New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

SPECIAL FOCUS: IPO report concludes that ER does not offer a simple solution to raising artists’ streaming income
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published a report on the pros and cons of introducing equitable remuneration (ER) to on-demand music streams. Currently, ER is only paid to artists and performers when their works are broadcast on radio or performed publicly. The IPO was tasked with evaluating the impact of introducing ER to the investment environment for artists and record labels investing in the creation of new recording copyrights. Although the purpose of the investigation was not to consider the fairness of the current situation, or how the introduction of the proposed changes might lead to a more or less fair outcome, the Office did conclude that ER would not result in a solution to the current problem of low returns for artists and performers. The IPO did suggest that more research was needed into how best ER could be applied so as to balance the incentives to create with the need to monetize that creation.

NEWS FEATURE: Travis Scott sued for copyright infringement; Roddy Ricch case dismissed
US rappers Travis Scott and Roddy Ricch are at different ends of copyright infringement claims. The former has just been sued by the author and producer of a classic 1990s track for using a short, unlicensed sample without permission. The latter has just seen a claim brought against him at the end of 2022 dismissed. The case against Scott is unusual as it involves the alleged use of the same unlicensed sample in two of his tracks released five years apart and featuring on two different albums. Ricch’s case resembled a more traditional copyright infringement case in that the author of a work that was released several years ago claimed that the rapper had copied numerous elements of his work.

COMPANY ANALYSIS: SoundCloud can benefit in the shift from mumble rap to algorave
German audio streamer SoundCloud looked to be on the way out a half-dozen years ago as acquisitive rivals waited in the wings. That is until a significant injection of funds from a couple of investment firms kickstarted a turnaround. Now those investors are looking to cash in with a possible auction in a few months’ time. SoundCloud may be an attractive buy given that it has just turned an annual profit for the first time. Its upsides include a sizable emerging artist community that could be further leveraged and a growing dance music community that could be exploited and grown into an international brand.

COUNTRY REPORT: China
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. For many years, China has been the world’s most populous country. However, last year saw neighboring India take the lead. Moreover, China’s population is expected to edge down annually for the foreseeable future. Last year, the population total stood at slightly more than 1.4 billion people. China also has the world’s second-biggest economy, behind the US. For the final quarter of 2023, GDP increased 5.2% compared with the prior year period. China’s relatively buoyant economy is reflected in several sectors of the country’s music industry. Often described as an emerging market, retail sales show the country is more than living up to its long-held potential. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed, and all the requirements for digital growth are firmly in place. Royalty collections had grown consistently since 2007. However, in 2022, total collections edged down, with the local collection society, MCSC, putting the blame for the dip on licensing difficulties caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

Shining a light on the impact of recommendation algorithms on the UK music industry
How the likes of Spotify and Deezer recommend music to their users has come under the spotlight in the UK, with the government’s Centre for Data, Ethics, and Innovation conducting a survey to determine how algorithmic recommendations function and what their impact has been on consumers, creators, and other music industry stakeholders. The research found that there was widely held beliefs that the use of algorithms might serve to unfairly advantage certain groups at the expense of others. However, evidence proving or disproving such beliefs was in short supply. The research also concluded that despite efforts by some streaming services to explain how their recommendation technologies worked, there was significant demand from creators, their representatives, and consumers for additional transparency about where the technologies are employed, and how they operate.

Streaming, vinyl, and performance rights gains boost Austrian recorded-music sales
The Austria branch of the IFPI has reported a positive year for recorded-music retail sales, with the total rising for the sixth consecutive year. Much of the growth was driven by streaming, with audio subscriptions generating a sizable majority of the total access service revenue. Spending on physical formats suffered a decline, but the rate of decrease was lessened by higher vinyl sales. Performance rights registered the second-biggest growth rate of the different recorded-music revenue streams, although the collection total has still not returned to prepandemic levels. Pop is the most popular music genre in Austria. Pop accounted for close to two-thirds of the top 100 album sales last year and more than half of the top 100 singles. The genre was also the clear leader for streams served.

