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Victoria Oakley is the new CEO of IFPI.Oakley will join the international labels trade association this June from global strategic communications and advocacy consultancy Portland, where she currently serves as CEO.
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The incoming chief executive has deep, international experience, having logged almost two decades in the British Diplomatic Service, with roles in London, Paris, Brussels, Washington D.C. and the Eastern Caribbean, where she was High Commissioner until 2016.
Later, she spent three years at Portland then joined Google as global public policy director. Oakley returned to Portland in 2022 in the role as CEO, leading a 300-strong team of strategic communications and public affairs professionals across London, Doha, Singapore, Nairobi, Paris, Berlin and Brussels.In her new leadership role, Oakley will coordinate with the Federation’s national group network as it continues its work in promoting and advocating for the value of recorded music and the rights of its 8,000 record company members, including the three major labels.
“I’m pleased that Vikki is joining the IFPI during this dynamic time for the music industry,” comments Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group. “Vikki brings the right skills and experience to help the global industry tackle important issues and opportunities collaboratively and with a fresh vision. We look forward to working with her.”
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Oakley, adds Robert Kyncl, CEO, Warner Music Group, “is a great choice to help lead the global campaign for the rights of artists and those who back them, and I’m excited she’s bringing her expertise and experience to IFPI.”
Says Rob Stringer, chairman, Sony Music Group: “Her decades of expertise combined with strong relationships around the world, will help us ensure music is recognized for the value it deserves and artists are always put first.”Oakley succeeds Frances Moore, who retired in December 2023 after leading the trade body since 2010.
Taylor Swift and K-pop set the benchmark for global album sales in 2023, new data published by the IFPI reveals.
Following the release last week of its Global Music Report 2023, the IFPI published three year-end albums charts, breaking down the biggest titles by sales and formats (vinyl and streaming).
The K-pop phenomenon continues to power ahead, proof of which can be seen on the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart 2023. SEVENTEEN’s FML leads an all-K-pop top five on the tally, which measures global unit sales – or “pure sales” – across all physical formats, as well as full album downloads.
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Following its release in 2023, FML landed at No. 1 in South Korea and Japan, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell 6.4 million units globally, sending the title to No. 1 on the previously-announced IFPI Global Album Chart. FML also smashed the record for most pre-orders ever for an album in South Korea, according to the Federation.
An “unprecedented” 19 of the top 20 titles on the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart were created by South Korean acts, demonstrating the K-pop genre’s “global dominance of the physical album format,” reads a statement from the IFPI, issued Thursday, March 28.
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The one only non-Korean act to crack the top 20 (at No. 6) was reigning, four-time IFPI global recording artist of the year Taylor Swift, whose album 1989 (Taylor’s Version) also topped the IFPI Global Vinyl Album Chart. Indeed, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) leads an all-TayTay top 3 on the wax tally, ahead of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and Midnights, respectively. Swift snags seven of the top 20, including folklore (at No. 7), Lover (No. 9), evermore (No. 13) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 15).
U.S. country star Morgan Wallen lassos his first IFPI Global Chart No. 1 with One Thing at a Time, his Billboard 200 leader. The 36-track double LP tops the IFPI Global Streaming Album Chart, which counts global streams from both ad-supported and subscription platforms. The streaming list calculates a weighted global unit number taking into account differing economics across regions. Wallen also appears at No. 9 with Dangerous: The Double Album, released in 2021.
“As highlighted in IFPI’s Global Music Report,” comments Lewis Morrison, director of global charts & certifications at IFPI, revenues from both digital and physical music formats continue to see healthy growth, and the combination of fantastic artistry, format variety and the tireless work of record labels is the foundation on which this growth is built.
The charts, he continues, “are a great summary of a fantastic year for global recorded music.”
