not because Will Page told me so but because my dad would blow my mind on road trips when I was a kid.

Whenever we were in the car for any great length of time, with my Dad at the wheel, my Mom would flip to Q107, CHUM FM or CHFI on the dial in our Ford Tempo. After only a second or two, she would turn the volume dial to 0. After a little bit of humming to himself, my dad would either name the tune – or if he was feeling especially showy – he would join the song in progress.

Now there’s a lot going on here – first let’s give my dad some credit – it’s a cool party trick. Developed by a misspent youth locked away in his bedroom listening to endless amounts of music – but – it’s also an explainable mathematical equation.

A generation ago, it was possible to know every second of every song in the most popular genres because making it to radio, being broadcast, was the beginning of truly making it.

Our regulatory system is built for my Dad’s party trick.

But, today, joining the 120,000 songs uploaded to platforms every DAY is barely the beginning of the beginning.

And yet – more artists around the world are being listened to more than ever by more people in more genres than ever – thanks to streaming. Canada is a success story in the global digital economy.

Our new regulatory system needs to reflect that. It needs to respect the new players in the space, understand the modern paths to success and truly WANT TO MAKE the decisions required to help make Canadian artists into global stars.

With that, let’s start that process with someone who truly understands what we’re talking about – an economist and expert on music streaming, Will Page.

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LES FLUX DE VIDÉOS OFFICIELS SONT DÉSORMAIS ADMISSIBLES AU PROGRAMME DES SIMPLES D’OR ET DE PLATINE DE MUSIC CANADA

5 mars 2024, TORONTO ― Music Canada a le plaisir d’annoncer qu’à compter d’aujourd’hui, les flux de vidéos officiels comptent désormais pour la certification dans le cadre du Programme des disques d’or et de platine. Cet élargissement reconnaît la diversité des artistes qui réussissent grâce à la vidéo et célèbre comment les fans écoutent leur musique préférée.

Le programme de certification or/platine de Music Canada a été lancé en 1975 pour célébrer les ventes importantes de musique au Canada. Le programme rend hommage aux artistes et à leurs équipes qui créent de la musique qui parle aux Canadiens et qui remporte un succès commercial au Canada.

« C’est d’un moment passionnant pour le Programme or/platine de Music Canada, qui fêtera ses 50 ans en 2025. Grâce à ce lancement, nous saisissons les nombreuses façons novatrices autorisées par lesquelles les Canadiens apprécient la musique, et nous reconnaissons les artistes méritants qui ont cultivé des bases de fans dévoués grâce à leurs vidéoclips », a déclaré Patrick Rogers, chef de la direction, Music Canada. 

Selon les nouvelles directives, les vidéos officielles diffusées au Canada par un fournisseur de services numériques agréé, tel que YouTube, Vevo et Apple Music, et mises à disposition à partir du 1er janvier 2020, peuvent être prises en compte pour l’obtention de la certification. 

En outre, les équivalents de flux audio et vidéo ont été mis à jour pour mieux tenir compte des différences économiques entre les flux financés par la publicité et les flux financés par les abonnements. Les critères d’obtention de la certification restent les mêmes : les simples peuvent être certifiés or à partir de 40 000 unités, platine à partir de 80 000 unités et multiplatine à partir de 160 000 unités. Les simples sont admissibles à la certification Diamant à partir de 800 000 unités. 

Pour plus d’information sur les lignes directrices mises à jour, y compris comment demander la certification, veuillez consulter notre FAQ.

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Regan Reid
Music Canada
rreid@musiccanada.com
(416) 462-1485

À propos de Music Canada

Music Canada est l’association professionnelle représentant les principales maisons de disques du Canada : Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada et Warner Music Canada. Comme ses membres, Music Canada est un partenaire de l’industrie, qui travaille avec les artistes, les maisons de disques indépendants, les éditeurs, les plateformes, les associations et d’autres, pour faire avancer des politiques tournées vers l’avenir afin d’assurer un écosystème musical canadien dynamique et fructueux qui rapporte de la valeur aux créateurs de musique.

