35% of all tunage we hear on Canadian radio between the hours of 06:00 and midnight must be Canadian in content. This is the Cancon rule I grew up with. It meant a frequent barrage of Frozen Ghost, Jeff Healey, Tom Cochrane, The Pursuit of Happiness, Blue Rodeo, Corey Hart, Bryan Adams and Sass Jordan. Today, it means way too much Sum 41, Nickelback, Three Days Grace, The Tea Party and Alexisonfire.
It's 2005 and time Canadian acts sink or swim based on their talent. Even without Cancon rules, The Tragically Hip would be staples of our radio. Without Cancon, Our Lady Peace, the Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Billy Talent, The Arcade Fire and other popular and/or quality Candadian acts would still get played. If you're good, you're good. If you're liked, you're liked. Why are we artificially propping up certain artists merely because they're home grown. Shawn Desman doesn't deserve this kind of coverage merely because he was born in the T Dot.
It's time to kill Cancon. We don't need it anymore. Cream always rises.
