Rebecca's Thoughts

This was taken from CANCON: A History of Canadian Radio and the CRTC

This paper will mark the beginning of the Canadian music industry in 1730, as this year saw the start of the urbanization and consolidation of music in Canada. Although a lot could be written about the importance of traditional, and orally transmitted music in Canada it is difficult to fully determine its impact and how it affected the rules and regulation of music in the country. Another thing to note in pre-1730s music is the fact most of the “popular” music was of religious decent -predominantly Catholic and Jesuit- and was observed more out of obligation to the Catholic church and less out of leisure.

The 1730’s to about 1850 saw what this paper will consider the first wave of music in the country. This wave saw large class divisions in what people listened to. On one end you had wealthy people attending concerts for Bach and Mozart. This was also the time where operas and orchestras became popular places where wealthy people could go and see live music. At this point there was a clear distinction between what was considered “high art” and “low art” and what fit into the categories was determined along socioeconomic lines. Operas, orchestral music, Bach, and Mozart were all considered “high art” for their appeal to wealth, extravagance, skill, and intellect. This was further perpetuated through the high costs of musical instruments, sheet music, and music publishing. The average person in 1730’s Canada could not afford to witness “high art” let alone music lessons. “Low art” or art for the common, working people was often relegated to bars, and other drinking establishments. The 1840-50’s saw a large influx of Irish and Scottish immigrant to Canada, and with them came fiddles, flutes, mandolins, and guitars. This made things like “drinking music,” Celtic music, barn dances, and jamborees common for everyday folk, and working class people.   

1850 to 1900 saw the second wave of music in Canada. What is often considered the Victorian era, saw the rise of the middle class and a greater accessibility of music. 1844 saw the opening of the first music store in the country. The store opened in Toronto, and this made music available in a direct-to-consumer model.[6] People no longer had to order music directly from the company in Europe. All a person had to do now was go to a store and buy what was popular. This wave also saw a rise in the affordability of pianos as well as music education. Music classes started appearing in compulsory education and middle class families could now afford to send their children to music lessons. Conservatories and philharmonics/orchestras started popping up across Canada. This was prompted and supported through confederacy and the rise in train travel.

The third wave begins around 1900 and goes to about 1940. This wave saw the introduction of music at home. 1904 saw the rise of the Columbia Phonograph Company in Canada, and five years later in 1909 Berliner Gram-o-phone Company started producing and selling gramophones in the country. People no longer had to leave their houses if they wanted to listen to music. This idea was further established through the introduction of the first electric record player hitting the markets in 1926. The Great Depression did temporarily hinder people’s ability to listen to these new technologies as they were often costly and only those very wealthy could afford to buy these record players. Instead, people had to venture back out to cafes and bars where jukeboxes became a permanent and popular fixture.[7] Sales of gramophones, record players, and records did make a recovery after the World War II, with the introduction of vinyl disks and smaller players.

World War I brought forth a wave of new technologies. One such technology was the radio. 1920 saw the introduction of Montreal’s XWA (now CFCF), the first radio programme station in the country.  Three years later Canadian National Railway (CNR) developed a cross country network of radio stations for people onboard their trains. CNR Radio inaugurated many programs later adopted by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) most famously Hockey Night in Canada.[8] CNR radio’s network model was the inspiration for cross country radio stations.[9]  In 1928 about 52,500 radio sets were sold in Canada, and despite the Great Depression hitting Canadian’s bank accounts, the number of radios sold by 1931 had jumped to 173,200.[10] 1936 also saw the formation of the CBC.

This third wave of music in Canada also saw the beginning of royalties for Canadian musicians. In 1925 the Canadian Preforming Rights Society (CPRS) -now known as SOCAN- was formed, and was granted the authority under the Copywrite Act to licence and copywrite members music, allowing musicians to collect royalties from radio networks, advertisement firms, and television networks who included music in their movie/TV shows.[11]   

The last wave of music in Canada that will be covered in this paper is from 1940 to 2000. This wave saw widespread growth in the Canadian music industry both in regard to new music/artists but also technologies. This era also saw a focus on the idea of “Canadian identity” and how the government and other industries could project this identity abroad. This was done through the introduction of the Massey Commission and the subsequent report in 1949. Additionally, the CRTC was created in 1968 after the ratification of the Broadcasting Act. This helped pave the way for long-term growth, and legitimized Canadian artists and content both domestically and internationally. This was especially relevant as the decade between 1950 – 1960 saw the rapid expansion of American cultural markets and Canada’s attempt to stay relevant. This wave also saw the national recognition of Canadian musicians in the form of the Gold Leaf Awards (now known as the Juno Awards) in 1964 and the Canadian Country Music Awards in 1976. Despite the growth and the attempted facilitation of Canadian music by the government and other agencies many successful artists felt pressured to move to America and look south when it came to establishing a long lasting career.

World War II was a rough period for the Canadian music industry, but the period after and the emergence of Canadian record labels, and Canadian artists abroad helped recover the industry and take it further than before. This wave saw the emergence of new technologies like cassette tapes, Walkmans, and other Japanese imported electronics that made listening to music affordable, and transportable. This became especially prevalent in the 1990’s and the creation of CDs, which were cheaper to manufacture and purchase.  

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[1] “Programming Made by Canadians: Understanding Industry Responsibilities,” Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) (Government of Canada, June 15, 2016), https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/cancon/c_system.htm.

[2] Andrew M. Carlson, “The Country Music Television Dispute: An Illustration of the Tensions between Canadian Cultural Protectionism and American Entertainment Exports,” Minnesota Journal of International Law, 1997, https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/mjil/105/.

[3] Ibid

[4] “IFPI Global Music Report 2021,” IFPI GLOBAL MUSIC REPORT 2021, 2021, https://gmr2021.ifpi.org/.

[5] Andrew M. Carlson, “The Country Music Television Dispute: An Illustration of the Tensions between Canadian Cultural Protectionism and American Entertainment Exports,” Minnesota Journal of International Law, 1997, https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/mjil/105/.

[6] Helmut Kallmann, “Music History,” The Canadian Encyclopedia ( Historica Canada, March 4, 2015), https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/music-history.

[7] “Virtual Gramophone: Canadian Historical Sound Recordings,” Library and Archives Canada, November 4, 2020, https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/virtual-gramophone/Pages/virtual-gramophone.aspx.

[8] Albert Tucker, “Canadian National Railway (CN),” The Canadian Encyclopedia (Historica Canada, October 24, 2017), https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-national-railways.

[9] “Early Commercial Radio Broadcasting in Canada, 1918-1932 National Historic Event,” Early Commercial Radio Broadcasting in Canada, 1918-1932 National Historic Event – History and culture (Government of Canada Parks Canada Agency, November 10, 2021), https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/clmhc-hsmbc/res/information-backgrounder/diffusion-radio-broadcasting.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Chris Hibbard, “A Brief History of Canadian Music,” The Lethbridge Alberta Beat: Arts and Entertainment Magazine, July 2, 2010, http://www.labeat.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=738%3Aa-brief-history-of-canadian-music&catid=74%3Athe-world-as-we-know-it&Itemid=64.