Cancon Archives - Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things

Could the Canadian government force streaming services to contribute to Cancon creation?

One of the big cultural challenges facing Canada involves the growing encroachment of streaming services on our cultural sovereignty, especially

Before January 1971, there was no requirement for Canadian radio stations to play any Canadian music. That changed when the

I was once again invited to appear on TVO’s The Agenda to participate on a music-related panel. Here’s how it

Flying back from CES today on Air Canada Rouge Rough. It’s the only airline where you can get LESS legroom

While old-school terrestrial radio has to abide by non-negotiable rules regarding Canadian content (not to mention having to contribute financially

It’s a bit of an oversimplification, but new copyright policy in Canada wants to make sure streaming platforms are adequately

This is the first weekend of Coachella, which has evolved from a mostly rock-based event to one dedicated mostly to

Cameron Gordon of Completely ignored contributed an extremely popular post a few weeks back imaging what an all-star all-CanCon Coachella

Garry Lowe, bassist for legendary band Big Sugar, passed away Saturday, July 7, at the age of 65. He’d fought

A reader of this website came to me with a mystery: a song he’d recorded from the radio years and

[This was my weekly column for GlobalNews.ca – AC] Despite being next to the largest exporter of popular culture in

The Genius of Live Sports Production – Paul Graham In Conversation with TBP Podcast EP 013 December 1, 2020
The best live sports executive producers are a blend of genius, in both art and science. Whether we realize it or not, as viewers, we are of course more deeply engaged in cliffhangers. Match outcomes that keep us tuned in until the very end. That is where the executive producer shines. The research and preparation […]
Mark Silver
Intimate Gatherings of Sports Fans and Media Personalities – Kevin Kennedy in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 012 November 25, 2020
No matter the sport, passionate fans and pundits have long debated the goings-on in the clubhouse or on the pitch of every pro sports team. For most of us, this dialogue and discord are limited to Twitter, or perhaps yelling at sports talk radio hosts in our cars. If you were paying slightly more attention, […]
Mark Silver
The Business of Independent Production – Don Young in conversation with TBP Podcast EP 011 November 18, 2020
Canadians have long heard about Canadian content, aka CanCon. What most outside of the broadcast business don’t generally realize is that much of that content is actually subsidized by the private broadcasters, such as Bell Media and Rogers Media. Many independent producers have made a career, and a lot of money, perfecting the art of […]
Mark Silver