Germany-based music collection society GEMA reports to have achieved its best-ever results in 2022.
The organization’s total revenues for the financial year were €1.178 billion ($1.238bn at annual average exchange rates as per the IRS), up 13% versus 2021’s €1.039 billion.
Additionally, GEMA says that the sum to be distributed to its members and rightsholders worldwide will exceed the billion-Euro mark for the first time.
GEMA reports that it achieved these results “despite the challenging situation in society and the economy”.
GEMA represents the copyright of more than 90,000 members (composers, lyricists and music publishers) in the German market, and more than two million copyright owners globally.
Its members include all three major music publishers and a raft of other rightsholders.
GEMA breaks down its results further and reveals that “despite pandemic-related restrictions in the first quarter” of 2022, revenues from public music performance grew 43.7% YoY to €357.5 million in 2022 (versus €248.8m in 2021).
GEMA pins this growth on the return of the summer concert season last year following the continued pause in live music activity the previous year due to the pandemic.
The org notes, however, that 2019 still had higher revenues of €407.4 million.
Meanwhile, income from music usage in radio and television dropped to €325.1 million, down 3.9% from 2021’s €338.3 million.
‘Online‘ revenues rose to €301.3 million, an increase of 26.5% on 2021’s €238.1 million).
Revenues from physical music duplication in 2022 decreased by 9.2% to €54.8 million versus 2021’s €60.3 million. GEMA notes that “in 2022, the market for physical products continued a downward trend that had been interrupted in the previous year”.
“This is a record result. The resurgence of events and music performances means a relief for our members after three hard years.”
Dr Harald Heker, GEMA
Dr Harald Heker, Chief Executive Officer of GEMA, said: “Our members can expect a very pleasing level of distribution in 2023. Including our collection mandates, the distribution total will exceed one billion euros for the first time.
“This is a record result. The resurgence of events and music performances means a relief for our members after three hard years. Authors, like almost the entire music and culture industry, have had to make great sacrifices in recent years and now truly deserve this success.”
Elsewhere in Germany, MBW reported in February that recorded music revenues in the market, generated from music streaming, as well as from the sales of CDs, vinyl LPs and downloads, reached USD $2.17 billion (€2.07bn) on a retail basis in 2022.
That €2.07 billion revenue figure in 2022 marked growth of 6.1% YoY.
Those figures, published by German Music Industry Association (BVMI), marked the third consecutive $2 billion year for the market’s record business.Music Business Worldwide
