since before canada's emergence as a nation in 1867, the country has produced its own composers, musicians and ensembles. from the 17th century onward canada has developed a music infrastructure, that includes concert halls, conservatories, academies, performing arts centres, record companies, radio stations and national music video television channels. the success of the gramophone at the beginning of the 20th century allowed canadian songwriters to broaden their potential audiences. following quickly on the gramophone's spread came world war i. the war was the catalyst for the writing and recording of large numbers of canadian-written popular songs, some of which achieved lasting international commercial success. the 1920s saw canada's first radio stations, this allowed canadian songwriters to contribute some of the most famous popular music of the early 20th century.