In 2022, the music industry in Germany exceeded the sales mark of two billion euros for the first time in 20 years. This was announced by the Federal Association of the Music Industry (BVMI) on Tuesday. Compared to 2021, sales growth was 6.1 percent. This includes revenues from the streaming business as well as sales of CDs, vinyl LPs and downloads.
According to the information, a total of 2.07 billion euros was turned over in 2022, the largest part (80.3 percent) of which came from online sales.
Audio streaming dominates, which according to the association increased by 14 percent and accounts for 73.3 percent of total industry sales. The CD lost a good 17 percent, but remained the second most important sales driver with a market share of 12.9 percent. The classic vinyl record increased slightly and has a share of 6 percent. Downloads (2.2 percent) only played a minor role. Most recently, sales in 2002 amounted to more than two billion euros (2.21 billion euros).
Culture pass from summer
According to the announcement, Florian Drücke, chairman of the board of the federal association, said that an increase of 6.1 percent meant “growth for the fourth year in a row”. With a view to streaming, it will be exciting to see how the price increases of the first providers will affect it. “On the other hand, when it comes to vinyl, our data has shown for many years that records are also very attractive to many young people,” he added. “Here, the culture pass from the summer of 2023 could have a stimulating effect both for fans and for the industry.”
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Greens) wants to implement the culture pass by summer. The funding, endowed with 100 million euros, will initially apply to around 750,000 young people who will turn 18 this year. It should be possible to load 200 euros via an app and use it for cultural activities, including vinyl records.
According to its own statements, the Federal Association of the Music Industry represents the interests of around 200 record manufacturers and music companies, which represent more than 80 percent of the German music market.
