The German music market is up slightly
After more than a decade of declining or stagnating sales, the German music market developed positively again in the first half of 2013.
According to the German Music Industry Association (BVMI), revenue from physical and digital music sales rose by 1.5 percent to EUR 660 million compared to the first half of 2012. The greatest growth was recorded in the area of digital music sales, i.e. revenues from downloads and music streaming, which increased by a total of 16 percent in a half-year comparison. With a drop of 2.5 percent, the decline in sales in the physical recorded music business was also significantly lower than in previous years.
German music buyers continue to prefer physical sound carriers, which remain the backbone of the German music industry with a 75.5 percent share of sales - above all the CD, which declined slightly by 2.7 percent compared to the first half of 2012, but still accounts for 67.5 percent of the overall market.
Vinyl records are continuing the comeback in the niche market that began in 2006: Compared to the first six months of the previous year, vinyl sales rose by more than 30 percent, giving it a 1.8 percent share of the overall market.
One in four euros came from digital music sales in the first half of the year, with the download business, which increased by 5.3% compared to the same period last year, now accounting for a market share of around 20%. The relatively new market segment of streaming (subscriptions and ad-financed) doubled its market share to 4.6%, which according to the BVMI currently offers the market's greatest growth potential with a 105% increase in sales.
