The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.
Live music aims for richer, deeper audience involvement
Live music is moving beyond mere artist performances as operators look to lean on technologies that make concert- and festival-going way more than mere acoustic forays. Hologram performances look set to move beyond passive – and sometimes prurient – experiences and evolve into more compelling events, while virtual reality’s time as a highly immersive experience may be about to come. Live music is also becoming a crossover phenomenon, and its intersection with fast-growing esports is a highly promising segment for artists.
Report finds paid-for streaming edges out free listening in three of the four Nordic countries
The four Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden – have become shining lights with regards to the shift in recorded-music distribution from music ownership to access. Sweden has long been a market to watch given that it is home to the world’s biggest audio subscription service Spotify and that smaller service Tidal was created from the acquisition of Swedish company Aspiro, owner of the Norway-based service WiMP Music. In all four countries, streaming accounts for the majority of recorded-music trade earnings with all ownership formats rapidly disappearing. A new report published by the Polaris Nordic Alliance has highlighted the digital music consumption habits of consumers in the Nordic countries and has identified which services are the most popular. The report has also provided a valuable insight into music discovery and shines an interesting light on the popularity of live music events in the region.
Mirroring helps music get out on the road
The in-car entertainment space has not developed in the way that automakers, who have invested heavily in sophisticated infotainment systems, had hoped. Those platforms have now pretty much lost out to mobile-based solutions such as Apple CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto, which provide a simple and smooth transition to the vehicle and enable users to easily take their music with them. Now even luxury car brands have accepted the inevitable and let such screen mirroring systems into their vehicles. The next major advance will inevitably be voice control, with Amazon looking to lead the way on the back of its Alexa speakers, though technological teething problems remain. But in-car radio has plenty of life left in it, with music streamer Pandora now set to make a play for the road.
Australia country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed Australia music industry report. The Australian economy is experiencing a period of solid growth, with quarterly and annual GDP rising at better-than-expected rates. Also experiencing growth are the main music industry sectors. Recorded-music sales are bouncing back after a long period of falling sales. Consumer interest in music streaming and subscriptions is strong, and access services have almost single-handedly boosted overall recorded-music trade earnings to three straight years of growth. The latest figures published by APRA AMCOS show royalty collections in Australia are continuing to rise, with digital now the biggest collection source. Australia’s somewhat erratic live music industry registered a second consecutive year of growth in 2017, with revenue in the year rising at the fastest rate for more than 10 years.
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