Merlin membership survey 2016Streaming revenues go global - accelerating digital growth for independent music
16th June, New York: - Speaking at A2IM’s Annual Meeting, Charles Caldas, CEO Merlin, the global digital rights agency for the independent label sector, has announced the results of Merlin’s 2016 member survey. Representing the most valuable set of rights outside of those controlled by the three major labels, Merlin’s 700-strong membership commands in excess of 12% of the global digital recorded music market across more than 20,000 labels - including the likes of Beggars Group, Domino, Epitaph, Kobalt Label Services, Merge, Ninja Tune, [PIAS], Secretly Group and Warp Records. Drawing on anonymized responses from across 35 countries, this is the fourth time Merlin has surveyed its membership in this way.
KEY SURVEY FINDINGS Digital business accelerates for Merlin members Audio streaming & subscription revenue continues to drive digital growth Digital consumption unlocks global revenues Download revenue drops. Video streaming revenue falls short of potential Merlin members continue to report overall business growth 79% of respondents state they are “optimistic” about the future of their business, while 86% of respondents say that membership of Merlin is important to their business.
NEW DATA HIGHLIGHTS POPULARITY OF INDEPENDENT MUSIC ONLINE The findings are combined with a new analysis of Merlin’s own internal data, which reveals a surge in both revenues received from leading audio streaming services and the consumption of independent music on those platforms - and particularly so on paid streaming tiers. Merlin pays out record distributions 1.5 billion more audio streams a month Merlin members perform even better on premium tiers
Charles Caldas, CEO of Merlin, said: “2016’s survey offers yet more evidence that Merlin’s independent record label members continue to grow and break new ground in the digital space. Over successive years we have seen audio streaming revenues surge for the vast majority, and it is particularly heartening to see members capitalize on consumer demand in new or previously untapped international markets. The digital business is a global business, and Merlin members are at the heart of it.”
About Merlin: Merlin is the global digital rights agency for the world’s independent label sector. The organisation’s members command in excess of 12% of the global digital recorded music market and embody more than 20,000 independent record labels and distributors from 46 countries and all continents. These include Beggars Group, Secretly Group, Domino, Epitaph, !K7, Kobalt Label Services, [PIAS], Merge and Warp, representing some of the world’s most important and successful artists. Merlin acts to ensure these companies have effective access to new and emerging revenue streams and that their rights are appropriately valued and protected. Since commencing operations in May 2008, Merlin has licensed key digital services including SoundCloud, YouTube Red, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, Deezer, Vevo, KKBOX and Guvera. Merlin has reached a number of high value copyright infringement settlements on behalf of its members with, amongst others, Limewire, XM Satellite Radio and Grooveshark. Merlin has offices in London and New York, with a head office in Amsterdam. June 20, 2016 9:42am ET by Name PR |