GATINEAU – Is an emerging artist a new singer that has been around for less than half a year and shot to stardom? Or is it a four-year-old band that has struggled out of the clubs gaining sporadic airplay?
The CRTC wants to know.
Wednesday, the Commission asked the radio and music industry to submit comments on just what the definition of an emerging artist should be – in the context of commercial radio.
It even published a report showing just how much (or little) radio stations play of new artists.
“For more than a decade, when the Commission has reviewed its commercial radio policies and considered applications for radio licences, there have been discussions about radio broadcasters’ role in presenting the work of emerging Canadian musical artists who are not yet familiar to most radio listeners and consumers of recorded music,” reads the report.
“Some allege that commercial radio stations have adopted programming strategies that minimize the playlisting of such music in favour of broadcasting the work of well-established artists. In their view, these practices hinder the development of a dynamic Canadian music industry. However, there is little publicly available information concerning the extent to which Canadian radio actually broadcasts the music of emerging artists.”
The deadline for written comments regarding the definition of emerging Canadian artists on commercial radio is April 25, 2008.
Click here for the call and here for the report.
