In closing, there is another element of Bill C-10 that seems to us to require clarification, maybe even a correction, and that is the possible exclusion of certain social media activities from the application of the Broadcasting Act. Social media are enabling platforms used for music discovery. In all their iterations, digital media recommend content and generate “programmed” viewing. Platforms manage the user uploaded content and the access to it.
As other organizations have mentioned to this committee, notably the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, we believe the Canadian creative ecosystem would benefit more from Parliament, rather than excluding these services from the scope of the act, giving the power to the CRTC to determine how to better regulate social media under the Broadcasting Act.
In our opinion, the Canadian legislator should not focus on who uploads the content that Canadians turn to, but should rather target those whose line of business it is to recommend that content and monetize access to it, so that in the end, these giants share with content creators, the value they get from the use of their creation, of our Canadian music.