Justin Bieber may be one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with a Grammy and Junos awards group to his name.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter, born in Ontario, has also been named one of the most influential people in the world and the 10 most powerful celebrities.
But are their songs Canadian enough for the government’s online broadcast bill?
Spotify, the world’s largest streaming platform, where Bieber’s hits have been heard millions of times, has doubts.
He says the songs of Bieber and other well-known Canadian artists may not be officially counted as Canadian under Bill C-11, which is now going through Parliament.
Spotify says that according to Spotify, among the songs that are unlikely to meet strict content requirements are Bieber’s “Ghost,” Tate McRae’s “She’s All And Wanna Be,” and the Moroccan singer’s “Anybody Else.” Canadian Faouzia.
The bill aims to update the Broadcasting Act so that streaming platforms comply with the same rules as traditional broadcasters, including the requirement that they promote Canadian content.
To qualify as Canadian, songs must tick a number of boxes.
Under current rules, a song must meet two of the following criteria to be counted as Canadian: be written entirely by a Canadian; played primarily by a Canadian; be broadcast or performed live in Canada; or have letters written entirely by a Canadian.
Bieber’s “Ghost”, for example, only meets one of these requirements, which is that traditional broadcasters can no longer count it as Canadian content and, if the bill is approved, Spotify and other streaming platforms nor will they be able to do so.
Spotify says that without a more flexible definition of what qualifies as Canadian content, it could end up promoting fewer songs by the country’s artists than it currently does on its Canadian playlists.
“It’s important to understand that today’s music world is international in nature and involves the collaboration of artists from around the world,” says Nathan Wiszniak, head of marketing for Canadian artists and labels at Spotify.
“According to current definitions of Canadian content, many songs we know and love about Canadian artists would not be classified as Canadian.”
However, the current rules could change. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has said he plans to ask the broadcasting regulator, the Telecommunications and Broadcasting Commission of Canada, to review the definition of Canadian content.
He has said he will issue political leadership to the CRTC after the bill passes Parliament. At this time, the CRTC would be responsible for regulating streaming platforms and ensuring that they promote Canadian content that meets the requirements.
Spotify curates 90 playlists that feature Canadian artists from a variety of genres, such as country, Quebec rap, and French-language classics.
The platform says it currently uses various data sources to determine if a song is Canadian, including the artist’s self-report.
“This means we carry a much broader category of tracks that we have identified as Canadian compared to those we believe would be classified as Canadian by current definitions,” says Wiszniak.
Playlists are tailored to the listener’s musical tastes, in part based on what they usually hear. They’re also designed to introduce people to Canadian musicians and genres they may not have heard of before, he says.
“We are concerned that unless the Canadian content requirements are updated, this bill could limit the exposure of emerging and beloved Canadian artists and, in turn, lead to overexposure to others, alienating listeners.”
Michael Geist, the Canadian Research Chair in Internet Law at the University of Ottawa, says the current criteria for what is considered a Canadian song may “lead to some strange quirks.” He says the definition of Canadian content needs to be updated in the bill.
“(This) has caused foreign artists to perform versions of Canadian songs produced outside of Canada to be defined as Canadian, because they meet the standards of music and lyrics,” he says, “while Canadian artists perform songs written by non-Canadians and produced out of the country “. of Canada do not count as Canadians because only the artist’s requirement is met. “
Bill C-11 has passed the House of Commons and is being considered in the Senate, where it will be discussed when senators return from summer vacation.
Senators have been inundated with phone calls, emails and letters from opponents of the bill claiming it could affect amateur videos posted on YouTube.
But supporters of the project say it is updating Canada’s outreach laws and will help promote Canadian artists.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2022.