First and foremost, I want to make it clear that my concerns mentioned in this article do not apply to everyone. Many of us have been fortunate enough to receive significant support from several radio stations and DJs who genuinely care about local music.
Notable figures such as Carlo Borg Bonaci and Nate Darmanin among others come to mind for their unwavering dedication in promoting Maltese artists. However, there remains a growing frustration with how certain radio stations operate, particularly those DJs who claim to support local music but are selective in their airplay.
While high-visibility artists undeniably deserve their space, we must ask: what about the many other artists who invest just as much time, money and passion into refining their craft but do not enjoy the same public exposure?
Occasionally, we see a new artist break through but the pool of local talent is far wider than what we hear on the airwaves.
National radio has taken commendable steps to increase its percentage of local music airplay but private stations have yet to follow suit. Without government intervention or incentives, this imbalance will persist.
While it’s understandable that we cannot dictate what private stations choose to play, incentives would surely encourage greater inclusion. To ensure fair representation, the percentage of local music on air should be between 30-40% – or even higher, if we aim to emulate the successful models of countries like France, Italy, Germany and Iceland.
The government could incentivise such initiatives by reducing PRS fees or annual licence fees for private stations that comply.
Right now, it feels as though local artists are being segregated, and, in some cases, the situation borders on being discriminatory. This is particularly evident when certain DJs, who may have conflicts of interest, control who gets airplay. This is not how the industry should operate. The oft-cited excuse that Maltese music is not of a high enough standard simply doesn’t hold water anymore.
The percentage of local music on air should be between 30-40% – or even higher- Stefan Galea
What’s more concerning is how the airplay system appears to have devolved into a power game. Discrimination becomes glaringly apparent when only a select few artists who are finalists of a national festival celebrating Maltese music are featured almost as if the other competing artists do not exist.
While I understand that not every artist needs to dominate playlists, the least we can do is give this music a fair chance at exposure, particularly around key events. Italy’s Sanremo week provides a good example of how music is given ample rotation during key national events. Why, then, do we continue to discriminate between artists and arbitrarily decide who gets airplay and who doesn’t?
No one is suggesting that every track, regardless of quality, deserves airplay, and this has also changed as even the digital audio recording quality has made strides.
The issue lies in the clear disparity that exists. Right now, only a select few artists are benefitting from the current system while many songs of equal or even superior quality go unnoticed.
The ones that benefit are also not really benefitting as the amount of airplay they are getting is still minimal, especially if a local home-grown track is only played every hour. It’s puzzling that some radio stations even advertise their contact details for artists to submit music, only to turn the process into a competition for limited spots on a playlist or self-made chart, as if local musicians are at the mercy of one station.
The reality is, if local artists had to rely on PRS royalties from airplay alone, we would struggle to make ends meet. It’s high time that radio stations showed greater enthusiasm for the incredible work being produced by Maltese artists, rather than relegating their airplay to a select few.
Let’s create a more inclusive, fair and transparent system that celebrates the diversity of local talent.
Stefan Galea is a singer and songwriter.