The latest issue of Music & Copyright leads with details of our annual review of royalty collections. An assessment of the performance of the top 20 collection societies shows that total combined collections stood at US$9.56 billion in 2012. At constant exchange rates, last year’s collection figure was down 0.5%, from US$9.61 billion in 2011. However, at variable exchange rates, total collections fell 5%, from US$10.06 billion.
In a repeat of 2011, 12 of the top 20 collection societies reported growth in collections for 2012. ECAD of Brazil replicated its 2011 success and was again the authors’ society with the highest income growth rate. RAO of Russia was the only other society in the top 20 to experience double-figure growth. Of the eight collection societies that suffered a decline in revenues, SGAE of Spain experienced by far the largest drop, 16.2%. Its rate of contraction was almost three times the rate it experienced in 2011, and virtually all of its main income sources suffered a decline.
The second feature examines the results of German promoters and events association BDV’s live music survey, which showed that total revenues from all live events in Germany dropped 15.7% in 2012. Both music and nonmusic events suffered from lower attendance, and the number of live-performance attendees fell to its lowest level in over five years. Last year’s performance was in marked contrast with 2011, when revenues from ticket sales were up 24.3%, to €3.94 billion. Ticket sales also rose sharply, as did average ticket prices.
This issue also contains an analysis of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s ruling that rights holders can take legal action in their national courts when their copyrights are infringed in another country. The court made the ruling in a case referred by a French court, where a copyright-infringement claim had been filed against an Austrian CD manufacturer.
Music & Copyright is very pleased to include a special contributor focus in this issue on the legal action taken by nightclub and record label Ministry of Sound against the music streaming service Spotify. Vanessa Barnett and Victoria Holvik of the UK law firm Charles Russell have assessed the merits of the case and the likelihood of success. Although the music industry has long claimed copyright in its music compilations, this case has drawn significant media coverage, since it marks the first time in the UK that a record company will test this issue in the courts.
The country under the spotlight this time around is Australia, a fascinating market where big gains from digital-music sales saw record-company earnings from recorded-music sales rise last year for the first time since 2009. However, in contrast to the buoyant recorded-music sector, sales of tickets to live events were down in 2012. Australia’s summer-festival circuit remains popular among consumers, but this year has seen a number of closures and last-minute cancellations.
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