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For a country with a population of only 36.3 million people it has produced/introduced some of the most popular and influential musicians/artists in popular culture. It cannot lay claim to bands such as The Beatles (UK) or The Beach Boys (US), but it more than holds its own with individual singer/songwriters and musicians. There is no denying the impact of a Glenn Gould, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan,Oscar Peterson, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot and Hank Snow. And this is just scratching the surface.
A large part of it's success must be given to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) who in 1971 mandated that 25% of radio airplay be devoted to Canadian content. That decision initially caused an outburst of protest saying they went too far, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions the CRTC ever made. More money started pouring into production to up quality, labels started to look locally, regionally and nationally at artists that were establishing bases and grassroots excitement. These artists were then nurtured and given a better opportunity for success. More importantly though, Canadians themselves started to appreciate the talent pool that was all around them and became more inclined to support them. That support allowed many Canadian artists to establish themselves internationally as word spread.
I love all music and don't care who is from where, but I'm also very proud of what Canada has contributed to the world and I just wanted to make that known. I love my The Tragically Hip, Philosopher Kings, Jacksoul, Frank Marino, Gino Vannelli, Harmonium, k.d.lang, and many others.
So the next time you hear of an artist/band from Canada....give them a listen.
Oh...and thank you for allowing me this self-indulgent and patriotic posting.
JV
A large part of it's success must be given to the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) who in 1971 mandated that 25% of radio airplay be devoted to Canadian content. That decision initially caused an outburst of protest saying they went too far, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions the CRTC ever made. More money started pouring into production to up quality, labels started to look locally, regionally and nationally at artists that were establishing bases and grassroots excitement. These artists were then nurtured and given a better opportunity for success. More importantly though, Canadians themselves started to appreciate the talent pool that was all around them and became more inclined to support them. That support allowed many Canadian artists to establish themselves internationally as word spread.
I love all music and don't care who is from where, but I'm also very proud of what Canada has contributed to the world and I just wanted to make that known. I love my The Tragically Hip, Philosopher Kings, Jacksoul, Frank Marino, Gino Vannelli, Harmonium, k.d.lang, and many others.
So the next time you hear of an artist/band from Canada....give them a listen.
Oh...and thank you for allowing me this self-indulgent and patriotic posting.
JV
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