Songs performed by women, especially women of colour, have gotten far less air time on Canadian radio stations compared to men, according to new research. Despite the rise of some female powerhouses like Beyonce and Taylor Swift, experts say it’s an industry-wide problem that in part goes back to who record labels choose to promote.

Toronto

Songs performed by women, particularly women of colour, have received significantly less air time on Canadian radio stations compared to those by men, according to recent research. Despite the global success of female artists such as Beyonce and Taylor Swift, the issue persists across various genres, from country to alternative rock. 

Katie Tupper, a singer from Saskatchewan, attended Canadian Music Week in Toronto, aiming to expand her fan base through radio play. However, a new study on Canadian radio from 2013 to 2023 revealed that female musicians struggle to enter radio rotations, with top 40 and mainstream stations offering more diversity but still underrepresenting women. 

Experts highlight that the underlying problem stems from record labels' investment choices, often favouring male artists for promotion and airtime. The issue is intertwined with broader socioeconomic challenges, especially for marginalized musicians dealing with gender, race, and class disparities.

Despite these challenges, emerging artists like Katie Tupper are determined to break barriers and bring diverse voices to the airwaves.



Male musicians still get more radio time than women

Singer Katie Tupper came from Saskatchewan to Canadian Music Week in Toronto, an important annual showcase for new artists. But she's also hoping to grow her fan base the old-fashioned way, by getting some radio play. I think as a developing artist, that's like a big chunk of what your income is until you recoup on streams, until your shows are selling out and all that. But entering that radio rotation in Canada may be tricky for female musicians, according to a new study. It looked at 150 most-played songs on Canadian radio stations between 2013 and 2023 and found that women got a fraction of the play men got in all genre. We see that country, alternative rock and active rock play more songs by men than those by women. And then on the other hand, we see top 40 radio, mainstream AC and hot AC, and while much more diverse there, women for the last 10 years have still been sort of underrepresented in those spaces. And that's despite the omnipresence of female superstars like Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Adele. Experts say it's an industry-wide problem. Record labels have to choose to invest in women, signing them and then promoting them to the radio stations. It's also the matter of the disappearing middle-class musician, those who are not multimillionaires but are working and have some fan following. You know, it's not only incredibly expensive to live, but if you're somebody who works in a precarious field like music, those effects are felt differently and more powerfully for somebody who is also experiencing marginalization based on gender, race and class. But young artists like Katie Tupper are working hard to break that glass ceiling, hoping to make music radio a place where all kinds of listeners can hear all kinds of voices. Deanna Sumanac-Johnson, CBC News, Toronto.

Lebanon's Hezbollah launched a big rocket and drone attack at Israel on Thursday (July 4) and threatened to hit new targets in retaliation for the killing of a top commander, in the latest surge of violence in the steadily worsening conflict across the border.

Acre

Tensions at Israel-Lebanon border

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London

UK General Election

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Canberra

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Kingston

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Despite mounting pressure to step down after a dismal debate performance, Joe Biden will ‘absolutely not’ abandon the U.S. presidential race, the White House has announced. Biden reportedly told staffers, ‘I am running…. No one’s pushing me out.’

Washington

U.S. Presidential Election

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Watford

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Hurricane Beryl surged over Jamaica Wednesday evening as a powerful Category 4 hurricane before heading to the Cayman Islands. Beryl has been blamed for at least six deaths in the Caribbean.

Hurricane Beryl

Hurricane Beryl batters Jamaica as Category 4

Hurricane Beryl struck Union Island, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, overnight, leaving nearly everyone homeless. Grenada also faces devastation and communication systems are down after Beryl made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. Jamaica is preparing for Beryl's approach, with residents urged to evacuate vulnerable areas.

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Hurricane Beryl is roaring through the Caribbean, causing havoc on several islands. At least six people have died, including three in Grenada, and one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

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Bridgetown

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to consider a ceasefire to accelerate an end to the war with Russia, and also said he wanted a big cooperation agreement with Kyiv.

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More than 100 people were killed in a stampede at a religious gathering in India's state of Uttar Pradesh over the weekend. Officials say the commotion from overcrowding and extreme afternoon heat contributed to the stampede.

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Tens of thousands of Palestinians have desperately started fleeing the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis after Israel issued an evacuation order. Gaza's European Hospital was included in the evacuation, leaving many sick and wounded patients desperate for care.

Rafah

Israel-Gaza War

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More than 100 people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, authorities say. It was not immediately clear what caused the panic and stampede as people rushed to leave a makeshift tent.

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Israeli forces bombarded several areas of the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday (July 2), and thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in what could be part of a final push of Israel's intensive military operations in nine months of war.

Sderot

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged Kyiv to work towards a "quick ceasefire" in Ukraine that could pave the way for negotiations with Russia to end more than two years of war. Orban issued the appeal standing next to President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Ukraine, the first by the vocal critic of Western support for Kyiv.

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A car hit pedestrians near Seoul city hall, killing nine people and injuring at least four, South Korean media reports said, citing police and fire officials.

Seoul

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U.S. President Joe Biden criticized the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity that was seen as a win for his election rival, former President Donald Trump, calling it a dangerous precedent that did a disservice to the American people.

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A 14-year-old boy has been arrested and taken into custody after a stabbing at the University of Sydney on Tuesday morning, which triggered a lockdown of the university buildings. Police are now probing alleged extremist links to the incident.

Council of the City of Sydney

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The U.S. Justice Department will criminally charge Boeing with fraud over two fatal crashes and ask the planemaker to plead guilty or face a trial, two people familiar with the matter say.

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The far right is on the verge of taking power in France for the first time since the Second World War after President Emmanuel Macron’s party lost badly in a snap election.

Paris

France snap election

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Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from Mea She’arim in West Jerusalem are protesting against conscription in the Israeli military. They prefer imprisonment over military service following the High Court's decision to end their exemptions.