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German songwriting head decries ‘sacrificing publishers on the altar of digital music’

The German Music Publishers Association held its annual meeting yesterday and royalty rates from streaming services were a hot topic. President Rolf Budde had some strong words about the state of compensation for songwriters. “The 60,000 composers, lyricists and music publishers must not be sacrificed on the altar of digital music,” he said. Continue Reading

German collection society posts increased streaming revenue, but critiques royalty rates

GEMA, a German collection society, announced that its 2014 global revenue was €893.6 million euros (about $950 million). Streaming revenue accounted for €44.8 million, up from €26.4 million in 2013, but GEMA came out with a strong statement against the current royalty split between rights holders, songwriters, and publishers. Continue Reading

Germany reportedly has 2.5 million premium streaming subscribers

New research found that Germany reportedly has 2.5 million are paying for premium streaming services out of about 11.6 million total listeners on streaming platforms. The study, conducted by market research institute GfK for the music trade body BVMI, also reported that 6.4 million German people listen to ad-supported streaming for more than 90 minutes each week. Continue Reading

Survey shows strong outlook among audio publishers in Germany

BVDW, the German digital economy federation, released a report on the traction of online radio and streaming in the nation. The data showed that gross investment in audio streaming is projected to increase by more than 50% in 2015, while gross revenue from in-stream advertising is expected to reach about 137 euros by next year, compared with revenue of 65 million euros in 2013. Continue Reading