IFPI Global Album Sales Chart 2023
PositionArtistAlbumUnits1SEVENTEENFML6.4m2Stray Kids5-STAR5.3m3NCT DREAMISTJ4.6m4SEVENTEENSEVENTEENTH HEAVEN4.5m5Stray KidsROCK-STAR4.2m6Taylor Swift1989 (Taylor’s Version)2.8m7Jung KookGOLDEN2.7m8EXOEXIST2.3m9IVEI’ve MINE2.2m10VLayover2.2m11ZEROBASEONEYOUTH IN THE SHADE2.2m12aespaMY WORLD2.1m13TOMORROW X TOGETHERThe Name Chapter : FREEFALL2.0m14(G)I-DLEI feel2.0m15NCT 127Fact Check1.9m16ENHYPENDARK BLOOD1.7m17IVEI’ve IVE1.7m18JiminFACE1.7m19ENHYPENORANGE BLOOD1.7m20aespaDrama1.5m
IFPI Global Vinyl Album Chart 2023
PositionArtistAlbumUnits1Taylor Swift1989 (Taylor’s Version)1,400k2Taylor SwiftSpeak Now (Taylor’s Version)684k3Taylor SwiftMidnights562k4Travis ScottUTOPIA415k5Pink FloydThe Dark Side of The Moon402k6Olivia RodrigoGUTS398k7Taylor Swiftfolklore377k8Lana Del ReyDid you know that…352k9Taylor SwiftLover323k10Fleetwood MacRumours323k11The Rolling StonesHackney Diamonds305k12Lana Del ReyBorn To Die256k13Taylor Swiftevermore237k14QueenGreatest Hits227k15Taylor SwiftRed (Taylor’s Version)225k16Tyler, The CreatorIGOR218k17Michael JacksonThriller217k18Metallica72 Seasons206k19Harry StylesHarry’s House204k20boygeniusthe record200k
IFPI Global Streaming Album Chart 2023
PositionArtistAlbum1Morgan WallenOne Thing At A Time2SZASOS3Taylor SwiftMidnights4Bad BunnyUn Verano Sin Ti5Metro BoominHEROES & VILLAINS6Taylor SwiftLover7The WeekndStarboy8KAROL GMañana Será Bonito9Morgan WallenDangerous: The Double Album10Taylor Swift198911Miley CyrusEndless Summer Vacation12Travis ScottUTOPIA13Harry StylesHarry’s House14Taylor Swiftfolklore15Drake & 21 SavageHer Loss16DrakeFor All The Dogs17The WeekndAfter Hours18Taylor Swiftreputation19Zach BryanAmerican Heartbreak20Olivia RodrigoSOUR
The IFPI’s annual figure for global recorded music revenue, announced Thursday (Mar. 21) for 2023, is the gold standard for tracking the health of the music business. It’s the number most often cited in corporate reports, market research and media articles. It’s also a bit outdated.
Traditionally, record labels have sold and streamed music, secured synch licenses and collected performance and neighboring rights royalties. But a modern record label also collects expanded rights revenues — from multi-right, 360-degree recording contracts — by taking a share of artists’ income from merchandise, touring and branding, among other sources. Those expanded rights revenues aren’t part of the IFPI’s annual revenue tally, but MIDiA Research includes that — and more — in its annual estimate.
MIDiA’s more fulsome figure for global recorded music revenue in 2023 was $35.1 billion, nearly 23% higher than the IFPI’s $28.6 billion. According to MIDiA, which tells Billboard its estimate came from publicly available information and interviews, expanded rights revenue totaled $3.5 billion in 2023.
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Some expanded rights revenue is in plain sight. Universal Music Group, for example, took in 706 million euros ($764 million) of merchandising revenue from Bravado, its wholly owned merchandise company, in 2023. For other companies, expanded rights are harder to pin down. Warner Music Group had $744 million of artist services and expanded-rights revenue in 2023. WMG’s expanded rights includes merchandising, VIP ticketing, fan clubs, concert promotion and management, according to its latest quarterly report.
Neither global revenue figure is right or wrong; they’re just different. The IFPI’s revenue figures reflect how labels monetize the rights associated with master recordings through sales, streaming and licensing. MIDiA’s revenue figure acknowledges the role of record labels has expanded far beyond monetization of masters.
Even the term “expanded rights” is problematic because it suggests merchandise and branding isn’t central to a record label’s mission. That isn’t necessarily the case in 2024. Consider the wave of K-pop companies expanding globally out of South Korea. HYBE, home of boy band BTS, is a hybrid record label, talent agency and management company with a slow, painstaking artist development process and a business model that captures far more than recorded music sales. In 2023, 55% of HYBE’s revenue came from sources other than recorded music. Concerts accounted for roughly 16% of revenue, merchandise and licensing were 15%, and ads and appearances were 7%. In fact, MIDiA estimated that Korean labels — including SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and Starship Entertainment — accounted for nearly 70% of non-major-label expanded rights revenue.
Another difference between the IFPI and MIDiA reports is the latter’s emphasis on the fast-growing independent artist community. Easy access to recording tools and distribution has gotten the everyday artist’s recordings on digital platforms around the world. MIDiA estimates there was $1.8 billion in “artist direct” revenue in 2023. Artist direct is a category of self-publishing, independent artists who use self-serve platforms like DistroKid and TuneCore, and MIDiA’s 2023 Creator Survey estimated there are 6.4 million artists in this segment. While 38% of these independent artists aspire to be full-time musicians, 36% do not expect to focus on music as a sole career. Deducting expanded rights and artist direct revenues from MIDiA’s $35.1 billion estimate narrows the difference between that and the IFPI’s $28.6 million figure.
