BEA

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Music Figures 2019

  • During the first half of 2019, the music industry's turnover increased by 10%.

  • 71% of total revenue comes from digital sales

  • BEA Music sees 2019 as a pivotal year

 

Music industry sales in the first half of 2019 increased by 10% compared to the same period last year;

Paid streaming increased by 35% and represented 62% of total revenue;

Streaming and downloading together account for 71% of total revenue;

 

Brussels, 18 July 2019

During the first half of the year, BEA Music recorded strong growth in music sales in Belgium. Over the period January to June, a 10% growth was recorded in 2019 compared to the same period last year, representing 29.1 million euros in industrial sales.

With a strong growth of 35%, it is mainly paid streaming that ensures a nice total amount.  With a turnover of €18 million, streaming represents 62% of total music turnover. Including paid music downloads, digital sales in the first half of the year amounted to €20.6 million, or 71% of the total.

 

The trend continues

Paid music streaming via services such as Spotify, AppleMusic, Deezer, etc. continues to gain popularity. With a growth of 35%, it is clearly the most popular music format in Belgium. The ease of use, offer and support of record companies and streaming providers are responsible for this trend. With downloads, which represent €2.6 million (9% of the total), digital sales in the first half of the year represent 71% of the total.

With a turnover of €8.5 million, music in physical format represents 29% of total turnover. This is a decrease of 15% compared to the same period last year. CD sales amounted to €5.7 million, a 23% decrease compared to last year. Vinyl sales generated just over €2 million in revenue, a slight increase of 3% compared to the previous year. Vinyl is the only growing physical mover, a trend that has already emerged in recent years.

 

Continuous growth potential for streaming

These figures confirm the trend of recent years, streaming continues to grow and will continue to do so in the second half of the year. These positive growth figures allow the sector to post total revenue growth of 10% over the indicated period. This is promising for the total figure for 2019. This means that 2019 is well on its way to becoming 'the pivotal year', with a further significant increase in music sales.

 

Patrick Guns, President of BEA Music and Managing Director of Universal Music Belgium: "It is fantastic to see that the total turnover of the music sector in the first half of the year shows a strong growth of 10%. The continued growth of streaming services, in particular, indicates that the path towards digital consumption continues to develop. And since the growth potential of streaming services in Belgium is still significant, the outlook for the rest of the year is very good. We expect 2019 to be a pivotal year with significant growth in music sales throughout the year. It is clear that the many local and international releases this spring, combined with the many ways to discover music (physical, download and streaming), have led to the growth of the sector. "

About BEA Music

BEA Music represents music distributors and producers in Belgium and is a member of BEA, the federation of the entertainment industry in Belgium. BEA is a group of organisations active in the production and distribution of films, games, music and video. www.belgianentertainment.be

 

Press contact: Pieter Swaelens - +32 476 87 89 31 (pieter.swaelens@belgianentertainment.be)