The rise of Afrobeats looks set to drag Africa out of the recorded-music wasteland
African music is finally making its mark internationally, with multiple artists from the continent among those nominated for the latest set of Grammys, working with headliners, and providing movie scores. The driving force behind this advance is the West African genre Afrobeats whose genesis also lies in that particular region’s diaspora. In just the last few years, the music has edged into the mainstream, and it’s clear that the genre is set to become well-established. Leading record companies have already signed Afrobeats breakout performers, but they need to do more in African markets to help build music infrastructure and support the development of the music business and emerging artists.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China is the world’s most populous country, ending last year with close to 1.5 billion people. Although the population is set to keep rising for the next 10 years or so, the impact of the one-child policy will come into play from 2030 onward, when the population is expected to edge downward. China also has the world’s second-biggest economy, behind the US. For the final quarter of 2022, GDP increased 2.9% compared with the prior year period. For 2021 as a whole, GDP was up 3%, a sharp drop on the 8.1% rise in 2021. China’s relatively buoyant economy is reflected in several sectors of the country’s music industry. Often described as an emerging market, retail sales show the country is more than living up to its long-held potential. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed, and all the requirements for digital growth are firmly in place. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last 10 or so years. However, given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per capita rate are much smaller than they should be.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

US Copyright Office denies Steven Thaler’s registration of an AI-produced artwork for a third time
The US Copyright Office (the Office) has for a third time refused a request from artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Steven Thaler to register a piece of two-dimensional art that Thaler said was created solely by an AI machine. In a statement, the Office said that after reviewing the application, deposit copy, and relevant correspondence, along with Thaler’s arguments, the review board denied the registration. The Office explained that one of the main criteria for any copyright registration is human authorship. As Thaler stated that the artwork was created without his input, the application was turned down. Although Thaler’s registration attempt was about a piece of two-dimensional artwork and nothing to do with recorded-music, the use of AI to create music is gathering pace and so the denial by the Office to accept a work made using AI only is equally as relevant to proponents of AI-created music as it is to any other creative work.

Trade groups in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria all report annual rise in music retail sales
The three German-speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria have all registered a positive year for recorded-music sales. The German trade body BVMI said that total revenue was up 10% last year, with subscriptions and streaming boosting the overall total. Spending on vinyl was also up year-on-year and performance rights and synchronization revenue returned to growth after a tough 2020. IFPI Switzerland reported a similarly positive performance with retail sales in the country rising 10.5%. Like Germany, subscriptions and streaming was the main growth provider with vinyl also registering an increase. The Austrian IFPI branch said total recorded-music revenue last year was up 11%. Streaming sales topped the €100m ($118.3m) mark for the first time and a rise in spending on vinyl partially offset the fall in CD sales.

Now is the time for music stakeholders to reap the full benefits of NFTs
Until fairly recently, no one in the music business was giving much thought to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), but now record companies and artists alike can’t seem to get enough of these tradeable digital assets. There is money to be made in a market where prices are ballooning—Snoop Dogg and Grimes are just two artists to have cashed in—and headline acts and their management really ought to be engaging with NFTs while the financial appetite for this type of asset lasts. But these tokens are more than mere collectibles. They offer a way for music companies and artists to both boost engagement with audiences and increase revenue from fans who are looking for experiences beyond the recorded track and the stage performance.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China is the world’s most populous country, ending last year with more than 1.4 billion people. Although the population is set to keep rising for the next 10 years or so, the impact of the one-child policy will come in to play from 2030 onward, when the population is expected to edge downward. China also has the world’s second-biggest economy, behind the US. For the final quarter of last year, GDP increased 4% compared with the prior year period. For 2021 as a whole, GDP was up 8.1%, a big rise on the 2.2% expansion in 2020. China’s relatively buoyant economy is reflected in several sectors of the country’s music industry. Often described as an emerging market, retail sales show the country is more than living up to its long-held potential. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed and with smartphone penetration continuing to rise, all the requirements for digital growth are firmly in place. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last 10 or so years. However, given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per capita rate are much smaller than they should be.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

Ninth Circuit set to decide whether royalties are payable in California on pre-1972 recordings
The almost never-ending legal battle between artists Flo & Eddie and the satellite radio broadcaster SiriusXM is currently the subject of a Ninth Circuit appeal. Almost seven years ago, a California district court ruled that SiriusXM should pay royalties for the broadcast of pre-1972. SiriusXM appealed the decision, but only after agreeing an out-of-court settlement with the two artists. The size of the damages payment by SiriusXM to the artists was dependent on the outcome of the appeal in California, as well as two other appeals to district court rulings in New York and Florida. In its Ninth Circuit challenge, SiriusXM claimed that California has historically recognized a performance right in sound recordings under state copyright law and so no royalties are due for the broadcast of legacy recordings. However, Flo & Eddie claim that California state law grants authors exclusive ownership of sound recordings and so royalties on pre-1972 works are due.