Another difference between the two reports stems from MIDiA’s inclusion of revenue from production libraries in its synch revenue figure. Production music — which spans everything from beat marketplace BeatStars to online library Epidemic Sound — often exists outside of the record label system that traditionally develops and markets artists. Unlike artist-oriented music, production music is often nameless and faceless content that advertisers and other content creators license for its specific sound and style rather than artist name recognition. Lacking star power is the point, however: Production music libraries are increasingly popular amongst content creators in need of affordable background music.
Broader measurements will be crucial for tracking the recorded music business of the future. Record labels will pursue “superfans” through products and services that may not produce typical sales and streams. Artificial intelligence will create new licensing opportunities. Greater adoption of the K-pop model will change what it means to be a record label. When that happens broadly, $28.6 billion of annual revenue will be a starting point. Judging by MiDIA’s 2023 report, it already is.
Global music sales grew for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, with recorded music revenues increasing in every market and region, and across almost all formats, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s (IFPI) Global Music Report 2024.
Total revenues climbed to $28.6 billion, a rise of just over 10% on the previous year, and the second highest growth rate on record after 2021’s 18.5% year-on-year spike.
2023’s total sales figure is the highest level since 1999 — when IFPI first started compiling global music revenues and sales totaled $22.2 billion — on an absolute dollar basis, not accounting for inflation. Piracy and declining physical sales saw the market bottom out at $13 billion in 2014.
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Driving last year’s growth was an 11.2% rise in paid streaming subscription revenue, which totaled $14 billion, up from $12.7 billion in 2022, and accounted for almost half (48.9%) of global music sales.
The rise in global paid streaming revenue comes after many of the leading streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Deezer, all raised their subscription prices in key territories over the past 12-18 months. For the majority of streaming services, the hikes were their first price rises since launching more than a decade ago.
Despite the rising cost for consumers, the number of music streaming subscribers continues to grow globally, with IFPI reporting that the number of paid subscriptions to streaming services surpassed 500 million for the first time in 2023.
When shared usership and family accounts are considered, there are now more than 667 million users of paid subscription accounts globally, says the London-based organization, up 13% from the 589 million recorded in the previous 12 months.
Total streaming revenues, comprising of paid subscription and advertising-supported tiers, rose 10% to $19.3 billion to make up 67% of worldwide recorded music sales, roughly flat with last year’s share of the market.
Nevertheless, streaming’s year-on-year growth continues to slow as a result of its already high penetration of the global music market. In 2021, total streaming revenues spiked 24% year-on-year. In 2022, the rate of growth had more than halved to 11.5%.
Sales Up Across All Formats
Although streaming continues to dominate global music revenues, 2023 also saw strong gains in physical record sales and performance rights revenues. Combined CD and vinyl revenues grew for a third consecutive year to $5.1 billion, up 13% on 2022’s total, with Asia generating almost half (49%) of all physical revenues worldwide.
IFPI attributed the region’s continued dominance of the physical market to strong sales of K-pop acts such as boyband Seventeen, who topped IFPI’s 2023 global album charts with FML and also had the year’s eighth best-selling album with follow-up set SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN.
In terms of market share, physical accounted for just under 18% of the overall market last year, marginally up from 17.5% in 2022 but still down on 2021’s share.
Performance rights revenue, meanwhile, climbed 9.5% to $2.7 billion, representing 9.5% of global revenues, while sync income was up 4.7% to $632 Million, representing 2.2%.
The only formats to record a decline in 2023 were digital downloads and what IFPI classifies as other (non-streaming) digital formats, which fell by 2.6% to $900 million, representing just 3.2% of the global market.
“The figures in this year’s report reflect a truly global and diverse industry,” said IFPI chief financial officer and interim joint head John Nolan in a statement accompanying the report.
Nolan said the strong rise in paid streaming subscribers worldwide, as well as services’ price increases, contributed “significantly” to overall revenue growth. He also said the music industry’s recovery from its lows of a decade ago wouldn’t have been possible without “record companies’ sustained investment in artists and their careers.”
According to IFPI figures, record companies invest $7.1 billion each year globally in A&R and marketing alone. They are also paying out more money than ever before to artists, said IFPI, with label payments to musicians increasing by 96% between 2016 and 2021, versus a 63% rise in record company revenues.
No Change in the Global Top 10 Music Markets, With U.S. Still On Top
In terms of world markets, IFPI said that music revenues were up in all of the 58 markets it tracks, with the U.S. retaining its long-held No. 1 position with music sales growing 7.2%, compared to 4.8% growth last year.
Japan holds steady in second place with sales growing 7.6% in 2023. The third and fourth-biggest markets for recorded music remain the United Kingdom (+8.1%) and Germany (+7%), respectively.
