CanCon is short for Canadian Content. On this website, that’s all it means. (Read more about us here.)
CanCon usually refers to the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations which require Canadian broadcasters to dedicate a certain percentage of their programming to Canadian material. The CRTC’s website describes the program in detail.
As far as music is concerned, the CRTC describes its goals as follows:
The primary objective — a cultural one — is to encourage increased exposure of Canadian musical performers, lyricists and composers to Canadian audiences.
The secondary objective — an industrial one — is to strengthen the Canadian music industry, including both the creative and production components.
The “Canadian-ness” of a musical work is determined by the MAPL criteria: at least two of the following must be met:
- Music: the music is written by a Canadian
- Artist: the work is performed principally by a Canadian
- Production: the work was recorded wholly in Canada
- Lyrics: must be written entirely by a Canadian.
(Only one of the four is required for works created before 1972. Certain other exceptions exist: see the CRTC fact sheet for details.)
If you buy a CD in Canada, you will often find a quartered circular symbol with the letters MAPL in it, indicating which of these conditions is met.
A whole lot of details, conditions, exceptions and exemptions exist, but the basic deal is that commercial radio stations are generally required to play at least 35% Canadian content (increased from 30% in 1998). The full text of the Radio Regulations, 1986, is found here. The 1998 amendment is here.
Different CanCon regulations exist for television. Read about them here.