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Official video streams now eligible for Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum Singles Program

March 5, 2024, TORONTO: Music Canada is thrilled to announce that, effective today, official video streams now count towards certification in the Gold/Platinum Program for Single Awards. The expansion recognizes the breadth of artists achieving success with video and celebrates how fans are listening to their favourite music.

Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum Certification Program was launched in 1975 to celebrate milestone sales of music in Canada. The program honours the artists, and their teams, who create music that resonates with Canadians and achieves commercial success in Canada.

“This is an exciting moment for Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum Program – which is turning 50 in 2025. With this launch, we’re capturing the many innovative and licensed ways that Canadians enjoy music, and we’re recognizing deserving artists who have cultivated devoted fanbases through their music videos,” says Patrick Rogers, CEO, Music Canada. 

Under the updated guidelines, official video streams within Canada from an approved digital service provider, such as YouTube, Vevo and Apple Music, and which were made available on or after January 1, 2020, can count towards certification. 

In addition, streaming equivalents for audio and video have been updated to better account for the differing economics of ad-supported and subscription-based streams. Benchmarks to achieve certification remain the same, with singles eligible for Gold at 40,000 units, Platinum at 80,000 units and Multi-Platinum beginning at 160,000 units. Singles are eligible for Diamond certification at 800,000 units. 

For more information on the updated guidelines, including and how to apply for certification, please see the FAQ.

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Regan Reid
Music Canada
rreid@musiccanada.com
(416) 462-1485

About Music Canada

Music Canada is the trade association representing Canada’s major record labels: Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Like its members, Music Canada is a partner to the industry, working with artists, independent labels, publishers, platforms, associations and others, in advancing forward-looking policies to ensure a dynamic and successful Canadian music ecosystem which returns value to music creators.

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Music Publishers Canada and Music Canada launch new Songwriting and Music Publishing Award

May 17, 2022, Toronto: Music Publishers Canada and Music Canada are excited to launch their new Songwriting and Music Publishing Award. The award celebrates songwriters’ and music publishers’ contributions to officially certified Canadian Gold and Platinum recordings. 

“Songwriters and music publishers have always played a vital role in the creation of Canadian songs ​​that are heard daily on the radio, on streaming services, in video games, and on film and television productions seen around the world. We are proud to now have an award that specifically recognizes and celebrates the contributions of songwriters and music publishers to Gold and Platinum certified songs,” said Margaret McGuffin, CEO of Music Publishers Canada. 

“Gold and Platinum Awards are recognized world-wide as markers of commercial success for artists and their teams – whether the artist has just released their first hit, or if they are a global superstar creating the songs that define a generation. We are thrilled to extend our Gold and Platinum Program so that it recognizes the close creative working relationship between songwriters and performing artists and their teams,”  said Patrick Rogers, CEO of Music Canada.  “Canada’s music industry is a dynamic and competitive marketplace, built on creativity and collaboration. And just as Canada’s major labels partner with music publishers to support artists’ creative and commercial goals, this award marks a new level of partnership between our associations.”

The first award was presented last week during JUNO Week to Serena Ryder, in recognition of her songwriting contributions to her Platinum-certified song “Weak In The Knees.” The award was presented by ArtHaus Music and Music Publishers Canada, ahead of Ryder’s performance at the JUNO Songwriters’ Circle. 

As well, Soran, and his music publisher, Éditorial Avenue, were recognized with a plaque in a virtual presentation for their contributions to Johnny Orlando’s “Everybody Wants You,” a certified Gold Single.

“As both a publisher and songwriter, I am very excited to see the launch of an award that recognizes the impact of both of these roles on creating songs that resonate with music fans” said Vincent Degiorgio, President of CYMBA Music Publishing and Chair of the Music Publishers Canada Board of Directors. 

Music Publishers Canada members who hold publishing rights to songs contained in a Gold/Platinum certified recording are now eligible to order the new Award plaque for themselves, their sub-publishing partners as well as the credited songwriters who they represent in Canada.