The rest of the top 10 is made up of China (+25.9%), representing the fastest rate of increase in any top 10 market, followed by France (+4.4%), South Korea (percentage not provided), Canada (+12.2%), Brazil (+13.4%) and Australia (+11.3%). (IFPI’s free-to-access report does not provide market-by-market revenue breakdowns).
Those cross-market gains are mirrored on a regional basis with revenues from the U.S. and Canada region up 7.4%.
Combined, the U.S. and Canada region accounts for almost 41% of global recorded music revenues, reports IFPI, while Latin America — where streaming makes up 86% of the market — saw growth of 19.4%, far outpacing the global growth rate and representing the 14th consecutive year of revenue growth in the region.
Europe remains the second-biggest region for music sales, accounting for more than a quarter (28%) of global revenues and growing 8.9% year-on-year. In third place is Asia, where revenues rose by almost 15% in 2023, driven by strong gains in physical and digital sales.
Once again, the fastest-growing market region was Sub-Saharan Africa, which recorded a 25% rise in music sales, largely driven by increased take up of paid subscription services (up by just under a quarter) and the thriving South African music market, which grew by almost a fifth and contributed more than three quarters of the region’s revenue.
Revenues in the Middle East and North Africa, where streaming holds a 98% share of the recorded music market, rose by almost 15%.
(IFPI uses current exchange rates when compiling its Global Music Report, restating all historic local currency values on an annual basis. Market values therefore vary retrospectively as a result of foreign currency movements, says IFPI, which represents more than 8,000 record company members worldwide, including all three major labels, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group.)
Transformation Underway
Present at the Global Music report’s launch in central London were senior executives from all three major labels, as well as Konrad von Löhneysen, founder and director of Germany-based independent Embassy Of Music. Leila Oliveira, president of Warner Music Brazil, also participated in the event via video call from Rio.
Reflecting current industry trends, the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the record business, and particularly risks around generative AI, was a key topic of conversation among the speakers.
“The reality is that we’re at the beginning stages of another transformational event for the music industry,” said Dennis Kooker, president of global digital business at Sony Music Entertainment.
“While I’m enthusiastic about where the evolution will lead, it is essential that we find new products and new business models around these technologies to ensure the future of human creativity can be invested in, and that creators can be rewarded,” Kooker said.
He subsequently warned: “We must also fight the position that too many companies want to take to ignore copyright and intellectual property rights, and use our content without permission or without proper compensation.”
Adam Granite, executive vp of market development at Universal Music Group, said that while AI used “in the service of artists is wonderful,” AI that uses musicians’ work “without authorization and compensation is not.”
“We believe it’s perfectly possible to develop and adopt AI technology while also ensuring artists rights are protected,” said Granite, citing UMG’s recent partnerships with Roland Corporation and YouTube on AI initiatives as industry-led developments that give “artists a seat at the table and will help safeguard their rights” as more AI products enter the music business.
K-pop reigns over the IFPI’s year-end albums chart, as the genre scoops five of the top 10 spots, led by SEVENTEEN with FML.
Announced today (Feb. 27), FML is the boy band’s first IFPI Global Album Award, tallied by the trade association using worldwide sales across streaming, download and physical music formats during the calendar year 2023.
Released in April 2023, FML was the most pre-ordered LP in K-pop history, landing at No. 1 in South Korea and Japan, and debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Following its hot start in the U.S. (the album also led the World Albums list), SEVENTEEN reentered the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated May 13, 2023) at No. 1 – becoming the seventh K-pop group to rule the ranking.
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SEVENTEEN’s followup, the October release SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN, finishes at No. 8 on the IFPI Global Album Chart 2023.
Meanwhile, Stray Kids make it a K-pop one-two as 5-STAR appears at No. 2 on the IFPI list, and ROCK–STAR rocks in at No. 9. NCT DREAM land their first appearance in an IFPI Global Charts with ISTJ at No. 6, while, further down the chart, K-pop acts ZEROBASEONE (YOUTH IN THE SHADE at No. 18) and IVE (I’ve IVE at No. 20) make their presences felt.
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Also, BTS star Jung Kook earns his first solo appearance on the IFPI Global Album Chart with GOLDEN, appearing at No. 14.
The global appeal of K-pop “continues to extend and S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Migyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino continue to push the boundaries with their concepts, performances and talent,” comments Lewis Morrison, director of global charts & certifications at IFPI. “FML and SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN were both huge hits across continents and our congratulations go to the group, their team and of course CARATs all over the world.”The rankings provide an insight into the “dynamic nature” of recorded music today, Morrison continues, “with artists – and their record labels – finding success across genres and geographies, and by leveraging both streaming and physical formats to delight their fans.”Taylor Swift was crowned last week as IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year, scooping the top honor for a record fourth time. Though she doesn’t own the global albums chart, the U.S. pop superstar does score two of the top 10 best-sellers, with Midnights (No. 4) logging a second consecutive year in the top five and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) appearing at No. 5 following its release in October 2023.Earlier this week, IFPI separately named Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” as the biggest single of 2023.
