What Is CanCon? Getting on the radio used to be a nearly impossible feat for an independent artist. Back in the day, artists were forced to make calls, knock on doors and mail in demos to stations in hopes of getting ears on their music, with often lackluster results. Even if an indie artist managed to get in front of a radio DJ, they then faced a battle against major label artists with massive marketing budgets and professional promoters with key relationships behind them.
Now, while getting on the radio can still be difficult, it’s not impossible. The barrier to entry for independent artists has greatly dropped with the development of new strategies and services like Play MPE’s Caster platform.
In spite of the rise of streaming, radio is still one of the most popularly consumed forms of media in the world and should not be ignored by independent artists. And for Canadians, opportunity is greater than you think because of a little thing called CanCon, which ensures radio stations are legally obligated to play Canadian music.
What Is CanCon and Why Do Canadian Radio Stations Have to Play Canadian Music?
CanCon is short for “Canadian Content.” To ensure Canadian artists aren’t overshadowed by American and other international media, Canadian content laws require broadcasters to include a certain percentage of Canadian content in their programming.
According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), commercial radio stations are legally required to make sure 35% of the popular music they play each week is CanCon. For CBC radio, that number is 50%. [Source] This is an effort to open opportunities for major and independent artists in their home country.
But just being Canadian doesn’t automatically qualify you as CanCon. There are a few other criteria you need to meet. To ensure a song qualifies as CanCon, the CRTC uses something they call MAPL,
What is MAPL?
To put it simply, MAPL is an acronym that stands for:
- M – Music: The music is composed entirely by a Canadian
- A – Artist: The performance is recorded wholly by a Canadian
- P – Production: The track was recorded or performed in Canada
- L – Lyrics: The lyrics were written entirely by a Canadian
For musicians, a song must hit at least two MAPL criteria. As long as your song was written and performed by a Canadian (M, A), it counts, even if it was recorded in another country. That also means that a song written by someone non-Canadian, but recorded in Canada (P) and performed by a Canadian artist (A) also counts.
Remember, radio stations are legally required to play music that hits the ConCon and MAPL criteria. They often search for quality Canadian music. If your music is good, eligible and a right fit for the station, your chances of getting airtime is significantly higher.
Knowing if your song hits these criteria is crucial and can also help benefit you in many other ways. For example, not only can it help with radio exposure, but it makes you eligible for grant funding programs like FACTOR and the Canadian Starmaker Fund, festival and award submissions as well as Canadian-specific paylisting opportunities.
How Play MPE Helps Radio Programmers Find CanCon Music
Play MPE is a trusted platform for digital music distribution to industry professionals. Thousands of radio programmers, DJs and journalists use Play MPE to discover and download new tracks for airplay or review.
Caster makes it simple for music tastemakers to find Canadian-made music. If your song is listed correctly on Caster, you have an upper-hand in being considered for radio promotion or publication opportunities. CanCon tracks are labelled so recipients can easily filter and search specifically for them within the Player.
Click here to take a closer look at Caster and its benefits.
Why Choose Caster?
Caster is essentially a self-distribution tool for artists. Think of it like a digital press kit and distributor rolled up into one. It helps artists and labels create professional promo releases. Radio programmers can discover an artist’s music via Player, and through release emails sent directly to them.
You can analyze how your release campaign is doing via Play MPE’s radio-tracking tool MTR.
In conclusion, radio is just as important now as it was before. It’s still a powerful tool for discovery, credibility as an artist and building your fanbase. Thanks to CanCon, independent Canadian artists have a bigger opportunity to receive airplay than most might think.
To make the most of it, you need to make sure you understand the MAPL system. Be sure your music hits the criteria and check that all tracks have the correct information when uploading them online.
Getting airplay might not happen overnight, but with the right tools, you can create opportunities and pathways for yourself. Play it smart, and you might hear yourself on the radio.