Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Rich Martello/Unsplash
The Quebec government’s plan to mandate quotas for French-language music on streaming platforms, formalized in Bill 109, is facing immediate and widespread public opposition. A new poll commissioned by the Digital Media Association (DiMA)—representing platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music—reveals that 66% of Quebecers do not want the government influencing the music available on streaming services.
Among younger adults (18 to 34), opposition to the mandate rises even higher to three-quarters of respondents, signaling a major generational and consumer divide.
The Consumer-Choice Backlash
The poll, conducted by Leger, shows that consumer priorities are strongly aligned against the proposed regulation. A staggering 76% of listeners would oppose the legislation if it resulted in higher subscription prices, and 65% would oppose it if streaming services chose to leave the Quebec market to avoid compliance.
DiMA argues the bill could backfire, suggesting that altering recommendation algorithms and music options could make users less engaged, ultimately resulting in lost revenue for Quebecois artists. DiMA CEO Graham Davies stated that the most effective path forward is one focused on “listener choice, not constraint,” noting that streaming already returns 70% of revenues to rightsholders and helps connect local artists to global audiences.
Technical and Federal Hurdles
Streaming services argue that the proposed law is technically difficult to implement at scale. DiMA noted that international music metadata standards do not require a song to be identified by nationality or language, making it nearly impossible for platforms to identify which songs should be classified as Canadian or Québécois under a strict quota system.
This provincial debate is unfolding while major streaming services are already locked in a legal dispute with Canada’s federal government over the Online Streaming Act of 2023. That law requires streamers to hand over 5% of their Canadian revenue—an estimated CAD $200 million annually—to support Canadian content, the enforcement of which is currently paused pending a federal court ruling. The new Quebec bill adds another layer of regulatory complexity to an already tense environment for digital platforms operating in the country.
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