The ICMP, the global trade body for the music publishing industry, has issued its first ever economic report on key international music publishing markets.
The ICMP Music Publishing Markets Analysis 2025 disclosed the findings of a detailed survey carried out among two types of respondents: ICMP’s board companies (Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, BMG, Concord Music Publishing, Reservoir Media, Kobalt and Peermusic), as well as collective management organisations around the world (including in the USA, UK, France, Germany, Brazil, Australia and many others). This is the first time these music companies have reported their worldwide revenue data.
The publicly disclosed data included the collective licensing distributions from across 16 key music markets, disclosing revenue totals (per market and aggregate), revenue per type of rights, and insights on distributions to publishers and songwriters.
The aggregate amount for the 16 selected markets is more than $11 billion. This number comprises direct revenue for music publishing companies and distributions by CMOs for selected markets.
The UK’s contribution was $1.68 billion in revenue – 56.2% domestic and 43.8% foreign.
Across the 16 markets, digital accounted for 47.1% of publisher income – underlining the contribution of streaming. Digital also represented the lion’s share of income in the UK, though was slightly less than the aggregate at 41.5%.
MPA CEO Paul Clements said: “This publication marks a pivotal moment for our industry, quantifying the value of our sector across 16 leading countries. While the size of the music publishing market may vary from one country to another, the challenges we face are often shared – shifting consumer behaviour, economic changes, App Store infringement on a global scale, and the threat of copyright law changes in favour of AI are just a few examples for the need for stronger than ever collaboration between international music publishing trade bodies and their publisher members. The ICMP’s report provides invaluable insights as we work together to protect our members’ interests and harness opportunities for further growth.”
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