Music Canada

Gold & Platinum

Join Mailing List

Music Canada

Gold & Platinum

 Music Canada

Resources (20)

view

Music Canada’s Graham Henderson on “The Mastering of a Music City” at the Canadian Club of Toronto

Posted by

Yesterday, Music Canada President & CEO Graham Henderson delivered a speech at the Canadian Club of Toronto on ‘The Mastering of a Music City’, a new report that sets out how cities worldwide can take simple steps to help develop their music economies.

Video from the speech is now available online, courtesy of the Canadian Club of Toronto.

In his speech, Henderson highlighted some of the effective strategies outlined in the report, the benefits of a vibrant music economy, and early reactions to the report.

“There is a growing interest in Music City strategies,” said Henderson, as evidenced by the municipal leaders from around Ontario in attendance, as well as the recent Music Cities Convention in Brighton, UK, which was attended by representatives of 49 cities, as well as the widespread use of Music Canada’s 2012 Austin-Toronto report.

The Austin-Toronto report was cited in places as far away as Sydney, Australia, and adopted by cities like Chicago, explained Henderson. Community leaders in Tampere, Finland, and Kuala Lumpur, as well as throughout Ontario began asking for a road map, said Henderson. In order to satisfy this demand, Music Canada and IFPI set out to study music cities around the world, said Henderson.

In recapping reaction to the report, Henderson cited quotes from Kate Becker, Director of Seattle’s Film and Music Office, who said the Music Cities report is “brilliant and so important to advancing music cities and the music industry overall.” Erin Benjamin, Executive Director of Music Canada Live, called the report “a powerful tool for the live sector especially, to leverage ongoing and future conversations in our cities and towns across the country.”

Henderson also shared a quote from Toronto Mayor John Tory, who said:

“The Mastering of a Music City report reinforces in my mind the real potential of what supporting the music industry can do to transform and grow a real 21st century city. The report will provide the City recommendations on how to support the industry as we work on our aggressive timeline to develop a music strategy in consultation with the music community.”

On the topic of what makes Toronto a great Music City, Henderson cited elements identified in the development of the 4479 Toronto brand: “our city’s unique offering is that we have the most diverse – globally sourced music experience of any city in the world. Period. Our venues, many, like Massey Hall, steeped in music lore, range from intimate to world tour-worthy. Our audience is informed, passionate and open minded. And all of this is housed in this amazing, culturally diverse metropolis.”

On top of that, Toronto is “a city where music leaders and advocates are working alongside municipal leaders to enhance the music economy,” said Henderson. To that point, Henderson citied the City’s recent review of its postering regulations, an issue first raised in Music Canada’s Austin-Toronto report. Henderson then gave a shout out to Mike Tanner, Toronto’s Music Sector Development Officer, and Zaib Shaikh, Toronto’s Commissioner for Film and Entertainment Industries, for their efforts on this file.

Henderson also gave credit to London, Ontario, who recently announced a new music incubator, and Kitchener, who has established Music Works, a world-class ten point plan developed through a grassroots community consultation.

“Ontario communities are in the forefront of work being done to stimulate growth of the commercial music sector,” said Henderson, citing town hall meetings in Barrie, Collingwood, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Toronto and Windsor. The Government of Ontario has fostered these initiatives through the Live Music Strategy, said Henderson, which is intended to make Ontario a global destination for music tourism.

Henderson then went through some of the effective strategies identified in the report.

“Artists and musicians are undoubtedly the heart of a music city,” said Henderson, recapping a discussion with artist Miranda Mulholland, who said “it’s one thing to be music-friendly; let’s make sure it’s also musician-friendly.”

To this point, “you only need to look at the current musical landscape to understand why this piece is so critical today,” said Henderson, citing a study from the Canadian Independent Music Association, which found the average annual income of a musician is $7,000.

“In this environment, affordability becomes increasing crucial,” said Henderson. The Music Cities report provides recommendations on musician-friendly policies that cities like Austin are exploring to find a solution for artists’ growing costs of living.

Henderson also discussed the range of “music-friendly” policies outlined in the report, such as loading zones for musicians, progressive planning laws, and transportation or transit that facilitate access to venues for fans.

