Streams up, sales down. Music-consumption trends in Germany last year matched those in many other mature markets, according to figures published by industry body BVMI.
Germans streamed 79.5bn songs in 2018, up more than 40% year-on-year. Meanwhile, CD sales fell by 23% to 48.2m units, while even vinyl unit-sales fell by 7% to 3m. BVMI won’t reveal how all this affected the revenues generated from the various formats until its turnover stats are published in early March.
CEO Dr Florian Drücke pointed out that paid streaming subscribers accounted for 86% of overall audio streams in Germany, while steering the conversation back to the ‘value gap’ debate, and the trilogue process that is hammering out a final text for the Article 13 section of the proposed new European copyright directive.
“Again, on behalf of the industry, I call on all parties involved to take note of the market conditions outlined above [in BVMI’s figures] and to derive the corresponding legislative measures from them: strengthening rightholders, making online platforms compulsory and thereby creating a level playing field in the digital environment.”
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