Canadian Politics Today

From ROYAL COMMISSION ON NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARTS,
LETTERS AND SCIENCES
1949-1951

It is probably true, for example, that most Canadians now in their thirties or older will recall that the church organist and the church choir provided much of the music of their earlier years. More often than not the organist in English-speaking Canada was from the old country, trained in the English tradition of organ and choral music. He not infrequently was at odds with the church authorities on matters of musical taste and propriety. The great musical events of the year were usually the concerts given by the local church choirs, aided by a visiting celebrity. Although the radio has vastly increased the size of listening audiences, we must not forget that long before its day there flourished in the towns and cities of Canada a vigorous musical life, or that the musical tastes of a considerable part of our population were in large measure formed by the well-trained musicians who came to us, bringing with them a tradition of fine music. We might suggest that the work of English organists in Canada from about 1880 to 1920 would form the subject of a valuable historical and social study. The names of a few of these in Toronto and Montreal and in some other cities came to be nationally known and are still remembered; but the work of the scholarly musicians who brought to so many of our smaller towns an important part of the world's great music should not pass unrecorded.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/5/h5-408-e.html

'Vigorous musical life' ... 'flourished'.   Already in 1951 this past local culture was fading and the names of these organists and musicians were on their way to the forgotten graveyard.  Mechanical and electronic central programming provided cheap and accessible mass culture that supplanted the existing local culture.

To understand culture and technology, I always look at the infrastructures as the landscape for the challenge and response.  As such, it can be informative as to where we are today.

The Canadian government saw the provision of American mass culture as a threat, and Trudeau enacted cultural protectionism a generation later.  It is easier for a government to control entities that come from a few sources, so the Canadian content regulations worked in many ways.

-Popular radio replayed Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Blue Rodeo and Barenaked Ladies into platinum status. 

-Television and Film aren't ambient performance arts, but narratives.  And the government support model didn't require these forms to be successful, so an industry grew around producing mediocre and unpopular fare.

-Quebec was already insular, so they were successful in producing their own film, television, magazines and music.

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Back to the question of how this would work today, it's clear we're in a new world.  There are myriad sources of stories and music, which are driving us back to a point where local markets are more viable:

-Music as a global industry was destroyed by the replacement of gated delivery systems with the web.  As such, musicians can make their own mark via the web however the prospect for mega-riches is dimmer.  Musicians who are willing to perform live for their working lives can make a meagre living, though, and live music seems to be thriving but I don't have anything in the way of hard statistics on that.   http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2007/11/02/state-of-the-live-music-nation/

-Television and film audiences are becoming balkanized, which has been a boon for television culture but has pushed Hollywood to go back to the 'mega blockbuster' approach that they tried in the face of television in the 1950s or 1960s.  It failed at that time until they connected with the counter culture, and produced the boomer film renaissance which eventually came around to the mainstream via Spielberg et. al.  Right now, we are in the era of the odious superhero and 4D roller coaster "films".  Ugh.

-Canadian television is slowly finding the 'small is beautiful' vein that worked in Quebec, and a string of appealing 'hick' comedies (Corner Gas, Trailer Park Boys, Letterkenny and - on film - Fubar) is laying the groundwork for perhaps a renaissance of local culture

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As I said, it's important to look at infrastructure.  If you do, you will realize that culture is naturally 'local' and that mass culture only became popular because of low cost and higher accessibility.  I expect that as costs of delivery and accessibility come down, we will see more of this.

But be careful what you wish for.  Central programming provided a national identity, and a national moral sphere which gave us a stage for discussion issues like civil rights, the environment and so forth.  We're going back to our roots now, which is neither good nor bad but a challenge and response.