The IFPI’s charts capture streaming, downloads and physical formats in every country directly from the participating record labels. That data is then converted using the association’s “unique” methodology to a single, global chart figure.
Top 20 IFPI Global Album Chart 2023:
PositionArtistAlbum1.SEVENTEENFML2.Stray Kids5-STAR3.Morgan WallenOne Thing At A Time4.Taylor SwiftMidnights5.Taylor Swift1989 (Taylor’s Version)6.NCT DreamISTJ7.SZASOS8.SEVENTEENSEVENTEENTH HEAVEN9.Stray KidsROCK-STAR10.Travis ScottUTOPIA11.Taylor SwiftLover12.Taylor SwiftSpeak Now (Taylor’s Version)13.Taylor Swiftfolklore14.Jung KookGOLDEN15.The WeekndStarboy16.Metro BoominHEROES & VILLAINS17.Bad BunnyUn Verano Sin Ti18.ZEROBASEONEYOUTH IN THE SHADE19.Miley CyrusEndless Summer Vacation20.IVEI’ve IVE
It’s official: Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” towered over all others in 2023, completing the year as the biggest-selling single on the planet, the IFPI reports.
Cyrus is presented with the IFPI Global Single Award, which each year recognizes the artist with the top-selling single across all digital formats – including paid subscription streaming, ad-supported platforms, and single-track downloads.
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The trade body today (Feb. 26) counts down the top 10 singles for 2023, with Cyrus marking her first appearance on the list.
The success of “Flowers” was a truly global one, as the single simultaneously locked up No. 1 spots in 29 markets around the world, and finished at No. 1 on the year-end charts for the U.K., France and Australia.
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In the U.S., “Flowers” showed serious staying power with an eight-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Those commercial muscles were rewarded at the 2024 Grammy Awards, where Miley performed the song and “Flowers” won for best pop solo performance and record of the year – her very first Grammys.
Cyrus can make it a week to remember at the 2024 BRIT Awards, set for Sunday, March 3 at The O2 in London, where she’s shortlisted for international artist of the year and “Flowers” is up for international song.
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Presenting the latest award on behalf of the trade body, Lewis Morrison, director of global charts and certifications at IFPI, remarks, “Topping the charts in so many countries simultaneously, the song – along with its message of empowerment -resonated across the world and is the definition of a truly global hit. Congratulations to Miley and her team for this incredible achievement.”
Meanwhile, the reigning, four-time IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Taylor Swift is the only artist to double up in the IFPI top 10, doing so with “Cruel Summer” at No. 7 and “Anti-Hero” at No. 9.
There are first-time appearances for artists from Nigeria (Rema’s “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez at No. 2) and Mexico (Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” at No. 6), reflecting the border-crossing phenomenon of Afrobeats and Regional Mexican music.
All told, artists representing 10 nationalities (Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, South Korea, U.K., and U.S.) impact the top 20, up from six nationalities in 2022.
“It is also fantastic to see so many nationalities and genres represented in the IFPI Global Single Chart,” remarks Morrison. “It is a wonderful reflection of the wide range of extraordinary artists that – working in partnership with their record labels – are finding international success.”
The IFPI’s charts capture streaming, downloads and physical formats in every country directly from the participating record labels, which is then converted using the trade body’s “unique” methodology to a single, global chart figure.
The previous winner of the IFPI’s Global Single Award was Harry Styles’ “As It Was.”
Top 20 IFPI Global Singles Chart 2023:
1Miley CyrusFlowers2.702Rema, Selena GomezCalm Down1.893SZAKill Bill1.844The Weeknd, Ariana GrandeDie For You1.785Harry StylesAs It Was1.466Yng Lvcas, Peso PlumaLa Bebe1.457Taylor SwiftCruel Summer1.398Morgan WallenLast Night1.379Taylor SwiftAnti-Hero1.3110Jung KookSeven (feat. Latto)1.2411David Guetta, Bebe RexhaI’m Good (Blue)1.2312Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 SavageCreepin’1.2013The WeekndSave Your Tears1.1914Stephen SanchezUntil I Found You1.1815Karol G, ShakiraTQG1.1816Sam Smith, Kim PetrasUnholy1.1717SZASnooze1.0618Tom OdellAnother Love1.0119YOASOBIIdol1.0120The WeekndStarboy1.00
When Frances Moore started in the Brussels office of The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in 1994 as regional director for Europe, the trade organization represented six major labels that made most of their money selling CDs – and mostly in Europe and the U.S. When she retires at the end of this year, she will leave a business with three majors that’s truly global and focused on streaming. In between, Moore scored some of the key policy wins that made that happen, especially since ascending to the top job in 2010. She also transformed IFPI into a global force and served longer as CEO than any of her predecessors.