Science backs a return to controlled live music performance
The live music industry is approaching the one-year anniversary of the shuttering of its business. Single performances, tours, and music festivals were ruled no-go activities as part of a global move to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Venues have been left empty and music promoters have seen revenue almost dry up. There is though some optimism that all is not lost. In addition to national vaccination programs rolling out around the world, a number of experiments and studies have shown that under certain controlled conditions, the spread of the virus and the rate of new infections can be minimized. Already governments are looking at ways of opening up events to paying visitors and although numbers for the first set of live concerts and festivals will be reduced, there is a real possibility that performing in front of a live audience will return sooner rather than later.

TikTok ups the tempo to become a key music force
TikTok continues to take the music business by storm. The company had a very strong 2020 when it more than proved its ability to both promote hit songs and break new artists. It’s little wonder, then, that TikTok has been able to sign a raft of licensing deals over the past 12 months, agreements that will see the video platform collaborating with rights holders, artists, and record companies around the globe over the course of this year and beyond. Expect to see longer-form content becoming more prevalent this year, with live-streamed performances the obvious way to go during the pandemic. In addition, TikTok is proving a great platform for identifying emerging artists while clubs and arenas are mothballed. But record companies need to ensure that they are not edged out in this space by new rivals.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China is the world’s most populous country with slightly more than 1.4 billion people. Although the population is set to keep rising for the next 10 years or so, the impact of the one child policy will come in to play from 2030 onwards when the population is expected to edge downwards. China also has the world’s second biggest economy, behind the US. For the final quarter of last year, GDP increased 6.5% compared with the prior year period. China’s relatively buoyant economy is reflected in several sectors of the country’s music industry. Often described as an emerging market, retail sales in China show the country is more than living up to its long-held potential. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed and with smartphone penetration on the rise, all the requirements for digital growth are firmly in place. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last nine or so years. However, given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per capita rate are tiny.

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New issue of Music & Copyright

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

Eddy Grant hits Donald Trump with copyright infringement claim over misuse of Electric Avenue
US president Donald Trump has upset a number of musicians by using their music as part of his reelection campaign without their permission. More than 50 big name artists sent an open letter to both the Republican and Democrat parties asking that they stop using their recordings for political purposes. However, the misuse has continued. Neil Young, a longtime critic of the president’s use of his work filed legal action in August at a New York federal court to try and prevent any more performances of his tracks at campaign rallies. Also in August, Eddy Grant filed a claim at the same court following the use of his biggest hit Electric Avenue in a video poking fun at the Democrat nominee Joe Biden. In a court filing, Grant, who is the owner of the master rights in the track, said the Trump team had not applied for a license to use any of his music and no permission to include the track in the video was granted.

Tough few years ahead for BUMA/STEMRA as record decline set to follow new high for collections
Dutch authors’ societies BUMA and STEMRA are expecting a difficult few years for rights collections with the COVID-19 crisis tearing a hole in the budget set at the beginning of this year. Restrictions placed on consumer movements and the shuttering of the live sector will see combined collections for the societies fall this year, perhaps to the lowest level for 10 years. Distributions are also expected to take a hit. The depressing assessment follows a record year for collections and distributions. Receipts for BUMA topped the previous year’s high and despite mechanicals shrinking around the world, STEMRA registered a flat year with rising digital and private copying receipts almost offsetting declines in broadcast and phono income.

How China will determine the shape of Africa’s music streaming sector
While Africa lags behind in the take-up of music-steaming services, there are signs that Africans do have appetite for such products. The continent has spawned a number of digital music startups, with entrepreneurial Nigeria now something of a powerhouse in the space. Boomplay, which has more than 70 million users and is growing its base apace, is leading the charge and can count on the support of leading Chinese technology companies. It’s not alone. Chinese giants Tencent and Huawei are also rolling out music streaming services in the region and, together with Boomplay backer NetEase, will ensure that Sub-Saharan streaming will have something of a Chinese flavor, at least in the back rooms. Clearly, low incomes and high levels of piracy are barriers to growth, but Africa’s new players would do well to learn from the Spotify play book if they want to make headway in paid-for music.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

