Bryan Adams and Spotify protest upcoming CanCon rule changes

Spotify has joined forces with Canadian rock star Bryan Adams to protest changes being made to Canada’s Online Streaming Act. This bill was due to be passed by the end of 2023, but has faced numerous delays and the CRTC has now postponed the publication date of its next forward-looking framework to the end of 2025. Consultation on the bill will also continue in 2026.

This ruse will allow streaming platforms like Spotify, Netflix and Prime Video to promote Canadian content (“CanCon”) in the way regular broadcasters must. This bill could also result in large media houses, such as those mentioned above, paying more taxes in Canada to contribute financially to Canadian media. While this is a good thing in theory, as Spotify and Adams point out, the laws governing what is and isn’t Canadian don’t always favor the artist or broadcaster.

Anyone who ever listens to Canadian radio knows that laziness can lead to overplaying Canadian hits, which means CanCon doesn’t do a very good job of highlighting the smaller Canadian bands it’s supposed to help.

That said, Adams and Spotify don’t appear to be openly protesting the idea of ​​the bill or even CanCon in general. Instead, the aging rocker is once again taking up the fight to redefine what CanCon is. For a work to currently be considered “Canadian content”, it must meet two of the four criteria below;

1. The music was composed entirely by a Canadian
2. The music or lyrics are performed mainly by Canadians
3. The musical selection includes a live performance that was recorded entirely in Canada or performed entirely in Canada and broadcast live in Canada
4. The lyrics were entirely written by a Canadian

Adams had protested against this before when his hit ballad “(Everything I Do) I do It For You” from the album Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves the soundtrack did not qualify as Canadian content, even though Adams co-wrote and performed the song. He was banned because he recorded his album in the UK and was co-written by a non-Canadian producer.

Neither Adams nor Spotify has revealed how they want to redefine the definition of Canadian content, but knowing Spotify, I expect they’ll have more information from them as the bill gets closer.

Via: CBC, Globe and Mail