German music market up 12.4% in the first half of the year thanks to digital sales

By Emmanuel Legrand

The German recorded music sector posted revenues of €903.8 million euros for the first six months of this year, up 12.4% over the same period of last year, according to trade body Bundesverband Musikindustrie e. V. (BVMI). 

  Germany – which for a long time remained one of the strongest CD markets in Europe – has fully made the transition to digital. Digital revenues accounted for almost 80% of the total, with streaming capturing 70.6% of the total. Downloads represented a mere 3.3% of the market, while other digital modes of consumption, including video streaming, accounting for 4.7%.

  The physical business still generated 21.4% of total sales, but was down overall by 16.4 % year-on-year. The CD market continued to decline and accounted for 14.5% of the total, while vinyl experienced a strong first six months of 2021, with sales up 49.5% year-on-year, accounting for 5.9% of the total. 

A new peak for digital

  "In the first half of 2021, the industry's turnover grew by a significant 12.4 percent," commented BVMI Chairman & CEO Dr. Florian Drücke (pictured, below), noting that the share of digital in the total rose to almost 80%, which he described as "a new peak."

   Drücke also sees some positive in the fact that in the analogue segment, vinyl has "even grown by around 50 percent in the last six months [which] shows a special facet of our market."

  He added: "The half-year figures once again demonstrate the innovative strength of the industry and the strategic foresight of our members, who, as partners of the artists, are continuously expanding the digital value-added possibilities. The dramatic impact of the Corona pandemic on the entire live sector once again illustrates the importance of digital business to many, but also shows how deeply certain sub-sectors of the music industry are currently affected by the pandemic."