(Montreal) Several billion listens to musical tracks on streaming services were counted in Quebec in 2022. In this massive number of downloads, Quebec artists have struggled to make their place with less than 10% of shares, according to a new report from the Institute of Statistics of Quebec (ISQ).

The ISQ Observatory of Culture and Communications published its annual bulletin on Tuesday on the consumption of musical recordings in the province. For the first time, it offers a complete picture of streaming music trends using data from the Luminate Data system.

It reveals that Quebecers listened to nearly 24 billion music tracks on streaming platforms last year. Works performed by artists from Quebec represent only 8% of all these downloads.

Among the 10,000 most listened to tracks, the share for pieces performed in French climbs to 8.6%, of which approximately 5% are Franco-Quebec pieces. The vast majority of listenings (85.7%) were to works performed in English.

Four songs by Quebec artists managed to climb the list of the most listened to tracks, according to the Observatory. We find Copilote (Luxury Snacks version) by FouKi and Jay Scott in 25th position, America is crying by Cowboys Fringants in 68th position, Lullaby by Alicia Moffet in 72nd position and Meaningless by Charlotte Cardin in 93rd position.

The Observatory’s analysis also reveals regional differences in musical preferences. For example, the highest consumption of alternative rock was recorded in the regions of Quebec and Shawinigan, while Montreal displays the largest share of listening for RnB/hip-hop and rap.

Popular music has been a little more popular in the Saguenay region than elsewhere in Quebec, while country has become more established in the Gatineau region.

More than half of the listenings made on streaming music platforms in Quebec were recorded in the Quebec metropolis in 2022.

The bulletin on the consumption of musical recordings also shows that the decline in compact disc sales continued last year. Conversely, the sale of vinyl records is once again on the rise.