Moore started just as the major labels and other media companies began pushing for laws to protect digital content – an effort that ultimately resulted in the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the U.S., and the 2001 Copyright and Information Society Directive in the European Union. One of her major achievements was IFPI’s passage of the 2019 copyright directive that addressed some of its shortcomings by tightening up some of the safe harbor rules that created a “value gap” between what rightsholders made from licensed services like Spotify and what they got from user-upload-fueled services like YouTube. In between, she led IFPI efforts to extend the term of copyright protection for recordings in Europe and establish a public performance right for recordings in China, plus strengthened IFPI’s operations in markets that barely existed when she started at the organization three decades ago.
You announced in July that you would retire at the end of the year, but some executives can’t quite picture that – you have a reputation for working extremely hard. What are your plans?
I can’t really picture me retiring, either! Come the first of January, I’ll tell you the answer. I’ll take a rest at the beginning and see what happens afterwards.
You’re leaving an organization that’s much more international than the one you joined in 1994.
When I joined, the two big markets were Europe and the U.S., and the bulk of the industry’s revenues came from those two places – the other territories were much smaller. But IFPI was always an international organization: There was already an office in Hong Kong and two small offices in China, so it was more a question of how you brought everyone together.
You started in Brussels and played a major role in building up the organization there.
There was a Brussels representation [when I started] but they didn’t really have U.S. [style] lobbying and that’s what I brought to build a campaign for the [2001] copyright directive. Back in the ‘90s, Europe had a lot to learn about lobbying. I remember suggesting to one of the major national groups that they bring in a lobbyist and they were shocked. It was as if I had suggested bringing in a lady of the night. Lobbying wasn’t seen then as a clean profession.
You started at IFPI right before the first copyright directive and one of your big accomplishments as CEO was to get the 2019 copyright directive passed. That was supposed to address some of the issues with the first one, but the implementation of it in different EU countries has varied. How do you see that?
For the first copyright directive, we built something at the European level that we never had before – we had 32 organizations working together from books, film, music, you name it. In implementing the WIPO treaty, we had a good, strong directive that let companies go online with confidence. When it came to the second one, the issue was what we called ‘the value gap’ [the difference between what it cost companies to license content and how little some of them were paying to use it]. Companies were doing deals with one hand tied behind their back. That was a hard campaign to fight, not because of the arguments – people could see that – but because we had huge opponents. Now some of these companies we work with and they’re a part of the success of the music industry. But as far as EU Parliament, they said this was the hardest-fought campaign they ever had to deal with. Luckily, they came through in the end.
In theory, you got what you needed. But the directive was implemented quite poorly in some countries, especially Germany.
There are 27 countries and there’s one that hasn’t implemented it yet – Poland. But Donald Tusk [who became Polish Prime Minister on December 13], will make sure it’s implemented. In most countries, it has been done faithfully. In Germany and in Belgium, we had problems and we’re taking it to court. But it was a signal more than anything else. To some degree, once it was adopted, the tech companies realized that they had to do what it was asking for.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
I think my biggest accomplishment was putting together an A-level team. I don’t like the cult of personality – everything we do, we do as a team.
Your job is like herding cats – there are the national recording business organizations and the major labels – now small, medium, and large. It’s a very tough act to follow.
The job isn’t to be an expert in legal policy – the job is to hold the ball tight and keep running forward. There’s a global search [for a successor] and I think we’ll be able to announce the person shortly, and I wish that person all the best. The most important thing is that the companies speak with one voice – then everything else becomes easier.
Frances Moore and Taylor Swift
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You’ve had support on policy issues over the years from some very famous artists. Did you ever get starstruck?
I’m a Scottish rationalist – I don’t do starstruck. We have this program, Friends of Music, when artists come to the Parliament and they perform, and it moves you. I remember Jamie Cullum was performing in Strausberg [Germany] and at one point he stopped playing on the keys of his piano and just strummed on the wood. It was pure music. I don’t get starstruck but I get impressed beyond belief with talent.
You are leaving an organization that’s much more diverse than the one you joined in 1994. For example, you have women regional directors in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Latin America. Was that a priority for you?
That was the state of the world [in 1994] – it wasn’t just the recording industry. In my case, there was never a point of saying I’m going to recruit a woman – you can only put together an A-level team if you choose the best candidates. We have six regional teams, and three are led by men and three are led by women. That’s balanced but not deliberately balanced – it just worked out that way.
What’s going to be the most important priority for your successor?