Most important for a music city is the establishment of a music advisory council, said Henderson, which creates the opportunity for two-way dialogue between the city, the music community, and other interested groups like tourism or BIAs.

On the topic of music tourism, Henderson cited Austin, Memphis, and Nashville as beneficiaries of an effective music tourism plan. Music provides one of the most compelling tourism products, said Henderson, calling it a “24 hour a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year opportunity.”

“Music tourism packs a punch,” said Henderson, noting that tourism is the largest employer of young people in the province. “It generates millions of dollars in concert and festival tickets, merchandise, hotels and restaurants – it creates jobs at all these businesses – and builds a city’s global brand.”

On the topic of why a city would want to grow its music economy, Henderson cited social and cultural benefits, as well as the unifying aspect of music, which is outlined in the report with examples from South Africa and Finland.

Henderson also outlined the tangible financial benefits of music, such as job creation, investment attraction, and dollars spent in the community. Examples from the Music Cities report include:

  • In Melbourne, live music alone generates over 116,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in spending at small venues, concerts, and festivals;
  • Music tourism in Austin accounts for almost half of their $1.6 billion economic output and contributes $38 million in tax revenue to the city
  • In 2013, the music industry helped to create and sustain more than 56,000 jobs within the Nashville area, supported more than $3.2billion of annual labour income, and contributed $5.5billion to the local economy.

While Toronto is cited throughout the report in terms of initiatives that could be emulated in other cities, Henderson also outlined some recommendations from other cities that could be adopted here, such as:

  • affordable housing for musicians as well as, additional training and professional development;
  • a plan to address the compliance issues that crop up on a frequent basis; and,
  • land use planning that takes into account culturally significant zones.

In addition, Toronto should develop:

  • An inventory of existing venues, recording studios, etc. in order to identify gaps; and,
  • A music hub or accelerator.

Henderson closed with another portion of Mayor John Tory’s reaction to the report, as an example of Toronto’s commitment to developing music and music-friendly policies.

“As City Hall pursues its vigorous agenda in supporting Toronto’s music sector, we look to sector leaders like Music Canada to continue their invaluable work in elevating and solidifying Toronto’s position as a world-leading music city. It is partnerships between the City and the music industry that will ensure Toronto becomes a thriving music city.” – Toronto Mayor John Tory

The full report is now available, and we welcome music leaders and advocates to utilize the recommendations – because the global music community only stands to gain if music-friendly, musician-friendly cities dot the globe.

 

Many in the audience tweeted highlights from the speech; below is some of the social media reaction:

@music_canada honcho Graham Henderson speaking about the The Mastering Of A Music City report. Impressive, as usual.

A photo posted by Stephen Coady (@commandercoady) on

Categories: Resources
Tags: , , ,
Comments
view

Backgrounder: Term Extension for Sound Recordings

Posted by

How Copyright Works & Canadian Copyright Law

Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection provided to a creator who expresses an idea in a creative work such as a sound recording. The owner of copyright in the creative work has the exclusive right to copy, use, distribute, and receive compensation for such uses of the work for a defined period of time. The copyright owner uses the time during which the creative work is protected by copyright to extract value from it and earn a living.

The Canadian Copyright Act sets out the time limitations for exclusive uses of compositions, written works, films, and sound recordings. Section 23 of the Copyright Act currently states that performers and producers of sound recordings are provided a term of protection of 50 years. In comparison, other copyrighted works such as books, films, and musical compositions are protected for 50 years after the creator’s death. When the term of copyright has expired, the works are commonly said to be in the public domain, meaning that they may be freely used, distributed and copied without knowledge of, or compensation to, the creator or other rights holder.

International Comparisons

Over 60 countries worldwide protect copyright in sound recordings for a term of 70 years or longer from the time of the recording (see list attached). Until today, Canada, with only 50 years of copyright protection, has been an outlier amongst developed countries.

Implications for Artists

A term of 70 years will mean that artists and other rights holders retain control of their sound recordings and can profit from them into their elder years. Without term extension for sound recordings, the early works of Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Anne Murray would be in public domain over the next five years.