On-demand music subscription sector hits new milestones despite slowdown in overall growth
The on-demand music subscription sector experienced a positive 2019, with several international and local services reporting solid operating details. Spotify ended the year in the driving seat, with subscription gains boosting the service’s market share. Apple Music also registered growth, but the service lost market share to both the leader and Amazon. The three major music groups are benefiting from the rise in access services, with all reporting favorable financial results driven largely by streaming. The rise of the paid subscription from a niche revenue source not so long ago is impressive, and the year-end record company results have illustrated the importance of access services to the companies’ bottom lines. Despite the inevitable slowdown in service take-up in Western countries, developing markets are starting to show that they are well placed to step in and soften any decline.

French recorded-music sales see fourth consecutive year of growth
French music trade association SNEP has reported a fourth straight year of growth for trade earnings from recorded-music sales. For the first time, revenue from audio streaming generated more than half of local record company income. In another first, sales of premium subscriptions overtook physical formats. Subscription sales recorded a very positive year, with the number of net new subscriptions rising sharply. However, it was advertising revenue from audio service that scored the highest growth of any income stream. With the exception of music video, all the buy-to-own formats suffered year-on-year declines. Trade earnings from CD album sales continued to fall, and the vinyl revival took a hit, although the number of units shipped to retail continued to rise along with sales of turntables.

Time for record companies to push the music and gaming space convergence
The gaming sector continues to grow apace, with esports events capable of attracting large in situ and online audiences. While a number of music industry players having recognized the potential of adding music – both recorded and live – to the gaming mix, many have yet to take even baby steps into the space. Esports arenas can clearly double up as music venues, and a number of such mixed-use facilities are either up and running or in the pipeline around the world. Expect to see more of these spots as well as – finally – an increasing number of music companies coming onboard as partners in gaming ventures. More experimentation is necessary to ensure that esports doesn’t remain an electronic music enclave.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China’s relatively buoyant economy is reflected in several sectors of the country’s music industry. Often described as an emerging market, retail sales in the country show the country is more than living up to its long-held potential. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed and with smartphone penetration on the rise, all the requirements for digital growth are firmly in place. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last nine or so years but given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per capita rate are tiny.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

As endgame nears for the Copyright Directive, opponents plan their final hand
The European Union (EU)’s key institutions – the Commission, Council, and Parliament – have finally agreed on new copyright rules, in the face of intense opposition and lobbying from internet giants. The agreed deal between the institutions – the outcome of the so-called trilogue process that underpins EU rule-making that had already been subject to delay in December – includes the controversial Article 13, which will put the onus on the likes of YouTube to remove copyright-infringing material without being asked, something that online platforms have long resisted. For the measure’s supporters, Article 13 reinforces the position of content rights holders and enables them to be properly remunerated. But for some of its opponents, who have tended to rail against it in near-apocalyptic terms, it means the effective end of the internet as we know it.

Class action lawsuits against SME and UMG are set to clarify entitlement to US termination rights
Major labels SME and UMG are facing class action lawsuits filed at the New York District Court in an attempt by a number of authors to reclaim the copyrights to their music under the so-called 35-year law. David Johansen, John Lyon, and Paul Collins were named in the legal action against SME, while John Waite and Joe Ely are part of the action against UMG. According to the lawsuits, both record companies have refuted the artists’ termination rights claims on the grounds that the sound recordings are “works made for hire” and so not available for termination under US copyright law. In addition to copyright infringement claims, the artists have asked the court for declaratory relief that sound recordings cannot be considered “works made for hire,” and that the release of sound recordings created by a particular recording artist in album form does not constitute a contribution of a collective work. Although these two challenges to the record companies’ refusal to recognize the termination rights requests are not the first, they could prove to be the first to go all the way to trial and finally provide resolution to a problem in the making for more than 40 years.

