DIMA Comments – Global Affairs Canada Review of CUSMA

COMMENTS OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION (DIMA) REGARDING THE OPERATION OF THE CANADA-UNITED STATES-MEXICO AGREEMENT

November 3, 2025

The Digital Media Association (DIMA) offers the following comments in response to Global Affairs Canada’s public consultation on the operation of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

DIMA represents the world’s leading music streaming services (including Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube). Our members are the principal source of recorded-music revenue across North America and much of the world, helping drive the growth of Canada’s cultural industries and digital economy. In Canada, streaming now accounts for nearly 80 percent of total recorded-music revenues, reflecting a profound transformation in how Canadians create, share, and enjoy music.

Music streaming services are not only powering the global and Canadian music industries — they are also significant contributors to the broader economy. According to industry analysis, for every dollar of economic value generated by streaming, related sectors such as technology, advertising, and telecommunications gain an additional $1.65. Streaming sustains thousands of creative professionals and businesses, from artists, songwriters, and producers to record labels, publishers, and collective management organizations.

This shift has revitalized Canada’s recorded-music industry, which now sees steady year-over-year revenue growth after years of decline caused by piracy and changing consumer habits. Listeners have embraced streaming: surveys consistently show that an overwhelming majority of Canadians are satisfied with their streaming services, and that engagement with streaming services is driving increased spending on recorded music.

DIMA’s members operate globally and depend on integrated, cross-border supply chains that enable Canadian and international artists alike to reach audiences wherever they are. Streaming has broken down barriers that once limited creators to local markets defined by geography, language, or broadcast infrastructure. Today, Canadian artists can find fans in Mexico City, Los Angeles, or Tokyo as easily as they can in Montreal or Vancouver.

The success of the North American music industry depends on maintaining seamless cross-border access for audiences and creators. Streaming services do far more than distribute music. They provide the exposure, analytics, and market access that sustain creative careers. For artists and songwriters in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, these services are now the primary channels for building audiences, generating royalties, and participating in a shared North American cultural and economic space. Ensuring that this open flow of music and creative exchange remains unobstructed is essential to the vitality of Canada’s creative economy and its role within CUSMA.

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