For younger artists, additional profits derived by rights holders from older recordings will be reinvested in developing artists. The music industry is second to none in terms of reinvestment in new talent, with over 28% of revenue reinvested in 2014. As IFPI’s latest Investing in Music report illustrates, this is a greater percentage of revenue than the pharmaceutical, biotech, computer software or high tech hardware industries each invest in R&D.

Implications for Consumers

Public domain works, instead of being cheaper for the consumer, simply shift the value between different parties in the value chain. In the case of copyright-protected recordings, the performers continue to get paid for their work and profits are reinvested in new artists. Whereas for a public domain recording, the performer receives nothing; the additional value is instead taken as increased profit for the company distributing the public domain music. Consumers further benefit from copyright-protected works as businesses are incentivized to digitize and reissue classic recordings, often with remastering and additional and enhanced features and previously unreleased recordings. Studies have shown that there was no significant difference in the average price of recordings still under copyright compared to those in the public domain.   This is further demonstrated through a comparison of the price of recordings in the public and copyright-protected recordings of a similar quality: 1950s recordings in the public domain on iTunes are priced no differently than protected 1960s or 1970s recordings. In countries that have extended the term of copyright in sound recordings, as Europe did in 2012, term extension has not resulted in an increase to consumer pricing.

 

Appendix A:

Countries with copyright protection for sound recordings over 50 years

  1. United States (95)
  2. Mexico (75)
  3. United Kingdom (70)
  4. France (70)
  5. ermany (70)
  6. South Korea (70)
  7. Australia (70)
  8. Argentina (70)
  9. Austria (70)
  10. Netherlands (70)
  11. Spain (70)
  12. Italy (70)
  13. Norway (70)
  14. Slovenia (70)
  15. Sweden (70)
  16. Slovakia (70)
  17. Romania (70)
  18. Portugal (70)
  19. Poland (70)
  20. Lithuania (70)
  21. Latvia (70)
  22. Ireland (70)
  23. Bahamas (70/100)
  24. Saint Vincent (75)
  25. Samoa (75)
  26. Bahrain (70)
  27. Brazil (70)
  28. Burkina Faso (70)
  29. Chile (70)
  30. Costa Rica (70)
  31. Cote d’Ivoire (99)
  32. Micronesia (75/100)
  33. Morocco (70)
  34. Nicaragua (70)
  35. Oman (95/120)
  36. Palau (75/100)
  37. Colombia (80/50)
  38. Panama (70)
  39. Paraguay (70)
  40. Dominican Republic (70)
  41. Ecuador (70)
  42. El Salvador (70)
  43. Ghana (70)
  44. Grenadine (75)
  45. Guatemala (75)
  46. Honduras (75)
  47. Hungary (70)
  48. Greece (70)
  49. Finland (70)
  50. Estonia (70)
  51. Denmark(70)
  52. Czech Republic (70)
  53. Cyprus (70)
  54. Croatia (70)
  55. Bulgaria (70)
  56. Belgium (70)
  57. Peru (70)
  58. Singapore (70)
  59. Turkey (70)
  60. Iceland (70)
  61. Liechtenstein (70)
  62. Malta (70)
  63. Luxembourg (70)
  64. India (60)
  65. Venezuela (60)
  66. Bangladesh (60)
Categories: Resources
Tags: ,
Comments
view

Digital Music Report 2015 released by IFPI

Posted by

Today, the IFPI released the Digital Music Report 2015, which provides an extensive overview of the global digital music sector, including international market figures, market trends, and worldwide bestsellers information. The report notes that globally, digital music revenues matched physical format sales for the first time in 2014. Digital revenues rose 6.9% to US $6.9 Billion, representing 46% of all global music sales and underlying the industry’s transition over recent years. Overall global revenues fell slightly (0.4%) in 2014, to US $14.97 Billion.

Digital-Music-Report-2015The IFPI says the Digital Music Report shows an industry in continued transition, with consumers embracing music streaming and subscription models. Subscription revenues rose sharply in 2014, growing by 39%, which offset an 8% decline in digital download sales to grow overall digital revenues to US$6.85 billion. The number of paying users of subscription services increased by 46.4%, to an estimated 41 million people worldwide. Subscription services are now a major part of the industry’s portfolio of businesses, making up 23% of the digital market and generating US$1.6 Billion in trade revenues.

