When online platforms prioritise content based solely on their economic interests, independent and emerging artists suffer. Thus, independent Canadian content creators are poorly heard and paid when their work is online.
Royalties from traditional and digital media indicate there is a significant disconnect between online companies’ efforts to showcase local content and those of traditional media:
- Canadian music creators earn 34% of traditional media royalties, but 10% of digital media royalties.
- For French-speaking songwriters, the royalty share for digital media is only 2%.
The issue of recommendation is all the more important because creators and rights holders are largely underpaid in the current digital model.
- Where it used to take an average of 15,000 physical copies sold to recoup the costs of producing and marketing an album, it now takes 30 million plays to obtain the same amount.
- Royalties from digital platforms are 3 to 5 times lower than traditional media.
In short, online streaming services recommend content based on their own interest, rather than content from independent and local artists and creators. C-11 must ensure that these platforms contribute to the success of Canadian artists and creators.
C-11 will allow Canadian creators to better reach their audiences, which will allow them to generate more revenue and reach more people here and abroad.