The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.
WMG makes recorded-music market share gains, while indies extend publishing lead
Music & Copyright’s annual survey of the recorded-music and music-publishing sectors has revealed the changes in global market share for the three major music groups and the independent sector. For the second consecutive year, recorded-music leader UMG lost market share, while smaller major WMG closed the gap on second-placed SME. Increased granularity of published music company data meant for the first time the annual survey contained market share figures for music streaming. Sony remained the leader in terms of corporate control of music publishing, though its share has fallen for two straight years. Little change in share for second-placed UMPG meant the company narrowed the gap with Sony. The collective shares of the independent publishing sector registered the biggest publishing share increase, with leading indies BMG and Kobalt both making market share gains.
Domestic collection growth for SENA, but lower US income hits overall total
SENA, the Dutch collection society representing performers and producers (record companies), has reported a fall in total licensing income for 2016. Although domestic receipts were up year on year, lower income from the US meant international collections were down sharply. Similarly, total domestic invoiced licensing revenue registered growth, but overseas invoiced revenue fell. Distributions in the Netherlands and abroad were also down last year. General licensing was the biggest collection source for SENA members, ahead of broadcasting. SENA noted in its annual report that a joint-venture service center created with the authors’ society BUMA began dealing with its individual and collective licensing agreements from the beginning of last year. The aim of the venture is to create efficiency savings for the two societies.
ECJ backs Stichting Brein in media player copyright case
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has sided with the Dutch antipiracy group Stichting Brein in a case concerning the sale of a multimedia player that enables copyright-protected audiovisual content to be viewed for free. The defendant in the case is an online retailer of a multimedia player that contained open source software that enabled video files to be played through an interface. The court decided that the multimedia player enabled a communication to the public of audiovisual content as described in the 2001 European Copyright Directive and so breached European law. The court also ruled that temporary acts of reproduction as carried out by the multimedia player of a copyright-protected work obtained by streaming on a website belonging to a third party was not exempt from legislation covering the right of reproduction.
Finland country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed Finland music industry report. Finland is just outside of the global top 20 in terms of trade revenue from recorded music. But, despite its small size, the country is a market leader with regards to progress in the digital transition from ownership to access. Subscription services already account for around two-thirds of recorded-music trade earnings in the country, and this share is expected to rise further as the previous reliance on physical formats slips away and sales of downloads disappear. UMG took the top spot in market share terms last year, replacing WMG, which had been the leader for several years. Royalty earnings were positive, with collections from music use maintaining a well-established growth trend. The country’s live sector also registered a good year despite attendance at festivals suffering from poor weather conditions.
If you want to know more about Music & Copyright then follow the below links.
Music & Copyright is published by Ovum.
Music & Copyright's Blog 