It’s now “game on” for the music industry
Music and gaming are clearly natural bedfellows but the music industry has yet to fully exploit the potential of games and gaming audiences. The reach of some gaming platforms is vast, offering great marketing prospects for the recorded-music business, while esports events can attract sizable audiences that are also looking for content beyond the core tournament battles. Plus, as games developers have shown recently, there is real appetite for virtual concerts inside the titles themselves – and that really should be a cue for physical festival promoters to deploy gaming at events to further develop those live music experiences.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China’s relatively buoyant economy is reflected in several sectors of the country’s music industry. Recent trade results published by the IFPI show the country, often described as an emerging market, is starting to live up to its long-held potential with previous glimmers of optimism now turning into real sales. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed, and with smartphone penetration on the rise, all the requirements for further digital growth are firmly in place. However, some creative sectors continue to suffer against a backdrop of unlicensed services and restrictive practices. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last eight or so years, but given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per capita rate are very small.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

Spotify’s direct listing in New York sheds light on the company’s inner workings
After months of speculation, global on-demand audio streaming leader Spotify has finally filed all the necessary documentation with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirming its move to go public. The company will list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the next month or so under the symbol SPOT. Rather than go down the more common IPO route, Spotify decided on a direct listing and is not issuing new shares. Instead, existing shareholders will be free to sell their shares through brokerage transactions. As is the case with all listings, documents filed with the SEC lift the lid on previously unseen financial and operating metrics. This research note picks out some of the more interesting insights surrounding the financial standing of the service, its popularity, and what the details tell us about the wider music streaming market.

Musicautor celebrates 25th year with return to collections growth
Bulgarian authors’ society Musicautor has marked a quarter of a century of operations by recording a rise in collections. The three biggest sources of income – TV, radio, and general licensing – all registered growth last year, more than offsetting a drop in collections from retransmission, digital, and live concerts. In its business report, Musicautor noted difficulties associated with the administration of digital music rights and its inability to process reports from several of the major music services. Although the withdrawal of Anglo-American repertoire administration a few years ago by music publishers as part of their move to create pan-European licensing hubs hit digital collections, the lack of technical ability to process reports from the international digital platforms is a major challenge. General licensing revenue returned to growth after a decline the previous year, and mechanical collections grew sharply following the completion of a deal with the local producers’ association.

Brands get to grips with social change initiatives through live music
Brands have long supported live music events, but simply stumping up cash to sponsor a stage, festival tent, or bar has quickly became something of yesteryear with the onset of social media and more intimate B2C communications. However, racking up substantial online metrics only goes so far, and a number of brands are now looking to do good in the community and engage in social change initiatives through live music. This is a riskier strategy than simply hanging a banner over a stage, and brands need to make sure they choose their partners and social issues carefully.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China is the world’s most populous country, with close to 1.4 billion people. It is also home to the second-biggest economy. Last year saw the country’s economy grew 6.9%, the first time in seven years that annual growth has accelerated. The increase was also higher than the Chinese government’s forecast of 6.5%. In line with the optimism surrounding the economy, certain sections of China’s music industry are starting to show signs that it is living up to its long-held potential. In the past, there have been several false starts. More recently, though, glimmers of optimism look set to turn into real sales. The latest IFPI figures showed trade revenue registered healthy growth in 2016, after a big jump in earnings in the previous year. Aside from slight increases in minor digital formats, all the growth in the last few years has come from streaming. Ovum has estimated that growth continued last year, and more is set to come.

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New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

Much of MEA’s digital music fortunes lie with carriers and RBTs
Music revenue in the Middle East and North Africa is largely in decline, while revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa are growing at a relatively vigorous pace. But, overall, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region generates negligible digital music revenue other than that derived from mobile – a reality that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. In essence, virtually all digital music revenue produced throughout most of the region comes from ring-back tones (RBTs), and the lion’s share of that revenue is ending up in the hands of mobile operators, which have a monopoly over the delivery of RBTs. Unfettered piracy; limited access to broadband; high data charges; low smartphone penetration; consumers’ inability or unwillingness to pay for music; insufficient spending on digital advertising; inexistent or inadequate royalty-collection systems; and, in a fair number of countries, political unrest and war, are all factors conspiring against the success of digital music services – both a-la-carte and all-you-can-eat.

Vivendi hits back over Spinal Tap fraudulent accounting claims
Vivendi has filed a motion with a California district court to dismiss claims made by the co-creators of cult movie This Is Spinal Tap. Late last year, the co-creators accused Vivendi and its movie studio subsidiary, Studiocanal, of engaging in anticompetitive and unfair business practices as well as fraudulent accounting, and sought compensatory and punitive damages of $400m. Vivendi and Studiocanal claimed their motion to dismiss was brought because the co-creators had failed to state a claim upon which any damages could be granted and because they had not provided any evidence of fraud as required under federal rule of civil procedure. The two defendants also refuted the termination rights claims, since the music in the movie was made as a work-for-hire.

