The Society of Composers, Authors & Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) again reports record-breaking numbers, issuing preliminary year-end figures for 2019 of an estimated CA$405.5 million (USD $305.38 million) collected, an 8% increase over 2018’s $375 million ($282.41 million).
Source: Canadian Performance Rights Org SOCAN Collected Record $405 Million in 2019
The recorded music market in France saw growth of 5.4% in 2019, with total revenues of €772 million ($867m), including physical and digital sales, neighbouring rights and sync. The results, published today (February 25) by French trade body SNEP, were fuelled by growth in streaming, which accounted for 59% of total revenue.
Source: France’s recorded music market was worth $867m last year, up 5.4% year-on-year
The U.S. recorded music business generated $11.1 billion in revenue in 2019, according to the RIAA’s annual year-end report, a 13% year-over-year increase from the $9.8 billion it reached in 2018. That represents the fourth straight year of double-digit growth for the sector, and a faster rate of growth over 2018, when it increased 11.9% over the prior year.
Source: US Recorded Music Revenue Reaches $11.1 Billion in 2019, 79% From Streaming: RIAA
On Wednesday (Feb. 12), Spotify announced the launch of songwriter pages, touted as “a new way for fans, collaborators and industry partners to dive deeper into the creators behind their favorite songs.” The streaming service states that the pages will allow songwriters to share the music they’ve written on Spotify and further discovery by fans and/or potential collaborators.
Source: Spotify Announces Beta Launch of Songwriter Pages to Aid Songwriter Discovery
In a finding that makes John Malone’s apocryphal “500 channel universe” seem quaint by comparison, Nielsen this morning released a report estimating the number of “unique program titles” currently available to American viewers in 2019 was 646,000, a 10% increase from 2018.
Source: MediaDailyNews: Nielsen Reveals 646,000 Program Universe
UK music licensing company PPL says its 2019 international royalty collections crossed $111 million (£86.7 million), a 22 percent uptick from 2018’s figure. The PPL says that a large and growing stable of artists (whose body of work includes over 15 million recordings) has enabled PPL to form agreements with CMOs in a substantial number of nations.
Source: PPL Says International Collections Hit a Record $111 Million In 2019
Global digital distributor and label services company Ditto Music is to launch a new blockchain solution that, it says, will generate higher earnings for artists and creators. Called Bluebox, the suite will utilize blockchain technology to record data around songwriter, artist and producer rights and allow creators to instantly register copyright, publishing and mechanical splits at the point of creation.
Source: Ditto Music Unveils New Blockchain-Based Tools to Help Untangle Split Royalties
Amazon has announced a big milestone for its music-streaming business: more than 55 million users across all the tiers of its offering. In an accompanying interview with the Financial Times, music boss Steve Boom stressed that “nearly all” of the 55 million users are paying for a subscription, with only a small minority on the free, ad-supported tier that Amazon launched in the US last year.
Blockchain gaming has seen some considerable growth in 2019 compared with the year before. Blockchain gaming attracted 162% more users compared with 2018. In total there were more than 436 thousand gamers playing blockchain-powered games in 2019. Over fifty percent played these games on the Ethereum blockchain.
Source: Blockchain gaming sees 162% growth in 2019 – NEDEROB
Golden Age of Streaming who? Despite an influx of entertainment options on Netflix, Hulu and now Disney Plus, global box office receipts will surpass $42 billion in 2019, according to Comscore, cementing a new industry high. Though U.S. ticket sales slumped 4.4% to $11.4 billion, international audiences fueled the record turnout.
Source: Global Box Office Hits New Record in 2019 With $42 Billion