“The recorded music business has always led the way for creative industries in the digital world,” said Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI. “That leadership continues today as the music industry’s digital revolution continues through new phases, driven by the consumer’s desire for access to, rather than ownership of, music. It is a reflection of how much we have adapted that digital revenues today are, for the first time, on a par with physical. The headline statistics of 2014 speak for themselves, with overall revenues still largely flat, down by 0.4 per cent. Music companies are charting a path to sustainable year-on-year growth. That path was never going to be straight, but we are making great strides along it, embracing new models, licensing, investing and improving consumer choice.”

Key trends highlighted in the report includes the increased consumer engagement with licensed digital services, based on a new research study undertaken by Ipsos across 13 of the world’s leading music markets, including Canada. The Ipsos research found that the rise of streaming is driven in large part by young consumers, and that there is substantial untapped potential for growth in paid subscriptions.

The report also notes that bundling partnerships between telecom and digital music companies are becoming standard in markets across the globe, and are playing a significant role in the growth in emerging markets. The report notes that services are also increasingly tailoring their payment models to reach various segments of the market, citing MTV Trax, which offers users in the UK access to 100 songs for £1 per week, ranging to Deezer Elite, which specializes in high quality audio for $20 per month.

The report also addresses the “value gap” in the digital music market, noting the market distortion caused by the way some digital services circumvent normal music licensing rules. The IFPI illustrates this by comparing the share of revenue rightsholders derive from services like Spotify and Deezer to those derived from platforms like YouTube and Dailymotion. The report estimates that music subscription services have 41 million paying subscribers and more than 100 million “freemium” users globally, which generated US$1.6 Billion in rightsholder revenues in 2014. By comparison, YouTube alone has more than one billion monthly users and is considered one of the most popular access routes to music, and yet generated just US$641 million for rightsholders in the same time period.

“The value gap is a fundamental flaw in our industry’s landscape which sees digital platforms such as Dailymotion and YouTube taking advantage of exemptions from copyright laws that simply should not apply to them,” said the IFPI’s Frances Moore. “Laws that were designed to exempt passive hosting companies from liability in the early days of the internet – so-called ‘safe harbours’ – should never be allowed to exempt active digital music services from having to fairly negotiate licences with rights holders. There should be clarification of the application of ‘safe harbours’ to make it explicit that services that distribute and monetise music should not benefit from them.”

The Digital Music Report also covers plans for Global Release Day, which is the industry’s decision to synchronize the release schedule for all markets, allowing consumers to access new music on the same day worldwide. Beginning July 10, 2015, Friday will become the new release day, reducing the risk of piracy by shortening the release gap between markets, and providing new marketing opportunities for record labels over the weekend.

The report also examines music’s impact in the wider economy, with data illustrating the effect of record companies’ investment in artists. The recording industry invested US$4.3 billion in 2013, which, at more than 15% of industry revenues, is a larger share than other sectors like leisure (6.3%) and automobiles (4.2%). This investment is a catalyst for economic activity, said Max Lousada, chairman and CEO of Warner Music UK. “As an industry we make financial investments in our arts that have a ripple effect on the wider economy, whether that is driving new and innovative businesses or creating work for all the specialists that work to develop and sustain artists’ careers from producers, graphic designers and stylists to lawyers and accountants.”

The report looks at the role of music in driving tourism, citing the experience from Austin, Texas, and research from Toronto and the United Kingdom. Music is also a major driver of activity on social media, as the report notes that seven of the ten most-followed people on Twitter are musicians, and nine of the top ten most-watched YouTube videos are music related.

The report also profiles industry efforts to counter piracy, which continues to be a massive problem for the music industry. Research by Ipsos shows that most consumers recognize digital piracy is harmful and should be addressed by governments and intermediaries. 52% of respondents in Ipsos’ survey agreed that downloading or streaming without the copyright owner’s permission was theft. 53% of respondents agreed that licensed services should appear above pirate sites in search engine results, and 52% agreed that companies should not advertise on pirate sites. The report identifies major brands found to be continuing to advertise on egregious pirate sites, which drives revenue for the pirate site and advertisers, but while those who create the music involved receive nothing.

