The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.
UMG and WMG make recorded-music market-share gains; Sony outperforms in publishing
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. Recorded-music leader UMG maintained the top spot, with an increase in both physical and digital market shares. Second-placed SME suffered a dip in its recorded-music share, while smaller major WMG continued its upward trend and registered a share increase. A repeat of 2016 saw independent record companies collectively account for the biggest share. Sony remained the leader in terms of corporate music publishing control, after registering the best year in the company’s history. UMPG suffered a slight fall in share, while Warner/Chappell and the collective share of the independent publishing sector were unchanged.
Return to growth for Dutch neighboring rights society SENA
SENA, the Dutch collection society representing performers and producers (record companies), has reported a rise in total licensing income for 2017. Domestic receipts increased for the third consecutive year and more than offset a second annual dip in international collections. Total domestic invoiced licensing revenue registered growth, but overseas invoiced revenue fell. In contrast, distributions in the Netherlands last year were down, while payments abroad were up. General licensing was the biggest collection source for SENA members, ahead of broadcasting. SENA noted in its annual report that the first full year of operation of its joint venture service center created with the authors’ society BUMA has brought the expected efficiency benefits. SENA also said that greater cooperation with BUMA on other joint initiatives is a possibility.
Regulation is just the ticket for live music events
Regulators around the world are starting to crack down on event ticket abuses. The key targets in many markets are the sharp practices of secondary ticketing operators, which have been the cause of much consumer complaint for some time. But also in regulatory sights is the widespread lack of price transparency and the use of automated bots to sweep up tickets for resale. And while the live music sector is welcoming of such regulation, there’s also an opportunity for private companies to deploy technological solutions to further help live music fans.
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 outside of the global top 20 for revenue from recorded music. But, despite its small size, the country is a market leader in the digital transition from ownership to access. Subscription services already account for more than two-thirds of recorded-music trade earnings in the country and this share is expected to rise further as the reliance on physical formats continues to drop and sales of downloads disappear. The streaming boom means digital trade sales now generate close to 90% of the total market. UMG enhanced its leading position last year with a modest rise in market share while SME took second place from WMG. Royalty earnings collected by authors’ society TEOSTO were down slightly year on year. However, continued growth in digital collections meant the revenue stream increased its share of total royalty receipts to 13.7%. Indications suggest Finland’s live sector registered a good year. Despite lower ticket sales to festivals, attendance at events increased year on year.
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