Spotify Slams Proposed Streaming Levies at CRTC Hearing

Spotify pushed back against new streaming levies at a CRTC hearing in Ottawa today, telling regulators that streaming is already funding Canada’s music industry and boosting Canadian voices. Today is part of the ongoing consultation that started last week, The Path Forward – Supporting Canadian and Indigenous audio content.

Xenia Manning, Spotify’s Director of Global Music Policy, told the Commission that streaming royalties are the main source of money for music production. “Royalties are the lifeblood of the music ecosystem,” she said. Manning noted that Spotify pays about two-thirds of its music revenue back to rights holders, adding, “Spotify alone has paid more in royalties to the Canadian music sector than what the entire commercial radio sector pays in royalties and Canadian Content Development contributions combined.”

The company argued that adding a levy on streaming would do more harm than good. “A levy on streaming that disregards how music production is financed would not solve problems—it would threaten the very foundation of Canada’s music success,” Manning told the panel. Spotify also used the hearing to highlight how streaming has changed listening habits. The platform has over 100 Canadian playlists curated locally, including ones for Indigenous and Quebecois music.

According to Spotify, “more than one in four Spotify users listen to playlists we curate featuring Francophone music” in Quebec, and “55% of the Francophone music streamed in Quebec comes from Canadian artists.” The company also pointed to global reach, noting that Canadian artists generate 1.3 million hours of listening per day in Canada and 15 million hours worldwide. In 2024, Canadian artists were discovered 3.8 billion times globally on the platform.

Spotify warned against relying on outdated Canadian content rules. Quoting musician Bryan Adams, the company said: “The rules just make it harder for new artists to break through and share music on a global scale. Canadians deserve better.”

The message to the CRTC was blunt: don’t treat streaming like radio. “Don’t punish success with policies that try to fix what isn’t broken,” Manning said. “Artists are succeeding. Industry is growing. Audiences are engaged. The system is working. Let’s not break it. Let’s back it.”

Back in June, Spotify similarly told the CRTC not to regulate the service like radio, with Manning again speaking on behalf of the streaming service at the hearing, The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system.