The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.
US court declares big is not bad in Live Nation IMP market abuse case
A US Fourth Circuit appeals court has affirmed a previous district court ruling that global event promoter Live Nation has not violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by engaging in monopolization, tying arrangements, and exclusive dealing in the music concert industry. The long-running case began almost seven years ago when the Maryland-based music promoters, It’s My Party and It’s My Amphitheatre (collectively known as IMP), filed a suit claiming Live Nation had wielded its market power to entice and coerce artists to appear only at amphitheaters and other venues owned or operated by Live Nation. The appeals court said the promoters had failed to define the relevant markets or to demonstrate any anticompetitive conduct.
Second consecutive year of growth for Spain’s recorded music sector
After a lengthy period of annual falls in trade revenue from recorded music sales, Spanish trade body Promusicae has reported a second successive year of growth. Trade earnings from physical and digital formats and on-demand access services grew 6.9% in 2015. Although this rate of growth was much lower than the 20%+ jump in 2014, that year’s growth was boosted by unusually high CD album sales. Crucially for the future of Spain’s record companies, the rise in digital income in 2015 was almost all down to higher streaming earnings more than offsetting lower sales of CD albums and music downloads. Despite the continued good news, it is sobering to remember that total trade revenue is still a quarter of the size it was at the turn of the century.
Ukraine tops the IIPA hit list in the latest copyright-protection report
The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has released its annual report detailing the impact that piracy and limitations on market access are having on US copyright holders in the worst offending countries around the world. Ukraine remained top of the IIPA hit list and the only country designated as a priority foreign country. In a slight change on previous annual reports, this year’s IIPA report focuses on markets where the organization believes that active engagement by the US government could generate positive results for creators and the industries that support them. The IIPA said that in several key foreign markets, recommendations adopted could create jobs, increase investment, and contribute generally to healthy economic growth in the US and abroad.
South Africa country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed South Africa music industry profile. South Africa is the biggest music market in Africa. Consumer spending on recorded music and live performance and royalty collections are significantly higher in the country than in any other market in the region. Despite its geographic location, South Africa is more akin to a Western music market and has far more in common with many countries in Europe and North America than it does with its closest neighbors. While this means per-capita spending on music is high compared with other countries in the region, the same problems encountered in the developed world in the shift from physical formats to digital have been experienced in South Africa. Although the rise in high-speed Internet access has exacerbated problems associated with the unauthorized distribution of music, the higher digital sales, rising smartphone penetration, and the move into South Africa by a number of international streaming services suggest the market may be heading for a brighter future.
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