COMMONS

In the last season we sat down with Cory Doctorow, co-author of Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back, to find out how the music industry has become dominated by monopoly power. In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you Arshy’s full interview with Cory, complete with all the nitty gritty details around how and why musicians continue to get screwed by Spotify, music labels, ticketmaster and more.

To learn more: Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back by ​​Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow

Sponsors: Canva, Douglas, Truth Telling

If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this bonus episode, COMMONS producer Jordan Cornish sits down with host Arshy Mann to talk about the grocery CEOs testifying at Parliament, their thoughts about the Monopoly season coming to an end, and what listeners can do to make change.

Sponsors: USW, Free Lunch, Gardisil 

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Loblaws, or any other, modern-day supermarket, is many things. 

It’s a temple of abundance. A place where a consumer has more choice than the greatest kings, emperors and pharaohs had in their lifetimes. 

It’s a tech platform, tracking our every taste, transaction and even ailment.

And it’s an ideological arena. Where everyday Canadians and grocery CEOs are battling over what’s to blame for our declining standard of living. 

Featured in this episode: Benjamin Lorr, Vass Bednar

To learn more:

The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr

“From bakery to ‘tech behemoth’: How Loblaw became a titan of the private health-care industry” in The Toronto Star by Jacob Lorinc

“Canada hasn’t had a ‘tech lash’ yet, but consumers should still be wary” in The Globe and Mail by Vass Bednar

Additional music from Audio Network

Sponsors: Douglas, Rotman

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Tech companies have ushered in a new era of global monopoly. And the most influential, the most powerful of all of them, is Amazon.

In this episode, we focus in on two of the fundamental pillars of Amazon’s dominance: its online marketplace and its cloud computing arm.

And a former Amazon VP speaks out.

Featured in this episode: Matt Stoller, Brad Stone (Bloomberg), Dana Mattioli (Wall Street Journal), Tim Bray

To learn more:

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone

“Amazon Prime Is an Economy-Distorting Lie” in BIG by Matt Stoller

“Amazon Scooped Up Data From Its Own Sellers to Launch Competing Products” in The Wall Street Journal by Dana Mattioli

Additional music from Audio Network

Sponsors: Athletic Greens, Free Lunch 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I love the smell of monopoly in the morning”

“Forget it, Jake, it’s Cineplex”

“The competition commissioner once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti”

“Life is like a box of anti-competitive cinema chains that allegedly use their 75% market share to bully their competition, limit consumer choice and charge obscene junk fees. You never know what you’re going to get.”

Featured in this episode: Barry Hertz (Globe and Mail), Corinne Lea, Andy Willick, Sonya William

To learn more:

“Cineplex’s distribution deal with Lionsgate sends ripples through Canadian film industry” by Barry Hertz in The Globe and Mail

“Independent cinemas accuse Cineplex of shutting them out of market for top films” by Maryse Zeidler in CBC News

“Indie theatres say they're last in line for movies because of Cineplex” by Joseph Pugh in CBC News

“Cineplex's monopolization” by Vass Bednar in Regs to Riches

Additional music from Audio Network

Sponsors: Douglas, Free Lunch

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Google, one of the world’s great tech monopolies, wanted to make a “smart city,” full of sensors and robots and self-driving cars.

Toronto, one of the world’s most insecure cities, wanted a big tech firm to put it on the innovation map.

What resulted was not exactly a match made in heaven.

Featured in this episode: Josh O’Kane (Globe and Mail), Kurtis McBride

To learn more:

Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane

“Sidewalk Labs document reveals company’s early vision for data collection, tax powers, criminal justice” by Tom Cardoso & Josh O’Kane in The Globe and Mail

Additional music from Audio Network

Sponsors: Athletic Greens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For almost a century, the Irving family has run New Brunswick like a personal fiefdom. They own the newspapers, the industry, and, according to some, even the government. So how does a single family come to so thoroughly dominate an entire province? And what happens when that family starts to fracture and split apart at the seams?

Featured in this episode: Bruce Livesey (Thieves of Bay Street).

To learn more:

“Are the Irvings Canada's biggest corporate welfare bums?” by Bruce Livesey in National Observer

Irving vs. Irving: Canada's Feuding Billionaires and the Stories They Won't Tell by Jacques Poitras

“Irving family's fortunate son explains how he fell into a dark depression, and rose again” by Erin Anderssen” in The Globe and Mail

Additional music:

I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque

“A List of Ways to Die” by Lee Rosevere, “Easy Life” by Lee Rosevere, and “Androids Always Escape” by Chris Zabriskie, adapted.

Sponsors: Douglas, Athletic Greens

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not only do the Big Five banks get away with charging exorbitant fees for basic services. Not only do they block any competitors by controlling Canada’s payment infrastructure. Not only are they totally entwined with the federal government. 

But the Big Five banks are about to get even bigger.

Featured in this episode: Colin Deacon, Keldon Bester, Alex Vronces

To learn more

“How blocked mergers foiled banks' ambitions — and forced the Big Six to innovate” by James Bradshaw in The Globe and Mail

“How the push to modernize Canada’s payment systems went off the rails” by Jon Victor in The Logic

“How the Big Five banks control how money moves in Canada” by Alex Vronces in Policy Options

“RBC-HSBC banking merger is a slide to monopoly – Canada should just say no” by Keldon Bester in The Globe and Mail

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Associate Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor) 

Sponsors: Rights Back At You, Athletic Greens

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a hard few years for Canadian air passengers. And while no one blames the airline oligopoly for COVID or winter storms, air travellers have had to put up with a lot.

But Canada has consumer protections to make sure that when something goes wrong, there’s a fair process in place to make sure everyday Canadians don’t get screwed over, right? Right??!

Featured in this episode: Gábor Lukács, John Gradek

To learn more

“Canadian airline regulator’s stance on refunds aligned with execs’ requests from days earlier, emails show” by Christopher Reynolds in Canadian Press

“This Nova Scotia man’s fight with an airline pulled back the curtain on a flawed passenger-protection act, an adjudicator says” by Steve McKinley in Toronto Star

“Ottawa ‘not hiding’ from holiday travel chaos fallout, transport minister says” by Sean Boynton & Aaron D'Andrea in Global News

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Associate Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator)

Sponsors: Douglas,

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

♩♪ A long, long time ago, I can still remember

How the music used to pay my bills

I knew that if I got my break

That I could be as big as Drake

And then I could stop shopping at No Frills ♩♪

♩♪ But Spotify, it’s nearly killed us

Ticketmaster’s ground us to dust

The companies got too large

Now monopolies are in charge ♩♪

♩♪ And the record labels I fear the most

Have all just merged and so now we’re toast

Don’t you think it’s just so gross?

The way, the music, died ♩♪

Featured in this episode: Simon Outhit, Cory Doctorow

To learn more

Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back by Rebecca Giblin & Cory Doctorow

“'A public relations nightmare': Ticketmaster recruits pros for secret scalper program” in CBC News by Dave Seglins, Rachel Houlihan & Laura Clementson 

“We went undercover as ticket scalpers — and Ticketmaster offered to help us do business” in Toronto Star by Robert Cribb & Marco Chown Oved

“Is Live Music Broken? It’s Not Just Ticketmaster, It’s Everything” in The Ringer by Nate Rogers

A Statement From Live Nation Entertainment

Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Associate Producer), André Proulx (Production Coordinator)

Sponsors: Douglas, Athletic Greens 

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.