In the global charts, the soundtrack to the motion picture Frozen was the top-selling album internationally, while Pharrell Williams’ Happy was the top-selling digital single. Taylor Swift received the IFPI’s Global Recording Artist Award in 2014, as the most popular artist across formats ranging from CD sales to YouTube views.

To view the full report, visit http://ifpi.org/digital-music-report.php.

Categories: Industry News, Resources
Tags: ,
Comments
view

OMDC Announces Information Sessions for Ontario Music Fund Live Music Stream

Posted by

The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) has issued a call for applications for the Live Music stream of the Ontario Music Fund (OMF), and announced an information session and a webinar session for interested applicants.

An important update to the 2015-16 program is that the Ontario Music Office now accepts a single Live Music stream application that can include funding requests for Category A: Live Music Performance & Programming and Category B: Business Development activities. The OMDC guidelines state that applicants can apply to one, or both, categories in the same application.

As per the Live Music stream guidelines, Category A: Live Music Performance & Programming covers “investments to support the development, marketing and staging of eligible concerts, live music events, music festivals and tours in Ontario based on project proposals centred on specific performance activities.” Category B: Business Development covers “funding for Ontario-based companies in the live music business to develop their business capacity and accelerate the growth of live music in the province by obtaining training, consulting and other business services, expanding their staff, and researching/developing new market opportunities.”

The guidelines note that each category has a distinct activity budget, activity plan, and set of application questions. Applicants are required to submit documentation for all categories they apply for.

The deadline for applications in the Live Music stream is May 11, 2015, by 5:00pm. The OMDC will be hosting an information session on March 31, 2014, and a webinar session on April 14, 2015. Registration is required for both sessions. Interested applicants can register now for the information session and webinar.

Last month, the OMDC announced information sessions for the Music Company Development and Music Futures streams, as well as key dates for all four streams of the Ontario Music Fund.

For more information on the Ontario Music Fund, visit the program’s overview on the OMDC website, or contact the OMF Program Coordinator at OMF@omdc.on.ca.

Categories: Resources
Tags: ,
Comments
view

OMDC Announces Information Sessions for OMF Music Company Development and Music Futures Streams

Posted by

The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) has issued a call for applications for the Music Company Development and Music Futures streams of the Ontario Music Fund (OMF), and announced information and webinar sessions for both streams.

The Music Company Development stream of the OMF is intended to provide Ontario-based music companies with funding to support new or expanded business activities, including strategic business and market development, in the form of investments and undertakings.

The deadline for applications in this stream is May 7, 2015, by 5:00pm. The OMDC will be hosting an information session on March 11, 2015, and a webinar session on April 8, 2015. Registration is required for both sessions. Interested applications can register now for the information session and webinar.

Full guidelines for the Music Company Development stream are available on the OMDC website.

 

The Music Futures stream of the OMF is aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship and providing support to develop Ontario’s diverse and emerging music industry, including artist entrepreneurs which have the potential to grow professionally if provided with business mentoring, skills development and working capital to expand their recording, touring or A&R (artist and repertoire) capacity.

The deadline for applications in this stream is May 14, 2015, by 5:00pm. The OMDC will be hosting an information session on March 23, 2015, and a webinar session on April 1, 2015. Registration is required for both sessions. Interested applications can register now for the information session and webinar.

Full guidelines for the Music Futures stream are available on the OMDC website.

 

Earlier this month, the OMDC announced key dates for all four streams of the Ontario Music Fund.

For further information on the Ontario Music Fund, visit the program’s overview on the OMDC website, or contact the OMF Program Coordinator at OMF@omdc.on.ca.

Categories: Resources
Tags: ,
Comments
view

OMDC announces key dates for Ontario Music Fund Program Year 3

Posted by

The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) has announced the key dates for year 3 of the Ontario Music Fund.

Timelines and deadlines for the four streams of the Ontario Music Fund are as follows. The OMDC noted that key dates for each stream vary, and all dates may be subject to change.

