CKUA’s music library and archives house over 1.5 million songs from over 90 years of Alberta’s history. Compared to commercial stations with much smaller, mostly top 40 playlists on heavy rotation, you begin to see how each host can present you with the variety and richness of music that listeners seek.
CKUA hosts will spin over 4,000 Canadian artists each year, of which 1,000 are Albertan. This is in addition to over 400 interviews, live performances, video sessions, articles and events each year that shape the stories that bring you closer to the music and the artists you love to discover.
Not only does a station like CKUA provide independent artists with exposure to a discerning audience, but it’s part of their livelihood. CKUA partners with over 150 presenters, festivals, venues and artists each year to keep you informed of upcoming releases and gigs, and CKUA pays SOCAN fees* which benefit artists as well. These fees are more generous than streaming platforms that pay only a fraction of a cent per play. As one composer recently explained to me: “Fees from radio play used to help me make a decent living. Fees from streaming services are enough to buy me a decent pizza.”
The degree to which CKUA curates music and exposes listeners every month to independent Albertan and Canadian artists makes us one of the largest promoters of these artists in Canada. With listeners in over 750 communities around the world, CKUA is a unique cultural exporter and ambassador for our province and country. Not bad for a made-in-Alberta station that’s the first of its kind! **
Through your support of CKUA, you become part of an artist’s journey. You give Albertan and Canadian artists a platform for their work. You become part of a fan base that leads to more gigs, bigger venues and festival stages across the province and beyond. And you help to share their incredible stories – and Alberta’s – with the world.
Artists, CKUA and you – we are all in this, together.
Marc Carnes, CKUA Foundation CEO
April 2020
* Annual SOCAN fees and library costs to keep your programs fresh: $145,000/year
** CKUA was founded in 1927 as Canada’s first public broadcaster.
Helpful links:
How far does your CKUA donation go? Very far
Tuning In to the CKUA Community by Grant Stovel
How to donate online to CKUA! (we can’t take calls right now)
‘Keep Calm and CKUA On’ – A fundraising message by Marc Carnes