German music industry grows by 7.9 percent
The German music industry grew significantly in the first half of 2019: in the first six months of the current year, the industry generated a total of 783.2 million euros from audio streams and the sale of CDs, downloads and vinyl.
This is 7.9% more than in the same period of the previous year (1/2018: 725.9 million euros in sales according to the 2018 annual financial statements). This is the highest growth rate since 1993. This result is partly due to audio streaming, which grew by 27.7% and further expanded its position as the format with the highest sales.
In addition, CDs (-11.7%) stabilized slightly, with the rate of decline halved compared to the same period of the previous year, while vinyl recorded growth again after a brief pause for breath (7.4%). Downloads, on the other hand, fell significantly but also slightly less than in the first half of 2018 (-16.3%).
According to the German Music Industry Association, the bottom line is that the German recorded music market continues to be characterized by a wide variety of formats - even with the significantly growing importance of audio streaming.