OMF Music Company Development Stream

  • Guidelines and Application Launch: February 26, 2015
  • Deadline: May 7, 2015
  • Activity Period: July 1, 2015 – July 31, 2016

OMF Live Music Stream

  • Guidelines and Application Launch: March 10, 2015
  • Deadline: May 11, 2015
  • Activity Period: July 1, 2015 – August 31, 2016

OMF Music Futures Stream

  • Guidelines and Application Launch: February 26, 2015
  • Deadline: May 14, 2015
  • Activity Period: May 1, 2015 – August 31, 2016

OMF Music Industry Development Stream

  • Guidelines and Application Launch: March 16, 2015
  • Rolling Deadline: Applications accepted from launch through October 29, 2015
  • Activity Period: April 1, 2015 – May 31, 2016

The OMDC also announced that information and webinar sessions on the OMF will be held in March and April 2015. Details and registration will be posted on the OMDC website in the coming weeks.

For further information on the Ontario Music Fund, visit the OMDC’s website at http://www.omdc.on.ca/music/the_ontario_music_fund.htm.

Categories: Resources
Tags: ,
Comments
view

National Music Centre releases Fertile Ground, a new report exploring economic opportunities in Alberta’s music industry

Posted by

Today, the National Music Centre (NMC) released Fertile Ground: Alberta Music Cities Initiative, a new report on Alberta’s music sector that outlines the economic benefits of a strong provincial music industry. The report identifies the unique opportunity for the development of Alberta’s music sector and provides four key recommendations for further growth.

The NMC commissioned Music Canada to author the report, which was supported by funding from the Scotlyn Foundation. In a release, NMC President and CEO Andrew Mosker said the report was inspired by Music Canada’s success in demonstrating the value of provincial and municipal live music strategies in Ontario.

“Graham and Paul Lessard with the Scotlyn Foundation approached us, eager to do something meaningful for Alberta’s music industry,” said Mosker. “I was very aware of the incredible work Music Canada had done in Ontario, and wondered if the same strategic business approach could work in Alberta.”

The report notes that Alberta is already home to a number of key music assets, and that a strategic initiative to develop the music cluster would create the opportunity for diversification of the Alberta economy.

“This report is about breaking music out of the cultural box, and into the general consciousness of Alberta’s economic leaders, demonstrating its value and ability to attract and retain creative talent, support tourism and inspire investment across a variety of economic sectors, thereby supporting efforts to diversify Alberta’s economy,” said Amy Terrill, VP of Public Affairs at Music Canada and author of the Fertile Ground report.

Music Canada and NMC consulted a variety of stakeholders across Alberta in researching the report, including Alberta Music, tourism agencies, arts and culture organizations, and Alberta Chambers of Commerce. The report found that a strategic music initiative would “closely align with the priorities of numerous agencies and commissions involved in economic development, tourism and related fields, suggesting that it will be well received throughout the province.”

The four key recommendations to government and other sector partners are:

  • Develop a comprehensive understating of the economic profile of Alberta’s music cluster, with regional breakouts for Calgary and Edmonton as well as other smaller cities as appropriate.
  • Position music as a key economic sector, a vehicle for the diversification of Alberta’s economy, and a tool that municipalities can use to stimulate economic growth, increase investment, retain youth, and drive tourism.
  • Develop and implement a strategic plan to build the business capacity of the music industry in Alberta.
  • Develop and implement a live music strategy for Alberta to improve the live music product offering in Alberta and generate increased music tourism.

To view the full Fertile Ground report, visit the NMC site at www.nmc.ca/amci.

Categories: Industry News, Resources
Tags: , , , , ,
Comments
view

IFPI’s ‘Investing in Music’ report shows record labels invest US $4.3 Billion in A&R and marketing

Posted by

Today, the IFPI, in association with WIN, have released Investing in Music, a new report that highlights the investment that record companies make in artists and repertoire (A&R) and marketing.

The report shows that record companies remain the primary investors in artists, investing 27% of their revenues in A&R and marketing, an increase from 26% in 2011. The report estimates that record companies worldwide have invested more than US$20 Billion in A&R and marketing over the past five years.

“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”, said Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI. “That is an impressive measure of the qualities that define the music industry, and which give it its unique value.”

The report also reveals that more than 7,500 artists were signed to major labels’ rosters in 2013, with tens of thousands more signed to independent labels. One in five artists on a labels’ roster is a new signing, which illustrates that fresh talent is the lifeblood of the industry, says the IFPI.