AI, because if you don’t get it right, it could decimate the industry. That’s the big one. There are some technology companies saying that there are text and data mining exceptions and we fit in there, so we don’t have to respect copyright. Wrong.
More people around the globe are listening to licensed music services than ever before — and are doing so via a growing number of different platforms — but piracy continues to divert cash from creators’ pockets, while a majority of music fans think that artificial intelligence (AI) should not be used to clone music artists’ voices without authorization, according to a new consumer survey from international recorded-music trade organization IFPI.
IFPI’s “Engaging with Music 2023″ study reveals that music consumers are spending on average 20.7 hours listening to music weekly, up from 20.1 hours in 2022 – or the equivalent of an extra 13 three-minute songs per week.
The London-based organization found that 73% of the 43,000-plus music fans it surveyed listen to their favorite artists through subscription or ad-supported audio streaming service such as Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music, down slightly from last year’s figure of 74% (IFPI says that the small decrease is down to a change in accounting methodology, rather than a drop in real terms). The proportion of paying subscribers rises from 46% in 2022 to 48% this year.
Audio subscription services are the most used format, accounting for around a third (32%) of music fans’ weekly listening time, closely followed by video streaming via platforms like YouTube or TikTok, which make up 31% of consumption.
On average, people now use more than seven different methods to engage with music, reports IFPI, with other popular formats including radio listening (17%), purchased music (9%) and attending live concerts (4%).
In line with previous years, the adoption of subscription streaming services is highest among younger listeners, with 60% of 16–24-year-olds and 62% of 25-34-year-olds surveyed saying they use subscription music platforms. Usage drops to 28% in the 55-64-year-old age bracket, although consumption is up year-on-year across all age demographics.
Among 16-24-year-olds, short form video platforms such as TikTok are listed as the most popular way that they engage with music on a daily basis, followed by audio subscription streaming services and then video streaming formats like YouTube.
The top five countries where people spent the most time listening to music through a subscription streaming service were Sweden (61% of people surveyed), Mexico (57%), Germany (55%), the U.S. (53%) and New Zealand (52%), with the United Kingdom dropping out of the top five.
Overall, IFPI reports a 7% year-on-year rise in time spent listening to music on paid streaming services – a slower rate of growth than the 10% rise in listening time in 2022.
Artificial Intelligence and the Persistent Piracy Problem
For the first time, IFPI’s research team asked music fans for their views on how they think artificial intelligence will impact on the industry. Nearly eight in ten (79%) said that human creativity is essential to the creation of music and 74% of respondents said that AI should not be used to clone or impersonate music artists without authorization.
The vast majority of people surveyed supported the need for AI systems and developers to be transparent and clearly identify any training data they have used to create new music works, which is one of the key provisions of the recently agreed EU AI Act.
The IFPI report was compiled by surveying internet users aged 16-64 between August and October across 26 countries, including the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
Collectively, these markets accounted for more than 91% of global recorded music revenues in 2022, according to this year’s IFPI Global Music Report. IFPI says the report is the largest music survey of its kind ever conducted.
In terms of genres, pop remains the most popular type of music globally, followed by rock, hip-hop/rap, dance/electronic and Latin. On average, music fans said that they listened to more than eight different genres of music with local-language genres such as K-pop in South Korea or Amapiano in South Africa increasingly popular in domestic markets.
Writing in the study’s foreword, IFPI chief executive Frances Moore says its findings demonstrate how the music industry has evolved to give “artists more opportunities than ever to find audiences,” who are in turn “discovering and engaging with more music in an increasing number of ways.”
Nevertheless, music piracy remains an ongoing issue that has “a severe and direct impact on royalties,” warns Moore. Of those surveyed, 29% of respondents said that use unlicensed or illegal methods to listen to or obtain music, down slightly from the previous year.
Stream-ripping sites remain the most popular way for consumers to access copyright-infringing music, IFPI found, with 41% of 16-24-year-olds confessing to using them. One in five people (20%) said they had used an unlicensed mobile app to illegally download music.
The listening study also contains separate reports looking at music consumption in China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Vietnam.
In China, which last year overtook France as the fifth-biggest music market worldwide with revenues of $1.2 billion, 96% of people surveyed said they now used licensed music streaming services with the total number of hours spent listening to music each week increasing to just under 30 hours among respondents.
Despite the rapid growth in streaming in China, 75% of people surveyed said that they still used unlicensed or illegal ways to access music, demonstrating that piracy remains a serious issue in the world’s most populous country.
Responding to the report’s findings, Moore said that tackling all forms of copyright infringement on a global basis would continue to be a priority for IFPI to “ensure the most secure digital environment possible for music creators and fans alike.”
Listeners remain wary of artificial intelligence, according to Engaging with Music 2023, a forthcoming report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) that seems aimed in particular at government regulators.
