Drake Named IFPI Global Recording Artist 2016

Drake has been named by IFPI as the world’s best-selling recording artist of 2016, highlighting the huge success of his fourth album, Views, which was released last year.

Drake is the fourth recipient of the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award, the unique and authoritative accolade that reflects an artist’s worldwide success across physical and digital formats, including downloads and streams.

Views became the first album to reach one billion streams on Apple Music, while One Dance, the album’s second single, was the first song to be played one billion times on Spotify. The follow-up singles Pop Style, Controlla and Too Good also all found huge success across the globe.

In conjunction with the Global Recording Artist award, IFPI issued its annual Global Top 10 list. David Bowie, who took second place on the global chart, had released his album Blackstar two days before his death in January 2016. The album reached number one in 24 countries.

In third and fourth place on the chart, respectively, were Coldplay and Adele whose 2015 albums A Head Full of Dreams and 25 remained immensely popular throughout 2016.

The independently verified IFPI Global Recording Artist chart includes sales of albums – across digital, CD and vinyl formats; singles, both downloaded and physical; and on-demand audio streams and music videos across the calendar year.

The chart includes all the music of each artist featured, not just one track or album. It uses album equivalent units to combine measurements of downloads, physical sales and streams.


Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2016

1  Drake

2  David Bowie

3  Coldplay

4  Adele

5  Justin Bieber

6  Twenty One Pilots

7  Beyoncé

8  Rihanna

9  Prince

10 The Weeknd                    

72% of the recorded music revenues in Denmark are now from streaming

Digital music is taking over in Denmark: 88% of music companies’ revenue comes now from digital music sales with IFPI figures showing that revenue from streaming has risen by 14% compared to the same period in 2014. Physical sales fell by 35% year-on-year and downloads dropped by 13% in the period: Streaming constituted 72% of the market in H1 2015, downloads accounted for 16%, while sales of physical products only claimed 12% of the market by value.

Record labels say they invest $4.3 annually in A&R and marketing

Record label body the IFPI has published a report saying that record companies’ total investment in A&R and marketing tops US$4.3 billion annually and more than US$20 billion over five years. The IFPI’s Investing in Music report says that labels’ investment in A&R and marketing is up from 26% to 27% of industry revenues over the last two years. The report was unveiled at ‘Friends of Music’ evening for MEPs in Strasbourg, hosted by IFPI chairman Plácido Domingo.

Interestingly the Report details the costs of breaking an artist in a major market remain substantial at between US$500,000 and US$2 million.  The cost typically breaks down as payment of an advance (US$50,000-350,000), recording costs (US$150,000-500,000), video production costs (US$50,000-300,000), tour support (US$50,000-US$150,000) and marketing and promotional costs (US$200,000-700,000). It may be worth noting that artists themselves pay for some of this - as labels seek to recoup a good chunk of those payments - something the Report skirts around. yes indeed - its ARTISTS who pay for a lot of this!

The Report also argues that liive performance has not replaced recordings as the driver of the music industry.  While record companies invest US$2.5 billion in A&R, there is little evidence of such substantial investment in new music coming from any other source saying "All of the five top grossing live tours of 2013 were by artists who first released albums nine or more years previously, with one group having recordings going back 50 years.  Few artists can achieve a scalable, sustainable music career without producing recorded music."

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, says: “Investing in Music highlights the multi-billion dollar investment in artists made every year by major and independent record labels.  It is estimated that the investment in A&R and marketing over the last five years has totalled more than US$20 billion.  That is an impressive measure of the qualities that define the music industry, and which give it its unique value.” Alison Wenham, chair of indie label's group WIN, says: “Most artists who want to make a career from their music still seek a recording deal.  They want to be introduced to the best producers, sound engineers and session musicians in the business. They need financial support and professional help to develop marketing and promotional campaigns.”

http://www.ifpi.org/investing-in-music.php

One Direction top recorded music sales for 2013

CAN YOU SPOT 1D?

One Direction have collected their award after being named the IFPI Global Recording Artist of 2013 last month.  The award, which honours the most popular act globally across downloading, streaming and physical format sales, was presented by IFPI’s chief executive Frances Moore. The Top 10 global recording artists 2013 are:

1	One Direction
2	Eminem
3	Justin Timberlake
4	Bruno Mars
5	Katy Perry
6	P!nk
7	Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
8	Rihanna
9	Michael Bublé
10	Daft Punk

Source: IFPI

IFPI report confirms modest growth in recorded music revenues

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has published its annual Recording Industry In Numbers report for 2013. The global recorded music industry saw its revenues increase very slightly by 0.2% in 2012, the first increase since 1999. Growth in digital revenues, including those from the rapidly expanding subscription and streaming service domain, coupled with boosted income from a number of emerging markets, combined to help compensate for the continued decline in physical product sales. Digital now accounts for 35% of the wider record industry's global trade revenues, and of this paid for downloads account for around 80% - although in Europe subscription and streaming are now bringing in a third of digital income. Physical products bring in 57% of the money worldwide. The remaining income is from other licensing-based revenue streams, chiefly performance (PPL) rights, which now account for 6% of income overall. Sync licensing saw modest growth in 2012.

