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We are unsure of who keeps track of the artist airplay statistics of other countries, but for Canada you could try the association called S.O.C.A.N. They are the society that collects the royalties from radio stations for songwriters and publishers in Canada. In the US I believe there are 2 called ASCAP and BMI. Socan may have the names and contact info for all the other countries you speak of. Socans number in Toronto is 1-416-445-8700
You would be interested in knowing that Stompin Tom in 40 years has yet to have one of his songs in the top 100 on Canadian Radio Charts yet he has sold over 3 million albums in Canada, voted the 13th Greatest Canadian in last years CBC nation wide "Greatest Canadian" show and #1 in his field. Winner of 6 Juno awards. The Governor Generals Performing Arts award and too many others to list. Has been signed to the major label EMI Music Canada (Capitol) for almost 20 years. Author of 2 Canadian Best selling autobiographies where they climbed to and stayed at #1 and #5 respectfully in Canada for several weeks outselling Pierre Burton, Bill Gates, and Ellen Degeneres when they all had books launched in the same period. Sells out over 90% of his concert performances in the last 15 years and had over 50,000 show up to a show last summer which out drew the Rolling Stones when they were playing an hour away in Ottawa the same night.
Awfully strange that Canadian Radio doesn`t want to play him. They told him in the 60`s that he didn`t fit the format, then again in the 70`s, 80`s 90`s, and now in the new millenium he has still been told that. I guess the format hasn`t changed much in 40 years. In fact a DJ in Ottawa last year was suspended for a week for playing too many Stompin` Tom songs in protest for Tom being passed on to perform at the Live 8 show for world Poverty. Unbelievable. Especially if you read his first autobiography, there isn`t another artist in Canada that came from as much poverty and despair as Tom had to overcome.
And where artists like Shania Twain come out and generate 100`s of thousands of dollars in Radio royalties a year, Tom gets a few hundred bucks. As the only stations that play his music are the campus stations because the young generation tends to like his music and they don`t have a thumb over them telling them what they can and can`t play.
When the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) raised the Canadian Content level to a minimum 35% the biggest complaints came from the radio stations. I don`t think you would find 1 station in Canada that will play one% higher that the minimum. And what do they do, they play the top 5 Canadian artist 15 times a day to make their 35% quota. And if anyone else made the list, they are played mostly during off peak hours. Tom has been fighting this for years but to no avail. Radio in Canada simply waits for the top charts to come in from the US and then programs their lists according to wha’ts hot down there.
Stompin` Toms Television Special was just aired this year on Canada Day and was the highest rated show with over 600,000 viewers. It replayed in September and had another 600,000. That is unheard of for a repeat broadcast of that nature. There is only 30 million People in Canada and if Tom has that many viewers his music should be worth hearing on Canadian Airways. Incidently, EMI has since released the DVD version of that TV special and it has already gone double platinum in a few months and is currently the best selling Canadian Single artist DVD of the year.
I`m not trying to brag up Stompin` Tom, but simply stating the evidence of why Tom should be heard and to help you realize that in Canada there is definitely something wrong with Radio. And not only Stompin` Tom but many other good artists are being passed up who write and sing great music.
Good luck with your research. I know Canada needs more people like you to help dig up the truth about the unjustly way radio treats its own artists here. Please pass on your findings to us and your research as I`m sure Tom would like to see what you find out. We would even post your article here on the website which gets over a hundred thousand hits a month.
Hopefully there are not too many roadblocks for you, but there will be some as the Canadian Music Industry doesn`t like admitting to any wrongdoing.
Thanks again for the visit and I hope I have helped out in any way.
Happy New Year and all the best,
Sincerely,
Tom Stewart
www.StompinTom.com STAFF
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