The IFPI surveyed 43,000 people across 26 countries, coming to the conclusion that 76% of respondents “feel that an artist’s music or vocals should not be used or ingested by AI without permission,” and 74% believe “AI should not be used to clone or impersonate artists without authorisation.”
The results are not surprising. Most listeners probably weren’t thinking much, if at all, about AI and its potential impacts on music before 2023. (Some still aren’t thinking about it: 89% of those surveyed said they were “aware of AI,” leaving 11% who have somehow managed to avoid a massive amount of press coverage this year.) New technologies are often treated with caution outside the tech industry.
It’s also easy for survey respondents to support statements about getting authorization for something before doing it — that generally seems like the right thing to do. But historically, artists haven’t always been interested in preemptively obtaining permission.
Take the act of sampling another song to create a new composition. Many listeners would presumably agree that artists should go through the process of clearing a sample before using it. In reality, however, many artists sample first and clear later, sometimes only if they are forced to.
In a statement, Frances Moore, IFPI’s CEO, said that the organization’s survey serves as a “timely reminder for policymakers as they consider how to implement standards for responsible and safe AI.”
U.S. policymakers have been moving slowly to develop potential guidelines around AI. In October, a bipartisan group of senators released a draft of the NO FAKES Act, which aims to prevent the creation of “digital replicas” of an artist’s image, voice, or visual likeness without permission.
“Generative AI has opened doors to exciting new artistic possibilities, but it also presents unique challenges that make it easier than ever to use someone’s voice, image, or likeness without their consent,” Senator Chris Coons said in a statement. “Creators around the nation are calling on Congress to lay out clear policies regulating the use and impact of generative AI.”
Global recording industry trade body IFPI announced on Thursday that Frances Moore will step down as CEO at the end of the year, ending a consequential tenure that began in 2010. Moore has agreed to assist in the search for her successor at the organization, which represents more than 8,000 record company members worldwide, including all three major labels.
Moore joined IFPI in 1994 as regional director for Europe; her 13-year tenure as chief executive makes her its longest-serving leader ever and, according to IFPI, the longest-serving leader of a recorded music trade body.
Under Moore’s leadership, IFPI has guided the global industry through a throng of seismic changes, namely its transition to digital streaming, along with major initiatives to strengthen copyright protections and intellectual property rights and the ongoing fight against music piracy. Those initiatives helped lay the groundwork for the recorded music industry’s year-on-year recovery from the lows of just over a decade ago when piracy was rampant.
When Moore started at CEO in 2010, global music sales had fallen to $13.8 billion from a high of over $22 billion in 1999. Last year, recorded music sales had rebounded to $26.2 billion, a rise of 9% on the previous year and the eighth consecutive year of growth, according to the organization’s most recent “Global Music Report.”
Noteworthy achievements during her 13-year tenure include the hard-fought enactment of the EU Copyright Directive – a landmark piece of legislation, which made online platforms like YouTube liable for unlicensed content, effectively closing safe harbor protections in Europe, and which was passed in 2019 after extensive lobbying from IFPI.
Moore’s reign has also seen IFPI take a leading role in combating stream manipulation and copyright infringing websites around the world. Legal action taken or coordinated by IFPI in the digital era has led to around 5,200 infringing sites being blocked or shut down, says the London-based organization.
As the music industry has become more global, IFPI also created the IFPI Global Charts and in 2015, IFPI struck a blow to piracy by aligning the global release of new music to Fridays.
“After three decades with IFPI, thirteen of which as its Global CEO, it is time for me to hang up my spurs!” Moore,who trained as a barrister, said in a statement. “I have loved working for IFPI and the recording industry and feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve in this role. I am very proud and appreciative of the IFPI team, both now and over the years. Every achievement has been the result of a team effort. ”
She continued, “I have had the good fortune of living through so much of the industry’s transformation from analogue to digital. On my first day at IFPI thirty years ago, I was dealing with legislation on blank tape levies and here we are today dealing with legislation on AI!”
Along with advocating and taking actions on behalf of it members, IFPI of course endures as the recorded music industry’s main resource for documenting the industry’s progress. It’s annual “Global Music Report” continues to be the standard, and under Moore IFPI launched the IFPI Global Charts, the industry’s official annual ranking for the best-selling artists.
In a written statement, the IFPI Main Board said, thanked Moore for “navigating IFPI through arguably the most demanding and complex period of modern music’s history. At once, she has led us through music’s digital transition and the industry’s expansion worldwide, enabling a return to growth that mutually benefits artists, labels and the broader music ecosystem. Not only has she herself been an excellent and effective advocate for labels and creators, but Frances has built an incredible team of professionals to assure that her legacy will carry on.”
