Download the report (PDF 355 kB)
Google Spreadsheet with detailed data.
First of all, I would like to clarify a couple of things about this report, since the debate has started:
- The report does not state that illegal file sharing is good for artists in any way, as some media have reported. It does simply prove that total revenues for the music industry in Sweden, as a whole, have stayed basically the same since 2000 and that revenues for the live sector, collecting sector, and artists as a group considered, have increased.
- Artist revenues is not related to only Swedish artists, but also to international artists performing in Sweden.
- Recorded revenues is based on reported revenues from the record labels, and not on price to consumer. An additional 40% have to be added if one wants to base the revenues on price to consumers. The reason why we excluded this is simply that we do not count record stores (online/offline) and tax money as a core part of the music industry system.
- The graph for Artist Revenues should be seen as an estimate for the development over time, rather than an exact economic accounting. It is almost impossible to get exact figures on how much artists have earned in total during the time period, it is only an estimation done on available data from the industry.
- The figures have not been adjusted for inflation.
Is this report good news for the music industry?
- Yes, from one perspective this is very good news. It shows that Sweden still has a very interesting music industry and that the whole music industry system have changed and started to adapt itself to the new music landscape.
- No, it is clearly not good news that the Swedish music industry as a whole, basically has been at the same levels for nine years.
Although our report shows that earlier statements about the development of the Swedish music sector, for example that it has lost 60% of its turnover, is simply false, it is still crucial to understand that the prerequisites for music creativity in Sweden have been negatively influenced because of the downturn in recording revenues.
We know that this compilation of data will be used by some people to feed the view of the record label as something “evil”, but this report does not state that in any way that the downturn in recording revenues is good for music, or good for artists, or that record labels are bad, or evil, or anything else.
Most pirate supporters seems to forget that most of the music they love has come to life because of record labels. They seem to forget that during many years, record labels have been the creative center for the global music industry, finding, developing, recording and publishing the music that we all love. Record labels are not bad. They have just been a little confused.
During the latest years, record labels have lost parts of their former ability to invest in new music in the way that they could do before, and the fact that the Swedish music industry has had the same total revenues since 2000 is really negative, not positive.
The Swedish music industry of today is very different than the music industry of the year 2000, where our statistical analysis begins. There is still a need for creative functions that finds and develops song writers and artists in a professional way, with the purpose of releasing outstanding music. That is why it is so important for everyone to understand that this report does not prove illegal file sharing to be positive for artists or song writers.
It is just a compilation of all available data so that we, at last, can get an idea of how the whole music industry system in Sweden have developed during the latest years.
Prenumerera