The radio dial of the future could contain 30 percent female musical content if a new proposal in the campus and community radio sector is widely accepted.If enough campus and community radio stations support it, FemCon (female content) could follow in the footsteps of the 35 percent CanCon (Canadian content) regulation.
Inspired by a study conducted by Status of Women Canada and created by the campus and community radio collective Women's Hands and Voices, FemCon is an attempt to address a lack of balance between the sexes on Canada's campus and community stations. According to a resolution by the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NRCA), "FemCon is defined as music which meets two of the following categories: music, artists, lyrics and production by women." The NCRA represents 35 campus and community radio stations across Canada.
Is there anyone -- I mean, besides the clapped-out hippies that run campus radio stations with 200 (if that) listeners -- that thinks this proposal will make the slightest amount of difference in the world of the Internet and satellite radio?
If I listen to a female musician, it'll be because she's worthy of being listened to, rather than because she meets the quota of women that some bureaucrat decides I need to hear.
Comments (2)
I think radio stations can get around CanCon by playing artists even if their producer was Canadian for example, so hopefully the same thing would apply here. Perhaps if the band thanks any female in the liner notes, it counts as FemCon?
Posted by Brad | March 14, 2006 9:40 AM
Posted on March 14, 2006 09:40
Actually these are the criteria:
Bryan Adams released an album some years ago that didn't qualify as "CanCon" because, as I recall, he used a foreign producer.
Posted by gnotalex | March 14, 2006 7:11 PM
Posted on March 14, 2006 19:11