What’s up with the CRTC now regulating podcasts?
Vol. 30 - What I'm gathering from advancements on C-11, and so many new shows!
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In this issue:
What’s up with the CRTC now regulating podcasts?
Canadian Indie: To North Bay With Love
True North Podcast Feature: Let’s Bond!
A jam-packed bulletin board that is nicely organized for you!
There are currently 28 long-term drinking water advisories in effect in 26 First Nations communities across Canada.
What’s up with the CRTC now regulating podcasts?
Back when the news of Canada’s Online Streaming Act (Bill C-11) came out, we podcast people had about one zillion questions about what it was going to mean for us.
If you’re not yet familiar, the Online Streaming Act came into the fold earlier this year as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) looked for ways to “modernize Canada’s broadcasting framework and ensure online streaming services make meaningful contributions to Canadian and Indigenous content.”
The language in the Bill was pretty vague about how it would actually work, but it did include the words “audio content” which sent a lot of us into a frenzy.
I did my best to break down what we knew about Bill C-11 from a podcasting framework back in May — which you can catch again here. But the latest news about it is the announcement that the Online Streaming Act would mean that now “online services that offer podcasts must register” by November 28th with the CRTC.
This is the first step towards more meaningful regulation that would, ideally, see some money flowing into Canada’s podcasting ecosystem.
Podcasts are getting regulated, baby.
Okay, honestly? I’m not that panicked… yet (you’ll catch me saying “yet” a lot here). Actually, I think I’m maybe ignorantly, blissfully, optimistic?
But the news did cause quite a stir, and interestingly, it really seemed to grasp the attention of plenty of folks outside of Canada.
That has included
, who’s been keeping a watchful eye on CRTC announcements over on Podnews. He had this to say about Canada making more broadcast regulation decisions:“The Canadian radio market is the most regulated in the Western world. It’s no coincidence that it is also one of the worst-performing radio markets, with dwindling audiences and poor finances that are worse than any other country. But all of the large owners of Canadian radio also own lucrative mobile, cable and television licenses; so they never speak out against the CRTC’s rules, lest the regulator threaten those parts of their companies. Canada deserves better; but it’s unlikely that it’ll get it.”
Also — and are we really surprised? — Elon Musk had an opinion to share, claiming that “Trudeau is trying to crush free speech”.
I won’t get into too much of the free speech stuff. From my current understanding of Bill C-11 and podcasts, I don’t really have too many concerns.
The most significant update is that now, services that offer podcasts (free or paid subscription) have to formally register with the government.
Who is supposed to register?
It sounds like this will only impact a handful of major players in podcasting in Canada.
“Exempted from the new regulations are online undertakings that either alone, or as part of a broadcasting ownership group, have less than $10 million in annual broadcasting revenues in Canada,” outlines the CRTC. That’s pretty much everyone right?
We can guess this means the ones registering would include industry giants like Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and Google.
on a recent episode of Commotion suggested it could also include CBC Gem.It looks like, other than these massive tech companies, we likely wouldn’t see any (??) Canadian podcast networks — CBC Podcasts, Canadaland, or Sonar Network — needing to register… yet. Maybe Frequency Podcast Network, as a part of Rogers Media?
As for independent Canadian podcasters, I’ll bet anyone a crisp 5 dollar bill to find me one who’s making $10 million CAD from their show, not that that seems to matter anyway.
“Content and digital creators will not be regulated, just as creators, artists and producers are not regulated today,” says the CRTC’s Myths and Facts page. “A person who creates audio or video content or creates a podcast, is not a broadcaster under the modernized Broadcasting Act.”
Here’s why some people are pissed…
If you want to get real gritty about it, Michael Geist has some interesting commentary in his explainer, about why the new regulation around podcasts probably isn’t as simple as I’ve made it out to be. It’s definitely worth a read for good measure.
“From a speech perspective, the regulator is effectively saying that a podcaster or news outlet that generates a certain threshold of revenue must register with the government, a position that runs counter to freedom of expression rights without government interference.” This is pretty notable in principle, but again, I don’t really see this playing out in a significant way… yet.
“Bill C-11 was never just about ‘web giants,’' Michael continues, “and the latest CRTC decision confirms that an extensive regulatory framework is in the works.” This makes sense, assuming that registration from distributors like Spotify and Apple Podcasts will need to be met with registration of Canadian podcasts in order to eventually see any contributions into the ecosystem and back to creators.
There’s also still the fear around big tech saying “heck no, we don’t wanna pay up” and just leaving Canada all together. Iaddressed this back in May as well and since then,Meta pulled out of sharing Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram as a result of Bill C-18, theOnline News Act. It’s not impossible that the tech giants that Canadian podcasts rely on could choose to up and leave.
That fear is another interesting point that Vass Bednar addressed on Commotion, and I couldn’t help but point it out. While it’s easy to get hung up on looming tech giants, “we should think and talk about their market power as well and their ability to … threaten us. Maybe that's a reason we need to rethink the broadcasting system of the future.”
But it’s what Jesse Brown (Canadaland) told CBC that I think gets at the heart of the concerns for me…
“What they’re signaling is, 'We are going to be regulating the space, but we’re not telling you how.”
So we’re regulating podcasts… okay, now what?