“Most artists who want to make a career from their music still seek a recording deal,” said Alison Wenham, chair of WIN. “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.”

The report shows that record companies invest a greater proportion of their global revenues into A&R than most other sectors do into research and development (R&D). The music industry’s investment of 16% of revenues in A&R exceeds the R&D investment of industries such as the pharmaceutical and biology (14.4%), software and computing (9.9%), or technology hardware and equipment (7.9%) sectors.

The report includes data from record companies around the world, and features case studies on Ed Sheeran, 5 Seconds of Summer, Lorde, MKTO, Negramaro, Nico & Vinz, Pharrell Williams, and Wei Li-An.

The full report is now available via the IFPI website.

Categories: Industry News, Resources
Tags: , , ,
Comments
view

Digital Music Report 2014 released by the IFPI

Posted by

DMR14 largeToday, the IFPI released the Digital Music Report 2014, which provides a comprehensive overview of today’s global digital music sector, including statistics on international markets, developments in the licensed online marketplace, and industry efforts to tackle online piracy.

The IFPI says that despite positive growth in most markets, overall global music trade revenues fell by 3.9% in 2013, to US$15.0 billion. This was heavily influenced by a drop of 16.7% in Japan, which accounts for more than one fifth of global revenues. Excluding Japan, the overall global recorded music market was generally flat, declining by 0.1% in 2013.

This report highlights the growth in music subscription services, which helped drive growth in most major markets in 2013, as revenues from subscription services grew by 51%, helping global digital revenues grow by 4.3%. Global revenues from streaming and subscription services topped the US$1 billion mark for the first time in 2013.

Digital downloads and physical formats remain an important revenue stream for the global recorded music industry, as downloads account for 67% of digital revenues, and physical product sales account for more than half (51.4%) of all global revenues.

Performance rights revenue, generated from broadcast, internet radio, and venues, saw strong growth in 2013, as performance rights income to record companies reached US$1.1 billion, an increase of 19% over 2012. Income from synchronization deals, where music is placed in film, television, or advertisements, declined by 3.4% in 2013, now accounting for 2.1% of total industry revenue, the report states.

The report includes the IFPI’s Global Recording Artist Chart, which measures the popularity of an artist across an array of channels, including digital downloads, streaming services, and physical format sales. One Direction topped the chart in its first year of being tabulated, while Burnaby, British Columbia’s Michael Bublé achieved the #9 position.

The report also profiles how record labels utilize the digital world in promoting artist releases, with features on innovative promotional campaigns, including:

  • Sony Music Entertainment’s global campaign for Daft Punk – Random Access Memories , which coordinated physical advertisements like billboards with television ad buys and digital teaser videos to achieve the robot duo’s vision of a global album release
  • Universal Music Group International’s campaign with Avicii, which partnered with Ericsson to create a ‘crowd sourced’ hit song, and later unveiled the album as a live performance at the Ultra Music Festival, helping Avicii grow from a club DJ to a global superstar
  • Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic Records’ innovative ‘Youtube Orchestra’ campaign with Hunter Hayes, which enlisted a range of ‘Youtube Stars’ to post their own versions of his song, Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me, with Hayes and Justin Mraz creating a mashup of the videos in a one-shot music video
  • Passenger’s partnership with German indie label Embassy of Music, which worked with Sony Music Netherlands to campaign in the smaller Dutch radio market to establish a foothold on the airwaves
  • Katy Perry’s PRISM campaign, in which Capitol Music Group developed multiple promotional campaigns for the album’s various singles, including international events in Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan

To view the full report, visit http://www.ifpi.org/digital-music-report.php.

Categories: Resources
Tags: ,
Comments
view

Ontario Arts Council releases comprehensive profile of Ontario’s Arts and Culture Tourists and Their Economic Impact

Posted by

Today, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) released the Ontario Arts and Culture Tourism Profile, a report conducted by Research Resolutions & Consulting Ltd. and commissioned by the OAC. The report provides a comprehensive profile of Ontario’s arts and culture tourists and their economic impact. 

