Media Companies Form Coalition in Hopes of Shutting Down CBC Music Streaming Service

BY Alex HudsonPublished Apr 12, 2012

As if the CBC didn't already have enough to deal with in light of the recent budget cuts, the organization has now come under fire from a coalition of media companies who have taken exception to its recently launched CBC Music streaming service and aim to shut it down.

The Globe and Mail reports that this group includes major financial players such as Jim Pattison Group, Golden West Radio, Cogeco Cable Inc., Quebecor Inc. and Stingray Digital. Other companies like Rogers Communications Inc. and Corus Entertainment Inc. are also expected to join to coalition soon.

These organizations don't support CBC Music's free streaming service, which includes 40 web-based radio stations, plus live concerts, playlists and on-demand music from a host of artists. According to the members of the coalition, the CBC is taking listeners away from their own private radio stations and for-pay websites. They reportedly claim that the public broadcaster should not, under its mandate, compete with private companies for online music dominance.

The coalition will likely file a complaint with the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Stingray CEO Eric Boyko said, "The only music that you can hear for free is when the birds sing. There is a cost to everything, yet CBC does not seem to think that is true."

This isn't the first time that CBC Music has come under fire. The Globe and Mail previously reported that the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is seeking more royalties from the CBC following the launch of the streaming service.

With so many organizers objecting to the CBC's new service, it's hardly any wonder that major streaming services like Spotify and Pandora have yet to come to Canada.

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