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Erica Meekes
Music Canada
emeekes@musiccanada.com
(416) 462-1485

Margaret McGuffin
Music Publishers Canada
info@musicpublishing.ca
(647) 405-1261

About Music Publishers Canada
Music Publishers Canada is a non-profit membership-based organization whose mission is to create business opportunities for our members and to promote their interests and those of their song writing partners through advocacy, communication, and education.  

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada:  Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster.

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Music Canada returns as presenting sponsor of the Humanitarian Award, and Album of the Year Award at the JUNOS

April 4, 2022, Toronto: Music Canada is excited to return as the presenting sponsor of the Humanitarian Award, and the Album of the Year Award, at The 2022 JUNO Awards Broadcast. JUNO Week celebrations begin May 9th and will culminate with Canada’s Biggest Night in Music on Sunday, May 15 with The 51st annual JUNO Awards, hosted by Simu Liu. The first in-person JUNO Awards since 2019, this year’s event will make history as it broadcasts and streams for the first time from an outdoor venue at Budweiser Stage, with performances from highly anticipated acts including Arkells, Avril Lavigne, Charlotte Cardin, and Mustafa. 

“Music Canada is thrilled to celebrate Canadian music with our friends and partners in the music community,” said Patrick Rogers, CEO of Music Canada. “We’re proud to work alongside Canada’s major labels, with CARAS, and those in the industry who are driving innovation and finding ways to introduce artists and their music to a new generation of fans at home and across the world.”

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced that acclaimed Inuk singer-songwriter, and three-time JUNO Award winner, Susan Aglukark, will be recognized with the 2022 Humanitarian Award. Celebrated for her unique blend of Inuit folk, country and pop music, Aglukark will be honoured for her long-standing dedication to improving the lives of children and youth in Northern Indigenous communities. 

The Humanitarian Award recognizes philanthropic achievements from Canadian artists and industry pioneers who have created a lasting impact on social welfare globally. Presented annually, previous recipients include Bryan Adams, Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan, and the Tragically Hip.

“It is an honour to receive this award, and a privilege to have had the opportunity to help create safe spaces for Northern Inuit and Indigenous youth to explore their own potential and forge cultural connections through Indigenous-led programs,” said Aglukark. “I am proud of the work our team at the Arctic Rose Foundation has achieved so far, and look forward to expanding our footprint across the North to bring more culturally-grounded, adaptable programming to young people and help engage, support and inspire them in all aspects of their lives.”

“Susan’s dedication to the North and to creating safe spaces for children and youth in Northern Indigenous communities is inspiring,” said Patrick Rogers. “The Humanitarian Award has recognized Canadian artists, and titans of the industry who have gone above and beyond to create positive change for their communities, and whose impact can be felt around the world. We’re honoured to include Susan as a recipient , and to commemorate her outstanding achievements at this year’s JUNOS.”

The Album of the Year Award will also be presented at The JUNO Awards Broadcast. This year’s nominees are: 

  • Phoenix, Charlotte Cardin
  • Dangerous Levels of Introspection, JP Saxe
  • Justice, Justin Bieber
  • Wonder, Shawn Mendes
  • TOO YOUNG TO BE SAD, Tate McRae

“People are enjoying more music than ever before, and connecting with artists in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Being able to recognize and celebrate Canadian talent at the JUNOS with the Album of the Year Award is important to the continued success and growth of our music ecosystem,” continued Rogers. “Success at home can also translate to success on the international stage, which contributes economically, socially and culturally to communities across the country – generating opportunity for everyone.”

The 51st annual JUNO Awards hosted by Simu Liu, will make history on Sunday, May 15 as it broadcasts and streams for the first time from an outdoor venue at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, live across Canada at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos

Tickets for The 2022 JUNO Awards start at $39.95 plus fees and taxes and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.ca/junos

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Erica Meekes
Music Canada
emeekes@musiccanada.com
(416) 462-1485

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada:  Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster.