The report finds that 9.5 million overnight tourists participated in arts and culture activities in 2010, representing over one fifth of the 42.8 million overnight trips to Ontario that year. Of those 9.5 million arts and culture tourists, 66% were Canadian, 23% were American, and 1.1 million were from overseas. Arts and culture was a major draw for international tourists, with arts and culture tourists representing 39% of all American overnight visitors to Ontario in 2010, while 63% of tourists from overseas took part in arts and culture activity while visiting Ontario. 

The OAC report shows that arts and culture tourism has a significant economic impact in Ontario, with arts/culture tourist spending generating $3.7 billion in GDP in Ontario in 2010, supporting 67,000 jobs and $2.4 billion in wages and generating $1.7 billion in taxes for all levels of government. 

For more than 44% of the 20.8 million North Americans travelling to Ontario, at least one arts and culture activity was the main reason for their trip. 

Music was a major driver of Ontario tourism, as 6.5 million North American tourists took in music performances including classic, jazz, opera, popular/rock ‘n roll and country while visiting the province, making up approximately 31% of all North American tourists to Ontario. Music performances were the largest tourism driver among all Arts activities, with more attending concerts than theatre, art galleries, or ballet.

Of the 6.5 million tourists who attended music performances in Ontario, 44% of them said that the concert was their primary reason for traveling to Ontario, comprising a total of 2.9 million tourists who said that a concert was their main reason for traveling to Ontario.

The report also found that Arts festivals such as international film festivals, music, and/or literary festivals, drew 3.8 million tourists to Ontario. Music festivals were by far the biggest draw among Arts festivals, attracting 54% of these fans. The report says that “apart from music festivals, theatre is the only arts/culture trip driver to attract at least one third of group members (37%).”
While taking in arts and cultural activities, Ontario’s North American tourists also participate in many other types of activities during their trip, with 84% of them also participating in Outdoor experiences such as a nature park, and 75% of these tourists adding Shopping as part of their trip.

The Music Performance tourist group had the highest proportion of younger tourists (18 – 34 years) among all groups surveyed, with 36% of respondents in the younger age range, compared to 30% in the tourism market as a whole. 
The report also shows that the value of arts and culture overnight tourists is high, with arts and culture tourists outspending typical overnight tourists in Ontario by nearly two-to-one, spending $667 per trip in Ontario, compared to $374 spent by the typical overnight tourist.

The economic benefits of arts and culture tourists reach many other sectors, the report shows: 

  • Arts and culture tourists contributed $1.1 billion to the lodging sector, close to two-fifths of all spending on lodging by overnight tourists during the year (38%)
  • Arts and culture overnight tourists spent $1.1 billion on food and beverages, making up one-third of all overnight spending by overnight tourists (34%)
  • Arts and culture overnight tourists contributed $0.6 billion to the retail sector, or two-fifths of all spending by overnight tourists in Ontario (43%)
  • Over half of all spending by overnight tourists in Ontario came from arts and culture tourists (51%), who contributed $0.5 billion

In an OAC release, Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport said “Cultural tourism is a powerful force that is transforming global travel and trends. Our diverse arts, culture and heritage has helped us attract visitors from within our borders and beyond to explore and experience our exciting province. Our government is committed to evolving our tourism strategy to align with our cultural assets – for example, harnessing live music experiences that will drive our economy and firmly place Ontario on the international map as a premier cultural travel destination.”

“The conclusions that can be drawn from this ground-breaking study confirm that the instincts and vision of Minister Michael Chan are bang on,” said Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “Despite the fact that music tourism has never been seriously promoted in Ontario in its history, among ALL arts activities, music remains the largest driver of tourism. It is also worth noting that music is an essential underpinning for cultural events perhaps not categorized as a music event; Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival, for example. We might also have regard to the category of “Arts Festivals.” Within this category, music festivals outclass all other sectors by a substantial margin.

And this is all without a PLAN or any focus. As our Austin study has shown, when a city or state puts its mind to it and develops a strategy, great things happen. In 5 short years, the economic impact of music in Austin jumped from $616 million to $1.3 billion. Fortunately, that is all about to change for Ontario, and the music community eagerly awaits the announcement by Minister Chan tomorrow at the Horseshoe.”

Categories: Music Tourism, Resources
Tags: ,
Comments

This website made possible with the support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.