I think we’ll be asking “now what?” for a little while longer as Bill C-11 navigates through it’s limbo-land, and we discover what all of the “yets” turn into. There are a lot of little pieces still developing into the full picture of digital broadcast legislation, and that leaves C-11 still feel like a bit of a mystery.
How are you feeling about all of this?
Let me know in a reply to this email, or in the comments on Substack!
Check out this Canadian Indie: To North Bay With Love
Your local source for community and culture in North Bay and the surrounding region.
Tune in every Tuesday and Thursday to explore engaging conversations with our host Lisa Boivin as she welcomes a diverse range of local guests, including actors, politicians, athletes, and community members.
True North Podcast Feature: Let’s Bond!
This podcast by the First Nations Finance Authority explains how member-led finance is helping communities build their own futures...on their terms.
What’s going on in Canada’s podcast ecosystem:
You should know…
Nominations are open for the Canadian Podcast Awards!
There are a bunch of great categories so be sure to nominate your podcast AND your friends’! “Notably, there is no entry fee”, said CPA in a press release, “making this a truly inclusive opportunity for all eligible Canadian podcasters.” Nominations close this Sunday, October 22nd!
Nominations are open for the Canadian Radio Awards from Broadcast Dialogue!
If your podcast has been on the air and on an RSS feed, this is your award to win! The Best Podcast award is going out to the producer, on-air personality or team who demonstrate creativity, originality and excellence in podcasting. Audio that is eligible must have aired on a Canadian radio station between Nov. 1, 2022 and Oct. 31, 2023. Nominations close November 2nd!
Join the new Discord server for Canadian podcasters!
Al Grego, host and producer of many great indie podcasts including the Letterkenny/Shoresy recap podcast, The Produce Stand, has created a digital space for us all to connect. I’m already in there, come join us!
Acast and Amazon Music are hoping to amplify indie podcasters.
Acast and Amazon Music are looking for Canadian indie creators to highlight in a special collection on Amazon Music's homepage, hoping to help with discoverability. The opportunity is only available to indie podcasters in Canada using Acast. Use this form for your chance to be selected.
Kids podcast network, Storitopia, has released a list of notable Canadian kids podcasts. In light of the recent report on Canadian kids podacst listening habits, Storitopia as been keeping a keen eye on Canada’s podcasting industry. Read their post and let them know about your show!
Congratulation to this years Canadian Signal Awards Winners!
Dwarven Moss from The Sonar Network won Gold for Best Gaming & Actual Play Podcast.
The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonderful Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman, “Chapter Eight: Thin Lines” from Antica Productions won Silver for Best Writing for an episode AND Silver for Best Host.
HUMAN-B-GON won Silver for Best Original Score / Music AND Silver for Best Trailer.
Deadman's Curse: Slumach's Gold, from Great Pacific Media and Curiouscast won Silver for Best Writing.
But What Do I Know? from In The Know Media won Silver for Best Education Podcast.
On a Dark, Cold Night from The Sonar Network won Bronze for Best Bedtime Podcast.
Congratulation to this years Canadian Black Podcasting Awards Winners!
Love, Janessa from CBC + BBC World Service won Best Limited Series Podcast.
My Hockey Hero from Dean Barnes / Podstarter won Best Sports Podcast.
New releases:
Cults, the new season from COMMONS and Canadaland is out today!
The fifth season of Yes, We Are Open, an award-winning podcast telling the stories and struggles of small businesses across Canada, is out now!
International Cash Cows, a podcast from Damilola Onime that uncovers the experiences of international students in Canada has launched this month.
[HT
The Funny Thing About Ghosts is a new podcast from The Sonar Network. Sarah Hillier (Second City, Transformer’s Bot Bots), is joined by incredible guests like comedy legend, Colin Mochrie, on a new comedic paranormal podcast.
Events:
Hot Docs Podcast Festival starts this Thursday!
From October 19–22, check out the Creators Forum panels and workshops, and a bunch of awesome live shows! Don’t forget to use the code CFPOD8425 for $10 off Creators Forum passes. See you there!
Don’t miss this super fun live show recording in Toronto next week!
On October 26th, catch Niall and Dain of the F*ck Buddies podcast at Black Sheep Irish Cocktail Bar as they dish out all the dating and sex advice while smashing toxic masculinity and rape culture. Reserve your spot on Open Table now, and find the event called Thirsty Thursdays - Friends with Benefits (for advertising reasons, lol).
Vancouver Podcasters Meet-up!
There’s a new, free meet-up for podcasters and the podcurious on October 26th, which set to be re-occuring on the last Thursday of every month. Register here!
For your pod:
Is your podcast doing good in the world, specifically tackling issues around mental health, Indigenous environmental / agricultural science, or debt? You can pitch episodes for upcoming curations on the
newsletter!Spotify for Podcasters has begun to roll out a set of features which they first announced at Podcast Movement. “Best Place To Start” and links to recommended content are now available along with more analytics tools. This is just good to info to keep in your back pocket.
Just Joe (who is not prepared for chilly fall weather)…
If you have thoughts or Canadian podcasting news, please share them with me! Leave a comment or reply to the newsletter email.
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Kattie | @Podkatt (Twitter, Spotify, and Goodpods) | @PodtheNorth (Bluesky)
To be honest, I welcome the regulation. For me, it's about looking after Canadian creators, and the whole "the nasty government is coming for your free speech" is twaddle.
Thank you for sharing my call for pitches! 💙