The Challenges of Releasing a Musical Recording

The Music Industry is an important part of the cultural industries in Canada. Deciding which recordings will be made and which artists will become popular has never been an easy choice, and it is important to diagnose to what extent the ability of Canadians to make and release recordings is being affected by the current standing of the cultural industries and its regulations.

The music industry of Canada mirrored that of Britain in its early days, due to the colonial ties between Canada and the UK. The 1970’s were one of the most important decades in the history of Canadian music and were responsible for a huge kick starting of a truly Canadian music industry. With the introduction of new regulations on radio stations stating that 30 per cent of the music they played would have to be produced by Canadians in the “70″s came a vacuum of empty airtime that would be filled with numerous Canadian musical talents; including Anne Murray, Rush, and Neil Young. The Juno awards were also introduced in the 70’s; originally as an attempt to start a pop-star system similar to that of the United States, whose structure of musical stardom involves events such as the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Top 100.

With the success of the Juno Awards and the increasingly astonishing success of Canadian music on the global mainstream came more and more diversity in Canadian music. The 1980’s saw the introduction of such world famous Canadian talent as Brian Adams and Sara McLachlan. Will Straw’s analysis of the link between radio airplay and the explosion of Canadian music’s popularity found the following:

“Although a causal link between radio quotas and the growth of a domestic recording industry has never been demonstrated in convincing statistical fashion, both are

seen as having laid the groundwork for the enormous worldwide success of Canadian music in the 1990s, when Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Bryan Adams, and Alanis Morissette became among the world’s best-selling recording artists.” (Straw, 2004, p. 279)

The introduction of new musical talent into the Canadian cultural system came a need for media more devoted to music. MuchMusic, Canada’s answer to the overwhelmingly popular American network MTV, was introduced in 1984 and continues to be a major player in the marketing of Canadian talent to the world, such names as Alanis Morisette, Nelly Furtado, and most recently, Avril Lavigne.

However, to what extent the success of Canadian artists is due to Canadian radio broadcasters being forced to play at least 30 per cent Canadian content is still up for debate. It can be argued that the explosion of Canadian pop hits was due to the fact that radio stations were legally required to give them airplay, and thus boost their popularity. It is an intent of this analysis to describe how exactly a recording is released in Canada and how it may become popular; and regulation is certainly one of the most important things to consider when preparing to release a musical album. Different points of view regarding the regulation of music and how it can damage the industry will also be discussed.