Brazil, India and Mexico have all seen market growth since 2008 (of 24%, 42% and 17% respectively). The US, Japan, Germany, UK and France remain the biggest markets in the world (in that order).

Commenting on the Report, IFPI boss Frances Moore said "This is a must-read publication for anyone following the global music industry. It is packed with the latest data and analysis, broken down by formats, revenue streams, regions and countries. Recording Industry in Numbers also reveals the sheer diversity of the modern music business. Notable highlights in this year's edition are the increasing role of subscription services and the growing importance of emerging markets in driving the industry's recovery".

Digital drives music industry revival

The IFPI’s 2013 Digital Music Report is out and in the words of Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI:  “It is hard to remember a year for the recording industry that has begun with such a palpable buzz in the air.  These are hard-won successes for an industry that has innovated, battled and transformed itself over a decade.  They show how the music industry has adapted to the internet world, learned how to meet the needs of consumers and monetised the digital marketplace".

The headline stories are that global recorded music revenues up 0.3 per cent, boosted by downloads, subscription and other channels, digital revenues up 9 per cent, with major music services now open in more than 100 markets and that music is helping fuel the digital economy, but barriers to growth need to be addressed

Global recorded music industry revenues rose by an estimated 0.3 per cent to US$16.5 billion in 2012, the first year of industry growth since 1999.  Digital revenues saw accelerating growth for the second year running, up 9 per cent to US $5.6 billion, 34& of all revenues, with most major digital revenue streams – downloads, subscription and advertising-supported – on the rise.  The digital music business is globalising fast, as smartphones and new licensed services span new and emerging markets.  In January 2011, the major international download and subscription services were present in 23 markets.  Today, they are in more than 100. The number of people paying to use subscription services leapt 44 per cent in 2012 to 20 million.  Subscription revenues are expected to account for more than 10 per cent of digital revenues for the first time in 2012.

Despite the optimism, the IFPI says that key barriers to further growth remain – the biggest being unfair competition from unlicensed music services.  The IFPI say that governments have a key role to play in addressing this problem.  The key priority remains to secure effective cooperation from intermediaries including advertisers, ISPs and search engines, who have a major influence on levels of copyright infringement.

Canadian artist Carly Rae Jepsen topped the 2012 global singles chart with Call Me Maybe.  British singer-songwriter Adele achieved phenomenal success with 21, the first album to top the global albums chart for two consecutive years since IFPI began reporting global best sellers in 2001. Music is also helping power social media platforms: Nine in 10 of the most watched videos of all time on YouTube are music videos, led by PSY’s Gangnam Style which has been viewed more than 1.2 billion times.  Nine in 10 of the most liked people on Facebook are artists.  Seven of the top 10 most followed people on Twitter are artists.

Digital album sales 2012

1.            Adele  21  8.3 million

2.            Taylor Swift   Red   5.2 million

3.            One Direction   Up All Night    4.5 million

Digital singles sales 2012

1             Carly Rae Jepsen  Call Me Maybe  12.5 million

2.            Gotye  Somebody That I Used To Know  11.8 million

3             PSY   Gangnam Style  9.7

To download a copy of the Digital Music Report 2013 click here

Global record sales fall in 2011

The global record industry saw trade revenues drop by 3% in 2011 to $16.3 billion. The International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry noted that the 3% drop represented a "significant slowing in the fall of the market". Physical sales worldwide slumped 8.7%, but an 8% boost in digital income helped limit the impact overall of the continued decline of the CD. Vinyl ow accounts for about 1% of global record sales. For the first time the IFPI also published figures for its members' sync revenues, which brought in $342 million globally in 2011, while the public performance royalties generated by sound recordings worldwide were also up, by 4.9% to $862 million.

IFPI and SGAE face scandals

Hot on the heels of the scandal engulfing Spain’s collection society SGAE – their offices and a number of private homes were raided by Spanish police as part of an investigation into the "misappropriation of funds" and nine people, including president of SGAE's Board of Directors Eduardo Bautista, were detained - comes new that the former chief of the Swiss branch of the International Federation of The Phonographic Industry, Beat Högger, has been accused of abusing his position in the trade body to gain tax breaks for his own company IPGate. According to TorrentFreak, and German journalist Christian Bütikofer, Högger allegedly employed two administrators at the IFPI through his own German company, to qualify IPGate for concessions under Germany's tax system on the basis he had a Swiss operation. Bütikofer claims this allegedly benefited Högger's company to the tune of 316,500 euros.

Record sales slump again

CMU Daily reports that global record sales were down by 8.4%, or another $1.45 billion, in 2010 according to new statistics from the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Total global record industry sales were $15.9 billion. Digital sales continued to grow, albeit at a more modest pace than a few years back, and now account for 29% of recorded music sales. The two biggest recorded music markets, the US and Japan, were particularly hard hit again, accounting for 57% of that $1.45 billion decline. The UK, which has been more resilient than most markets in terms of the decline of CD sales, also had a bad year, and as a result lost its position as the third biggest music market to Germany. Only India, Mexico and South Korea saw year-on-year record sales increases. There was also bad news from PRS For Music, who revealed that the total royalties they collected for songwriters and music publishers fell by 1% last year, the first time the total royalties collected by the collecting society has gone down on the previous year.