About CARAS
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music industry and promote higher artistic and industry standards. CARAS’ mandate is comprised of four key pillars: Educate through our music education charity, MusiCounts, programs and initiatives, Develop emerging artists through mentorship and development programs, Celebrate Canadian artists with year-round JUNO Awards showcasing, and Honour music industry icons through the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.  In 2021 The JUNO Awards celebrated its 50th Anniversary, with a national celebration of Canadian music. For more information on the JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit www.junoawards.ca.

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IFPI releases Global Music Report 2022, capturing the innovation-driven music market trends in Canada and around the globe

Today, the IFPI released their Global Music Report 2022, the definitive annual review of the global recorded music market. The report provides the official data on recorded music revenues worldwide, as well as insight and analysis on industry trends and developments. Truly a global industry, the report makes clear that music is everywhere today and people are not only enjoying more music than ever before, they’re also connecting with artists in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. 

Globally, the recorded music market grew by 18.5% in 2021, driven by a 21.9% increase in paid subscription streaming, and supported by a 16.1% gain in physical formats and a 4% gain in performance rights revenue. Total global revenues for 2021 were US$25.9 billion. Recorded music revenues grew in every region around the world in 2021.

Canada’s music market grew by 12.6% in 2021, to a total of US$583.6 Million, making it the 8th largest market in the world. Canada’s growth was driven by an 18% increase in streaming, which includes a 15.6% increase in paid subscription streaming, and 29.1% and 28.2% gains in ad-supported audio streaming and ad-supported video streaming, respectively. Physical format revenue increased by 11.4% in 2021, to a total of US$66.3 Million, the 7th highest ranking in the world. 

The report illustrates how today’s global music industry continues to evolve and expand in new and exciting ways. That includes examples of the ways that record companies are expanding into new territories, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa, and putting down deeper roots in local music communities. 

The report also shows the dynamic nature of today’s music industry, where artists have enormous choice in how to bring their music to fans around the world. The report shows that there were 523 million users of paid subscription accounts at the end of 2021, and approximately 60,000 songs uploaded every single day to one leading platform alone. 

“Today’s music market is the most competitive in memory,” said IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore. “Fans are enjoying more music than ever and in so many different and new ways.  This creates enormous opportunities for artists. Those who choose to partner with a record company, do so to benefit from the support of agile, highly responsive global teams of experts dedicated to helping them achieve creative and commercial success and build their long-term careers.”

“Canada’s music market is a microcosm of this global music economy,” said Patrick Rogers, Chief Executive Officer of Music Canada. “Canada’s major record labels have invested in both resources and people – developing new state of the art infrastructure in Toronto and Montreal, and bolstering their growing teams with talented staff across Canada to help their artists create and record their music. Record labels play a critical role in partnering with Canadian artists and helping them achieve creative and commercial success in today’s incredibly competitive marketplace.”

The report illustrates the new immersive and interactive ways that artists are connecting with fans online. Areas such as gaming, fitness, the metaverse and short-form video platforms have unlocked new tools for artists as well as new revenue streams, as these are licensed platforms which means that creators are being paid when their music is being played. The report also outlines policy recommendations to support a competitive marketplace to enable music to thrive in these new environments.

The report is now available on the IFPI’s website.

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Canada’s music marketplace hits more than 2 billion audio streams in one week

This week, Canada hit a major milestone in music listening. For the first time, Canadians streamed more than 2 billion audio streams in a single week. The figure was announced this week by MRC Data, the most comprehensive global provider of data and analytics to the entertainment and music industry. 

“A little over two years ago Canada reached 1.5 billion weekly audio streams, and we are pleased to share that the country has quickly achieved another major milestone with 2 billion weekly audio streams,” said Rob Jonas, CEO P-MRC Data.  “With the Canadian audio streaming market currently up over 12 percent year over year from 2020, we certainly expect to see more record weeks in the future.” 

“Two billion on-demand audio streams in a week is a huge accomplishment for Canada’s music marketplace,” said Patrick Rogers, CEO of Music Canada. “This number includes streams from licensed services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and TIDAL. These services provide music fans with on-demand access to more than 70 million licensed songs – a level of access that is leading to more music being played and consumed than ever before.”

