Brian Fauteux

Brian Fauteux is Associate Professor of Popular Music and Media Studies at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on the intersection of music industries and media policy, with particular attention to Canadian content regulations and the evolution from satellite radio to streaming platforms.

Dr. Fauteux examines how cultural policies shape musical ecosystems in Canada, analyzing the historical development of broadcasting regulations and their implications for the digital era. His work investigates how corporate consolidation across recording, streaming, and live performance sectors affects musical diversity and artists' livelihoods. He has documented declining chart diversity in Canada correlated with the absence of CanCon regulations in streaming platforms compared to the more diverse musical landscape during eras with robust radio regulations.

His recent publications analyze how Canadian content regulations for streaming media could support domestic artists, drawing lessons from historical precedents in radio broadcasting. His research demonstrates how media consolidation has concentrated power among multinational corporations, making it increasingly difficult for working musicians to earn sustainable incomes.

Dr. Fauteux has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for his research. His work has contributed significantly to policy discussions around Bill C-11 (the Online Streaming Act), where he has advocated for extending Canadian content regulations to streaming platforms to support domestic artists and maintain cultural diversity.

His scholarship combines cultural studies, historical analysis, and policy studies to examine how technological changes intersect with regulatory frameworks to shape musical cultures. His book 'Music in Orbit: Satellite Radio in the Streaming Space Age' analyzes how satellite radio anticipated the broader turn to subscription music listening and exemplifies the tensions between commercial interests and cultural protectionism in media policy.