The MAPL Test
Summary
Host Chris Berube explores Canada’s "CanCon" policy, which mandated radio stations play 30% Canadian music to build a domestic industry. The episode details the "Maple System" for qualifying songs, its initial resistance, and its eventual success in creating a global music powerhouse. Berube and producer Max Collins discuss the policy's flaws, including lack of diversity and irrelevance in the streaming era, while highlighting how government support shaped Canadian culture.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and intro
The hidden Canadian-ness of the show Heated Rivalry
Canada's outsized influence on global music
The struggle of Canadian musicians in the 1960s
Expo 67 and the rise of national pride
The creation of CanCon and the MAPLE system
Radio DJs' loopholes and the Elvis cover trick
Flaws in the system: Steppenwolf and Bryan Adams
The boom of the Canadian music industry
How CanCon helped bands like Sloan break out
Global adoption and the stigma of CanCon
Critiques: Public funding and Indigenous representation
Streaming services and the future of regulation
Sponsors: Article, Squarespace, Quince, AT&T
CanCon laws in Canadian television
Public funding as the true engine of Canadian arts
Credits and final sponsors
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