Arts·Commotion

Why are female artists underplayed on Canadian radio?

Professor Jada Watson and country artist Desiree Dorion weigh in on what makes it to air and what change could look like.

Professor Jada Watson and country artist Desiree Dorion weigh in on what makes it to air and why

Rock band the Beaches accept their Juno Award for group of the year onstage in Halifax. Anne Murray, also in the picture, presented the trophy.
The Beaches took home the 2024 Juno Awards for group and rock album of the year. (CARAS/Ryan Bolton Photography)

Music by women, especially racialized and trans artists, has been severely underplayed on commercial Canadian radio over the last decade according to a new University of Ottawa study.

Today on Commotion, principal investigator and professor Jada Watson as well as Cree country artist Desiree Dorion join guest host Amil Niazi to weigh in on what the findings revealed, and where the industry can go from here.

WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube (this segment begins at 16:08): 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


Panel produced by Jane van Koeverden.