Studies on the German music business landscape
As part of the German creative industry, GVL is involved in two pivotal surveys on the German music landscape sectors: The music business survey and the music usage survey.
Music business survey 2020
Together with the relevant music industry associations, GEMA and GVL jointly commissioned the music business survey which has been relaunched for 2020. The Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Initiative Musik supported the survey with project funds from the Representative of the Federal Government for Culture and the Media. The survey is a revamped version of the study “The Music Industry in Germany in 2015” which already provided useful results regarding the economic position of the German music industry back then. Today, the study provides well-founded insights into the development of the entire sector.
Central result of the study: Between 2014 and 2019, the total revenues in the sector grew by 18 percent from €11.5bn to €13.6bn per year, gross value added increased from about €4bn to about €5.2bn by 29%. The music business thus constitutes a significant economic factor for the Federal Republic of Germany.
Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, massive income losses hit the culture and creative sector. Declined turnover expectations for the years 2020 and 2021, which were queried as part of the survey in the early summer of 2020, mirrored the massive impact on the music sector.
The Music Industry in Germany 2020
Survey on music use between 2018 and 2021
It is of major relevance for the future of the German music sector how music is discovered, bought and consumed. The long-term survey on music use which was launched in 2018 in Germany is expected to provide some answers here. The survey had been initiated by important music business associations and institutions in Germany, among them GVL. Supporters and promoters of this survey are the Institute for Culture and Media of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg as well as Initiative Musik.
The representative survey took place in seven rounds, the trend study is expected to be completed in autumn 2021. Apart from direct effects of COVID-19 on the current music consumption in the years 2020 and 2021, the results will generate valuable insights and know-how on the long-term changes regarding the usage and consumption of media, art and culture.