When looking deeper into these impressive streaming numbers, Pop, Rock, Rap, Country, and Alternative Rock had the highest volume increases over the past few years, helping Canada reach the 2 billion weekly audio streams milestone.

“The 2 billion data point from MRC Data isn’t just a number. It’s a benchmark that reflects how much Canadians love and value music,” continued Rogers. “This new benchmark also demonstrates the incredible growth that the recorded industry has undergone over the past decade. These streams came from licensed, on-demand music services which means that the creators behind this music are being compensated.”

“It’s important to remember that this 2 billion figure isn’t an annual stat. It isn’t a monthly stat. It is 2 billion streams in a single week,” added Rogers. “Next week, MRC Data will restart their count at zero, and Canadians will track towards 2 billion again – all by listening to their favourite songs and discovering new ones.”

“There is an incredible amount of talented artists vying to be heard on these platforms, and fans can hear their music when they want and how they want,” said Rogers. “In this incredibly competitive marketplace, record labels play a critical role, partnering with, and investing in, artists to help them achieve creative and commercial success.”

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Erica Meekes
Music Canada
emeekes@musiccanada.com
(416) 462-1485

 

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada:  Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster.

 

About MRC Data
MRC Data is the most comprehensive global provider of data and analytics to the entertainment and music industry and consumers.  Established in 2019 with the acquisition of Nielsen’s music data analytics business, MRC Data services digital service providers (DSPs), labels, airplay, and music retailers. MRC Data’s data powers the Billboard charts, the industry’s most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. MRC Data products include Music Connect, BDSradio and Music360, which collectively capture and represent the most robust dataset related to music sales, performance, artist activity, and consumer engagement. MRC Data is part of P-MRC Data, a joint venture between MRC and Penske Media Corporation (PMC).

 

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IFPI releases ‘Engaging with Music 2021’, a comprehensive report that explores the ways that people listen to, discover and engage with music around the world

Today, IFPI, the organization representing recorded music worldwide, released Engaging with Music 2021, a comprehensive report that explores the ways that people listen to, discover and engage with music around the world. Based on research conducted by IFPI across 21 of the world’s leading music markets, including Canada, the report is a global snapshot of music engagement in 2021. 

Engagement with streaming – particularly subscription audio streaming – continues to grow and is the most popular form of music consumption around the world. More than three-quarters of people (78%) said they listen to music through licensed audio streaming services (subscription and ad-supported). Globally, there was strong growth (51%) in time spent listening to music on subscription audio streaming services, reinforcing the strong attraction of streaming to music fans. Audio streaming services (paid and free models) made up the largest share of music listening for consumers in Canada and around the globe.

This rapid growth in streaming engagement is evident in Canada’s music marketplace. Last week, Music Canada was proud to present a panel on Canadian Music Data in 2021, as part of Canadian Music Week’s Virtual Voices Series. The panel highlighted that Canada’s music market is reaching a new major milestone. Canadians will soon stream 2 billion songs in a single week – a benchmark that reflects how much we all love and value music. The fact that these streams all come from licensed services reaffirms that there is a strong market for recorded music in Canada where creators are paid when their music is played. This rapid growth in the streaming marketplace is a Canadian success story. Record companies’ ongoing work and investments in artists, technology, infrastructure and staff have laid the foundations for the success in the digital marketplace today. 

IFPI’s Engaging With Music study paints a rich and diverse picture of the music engagement landscape today. Music plays an important role on short form video platforms like TikTok, where 68% of the time respondents spent on these apps involved music-dependent videos such as lip syncing and dance challenges.  The report also highlights music’s long standing relationship with gaming. 31% of gamers have attended a virtual concert on platforms like Fortnite, Roblox, or Minecraft.

The full Engaging with Music 2021 report is now available on IFPI’s website. An accompanying infographic illustrating key takeaways from the report is also available here.

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