How a song gets on the air.
Every song on Triple C sits where three things meet: the artist is out playing shows, we have a proper copy of the track, and it's Canadian first, with great music from everywhere else too.
Then a bit of old-school maths decides the order, and the numbers are ones you control: book a show and you go up. No AI, no secret algorithm. Think names in a hat.
Playing live comes first
Upcoming gigs
Triple C is radio for live music. Nothing gets you played more than having a show coming up: an artist playing tonight is 20 times more likely to come up next than one with nothing booked.
- It's in your hands: claim your page and add your shows, and they're on our gig guide straight away
- The nearer the show, the more you're played
- Listeners hear you before the show, and you keep a boost for 14 days after it
We have a copy of the track
To play a song we need the right to play it and a proper copy of the recording. Ours come from three places:
- Songs artists send us, with their OK
- Free downloads: on Bandcamp at name your price with a $0 minimum, ideally under a Creative Commons licence
Why would I want that?
A Creative Commons licence lets listeners press play on your songs from your Triple C page any time, not just when they come up on the radio. A free download without one can still go on the radio under our broadcast licences, but it can't be played on demand. That matters: someone who hears one of your songs on the radio might want to hear a few more before they decide to come out to your show.
- Tracks we paid for
We're a not-for-profit on a tight budget, so if you send us your track, you make it much more likely we'll play it. Send it here.
Canadian first
We're a Canadian station, so Canadian artists, and anyone playing a show here, get at least 70% of the slips. And it counts for each artist too: an artist from elsewhere who isn't playing here holds half the slips a Canadian one would. The rest is music from all over the world, and we play plenty of it.
The people who need it most
We focus on small venues and the artists playing them. If you're a big star, that's great, and we're sure lots of people are already playing you. So we over-index on the under-exposed.
- Small roomsThe bars, clubs and back rooms where most live music happens
- Emerging artistsThe ones you haven't heard yet, playing down the street this week
- Already everywhere?You'll still come up, just not as often: a show at a concert hall gets half the slips, at an arena or stadium a quarter
Names in a hat
Each time we need the next song, every artist in rotation gets slips of paper in a hat, and we draw one. Everyone gets at least one. Artists with a show coming up get more. It's the kind of maths you did in school with a bag of marbles, and you could run it by hand.
Slips are per artist, not per song, so a band with one song has the same chance as a band with sixty. Shows in big rooms count for less: a concert hall half, an arena or stadium a quarter, because those artists are already everywhere.
Coming up on Triple C
What's in the hat, the songs already lined up, and who could be drawn next.
In the hat right now
What if they were just played?
The chances below leave out whoever is sitting out right now.
Already drawn: the songs lined up next
Each was drawn from the hat a little while ago. How each artist scored, and why that song.
| Up next | Why they're here | Canadian | Score | Chance each pick | Why this song |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Looking at what's lined up… | |||||
Who could be drawn next: everyone in the hat
Every artist in rotation and their chance at the next draw.
| Artist | Why they have their slips | From | Slips | Chance each pick |
|---|
Keeping it fair
Between plays
Nobody comes round again for at least 60 minutes and 8 songs, however many slips they have, and next time it's a different song.
Listeners have a say
A like nudges a song up. "Not for me" counts for more, so songs people don't want come round rarely.
New songs get a turn
A song that's barely been played gets a small boost, so it gets heard and can earn its likes.
Long songs at night
Songs of 5 minutes or more are saved for the small hours: outside midnight to 5 a.m. Toronto time they're half as likely to be picked.
The mood of the hour
When we pick which of an artist's songs to play, ones that fit the time of day come up a bit more: steadier through the day, lifting for the drive home, calmer at night.
Nobody pays to play
No paid placements and no submission fees, ever. A presenter in the studio can play whatever they like.
Want more plays? Be playing.
Send us your songs, then claim your page and add your shows. Both are free.