Quebec music still struggling on streaming platforms

French-speaking Quebec performers represent only 5% of streaming music listening (streaming) in Quebec, according to the latest bulletin from the Observatory of Culture and Communications of the Institute of Statistics of Quebec (ISQ).

However, streaming listening increased by 16% in Quebec in 2023 compared to 2022, according to theISQ.

This increase in continuous listening does not benefit interpreters in Quebec, according to this report.

The share of listening to Quebec performers on music streaming services fell slightly between 2022 and 2023, which means that listening to English music is increasing more quickly than listening to Quebec music.

According to the report, only two Quebec artists appear on the list of the 20 most listened to performers on streaming music platforms in Quebec: Les Cowboys fringants and Charlotte Cardin.

Only two tracks, one for each of these artists, appear among the 50 most listened to tracks in Quebec on these services.

No other track by a Quebec or French-speaking artist makes it to this list.

The discoverability challenge

The Quebec population is really encouraged not to consume local content and they are less and less exposed to their own musicnotes Ariane Charbonneau, general director of the Professional Society of Authors and Composers of Quebec and Entrepreneurial Artists (SPACQ).

For her, the determining issue remains that of the discoverability of Quebec performers on these streaming music distribution platforms, such as Spotify, Apple MusicAmazon Music or YouTube Music.

years, for example the accessibility of home studios or music creation software, artists today still struggle to reach their audience”,”text”:”Despite the democratization of tools over the past 15 years, for example the accessibility of home studios or music creation software, artists today still struggle to reach their audience”}}”>Despite the democratization of tools over the past 15 years, for example the accessibility of home studios or music creation software, artists today still struggle to reach their audienceshe explains.

Ariane Charbonneau deplores, for example, the lack of French-speaking music playlists and the omnipresence of playlists based on the algorithm set up by the companies that own these platforms.

The music industry is at the mercy of English-speaking and international algorithms.

Spotify, sponsor of the Francos de Montréal

For its 35th year, the Francos of Montreal have officially joined forces with Spotify to promote Quebec artists, with a new dedicated stage.

The director of programming for the Francos de Montréal, Maurin Auxéméry, believes that the festival’s alliance with Spotify will help promote the discoverability of Quebec artists.

In recent years, I find that Spotify has done an incredible job of discovering and supporting the local French-speaking scene. They have [listes d’écoute] who are dedicated, it is a real strategy for them to support the French-speaking scene in North Americahe explains.

The Quebec government also intends to legislate to force streaming platforms to guarantee easy access to French-speaking content.

With information from Audrey Neveu