Premium subscriptions now one-third of total Belgian music sales
Belgium’s recorded-music sector has registered a second consecutive year of growth in retail spending. According to new figures published by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), total consumer spending on recorded music grew 6.9% year-on-year in 2016, around the same rate as in 2015. The improved performance was almost all down to a big rise in spending on subscription services countering falls elsewhere. Vinyl sales also increased, although the format accounts for a minor share of total spending. Despite the growing interest in streaming, Belgian music consumers continue to support the CD album, with the format accounting for the biggest share of retail spending. The second year of overall growth is positive news for Belgian record companies, given the numerous years of decline the industry has seen. It should, though, be remembered that record company earnings from recorded-music sales in the country are still less than half what they were at the turn of the century.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry report. China is the world’s most populous country, with close to 1.4 billion people. It is also home to the second-biggest economy. Despite a slight slowdown in economic growth last year, the latest figures from China’s statistics bureau suggest the country is on course to meet the government’s aim of doubling GDP and per capita earnings between 2010 and 2020. In line with this optimistic outlook, China’s music industry is starting to show signs that it is living up to its long-held potential. In the past there have been several false starts. More recently, though, glimmers of optimism look set to turn into real sales. The latest IFPI figures show that trade revenue was up sharply in 2015, with a number of digital formats and services the growth drivers. Ovum estimates that growth continued last year and that more is set to come. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed, and with smartphone penetration on the rise, all the requirements for further digital growth are firmly in place. However, some creative sectors continue to suffer against a backdrop of unlicensed services and restrictive practices. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last seven or so years, but given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per capita rate are still very small.

If you want to know more about Music & Copyright then follow the below links.

Music & Copyright is published by Ovum.

New issue of Music & Copyright with China country report

The latest issue of Music & Copyright is now available for subscribers to download. Here are some of the highlights.

SME labels file copyright-infringement claim against Radionomy
A number of SME record company subsidiaries including Arista Records, LaFace Records, US Latin, and Zomba have filed a copyright-infringement and unfair competition claim at the US District Court for the Northern District of California against the online radio service Radionomy. The labels have filed for seven claims for relief, including direct infringement of their rights under US copyright law; contributory copyright infringement; and inducement to infringe. The labels’ court filing states that they are entitled to the maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per track infringed. The lawsuit comes just two months after UMG parent company Vivendi acquired two-thirds of the share capital of Radionomy.

Digital transition continues to dent French recorded music trade sales
French music trade association SNEP has reported a second consecutive annual fall in revenue from the sale of physical and digital music formats and digital access services. Despite sharp growth in trade income from subscription services, a big drop in earnings from physical formats and downloads meant the value of the French recorded music market last year was half of what it was 10 years ago. A good year for performance rights lessened the overall decline. In its report, SNEP drew attention to the rise of subscriptions in France – more than 3 million consumers are now paying for a subscription to one of the many services available in the country. However, with physical formats still dominant and downloads dropping away fast, it seems unlikely that the French recorded music market will return to growth any time soon.

Music video providers look to make consumers pay for the short form
The music video has come a long way since the launch of MTV in the early 1980s. Now the format is part of the short-form-video revolution which led the world to consume some five trillion clips last year. Music video consumption has long shifted online – largely into the hands of YouTube. Much of that content has yet to be fully monetized, but there are major moves underway to make more consumers pay.

China country report
In addition to the usual set of music industry statistics and news briefs, the latest issue of Music & Copyright includes a detailed China music industry profile. For many years China has been seen as a music market in the midst of development and one that offers great potential for growth. Certainly the country’s marketplace for creative content is developing rapidly. However, there have been a number of false starts, and industry sectors have been left disappointed with China consistently failing to live up to its billing. More recently though, there have been some glimmers of hope. The latest IFPI figures showed trade revenue was up in 2014 with streaming the big driver of growth. Ovum has estimated growth continued last year, and more is set to come. China’s digital infrastructure is highly developed and with smartphone penetration on the rise, all the requirements for further digital growth are firmly in place. However, some creative sectors continue to suffer against a backdrop of unlicensed services and restrictive practices. Royalty collections have grown consistently for the last six or so years, but given the size of the population and level of music use, rights holders’ earnings measured at a per-capita rate are tiny.

If you want to know more about Music & Copyright then follow the below links.

Music & Copyright is published by Ovum.