CISAC releases its global collections report
CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, released its global collections report yesterday, highlighting in particular the 51% growth in digital income. Overall, 2016 saw record collections of €9.2 billion worldwide: a 6% increase compared to 2015.
Putting the large increase of digital income into perspective, CISAC’s report reveals that although these collections reached just under €1 billion in 2016, they were in fact largely driven by streaming subscription services. This highlights the ongoing issue of “transfer of value“, where user uploaded content (UUC) platforms like YouTube are the biggest point of access for cultural content online, and yet share virtually none of the benefits they derive from this.
On this issue, Jean-Michel Jarre, CISAC President and electronic music pioneer, wrote:
“This is a vast sector of cultural and economic activity, worth an amazing nine billion euros worldwide. Despite its growth, however, collections are nowhere near the level they should be. Large industries that use creative content are driving down the value of our works. A simple illustration of this is the “transfer of value” in the digital market where platforms such as YouTube are paying mere crumbs to authors. There is no greater priority that we ask from governments today than a solution to the transfer of value.”
The European Commission released its Copyright Directive proposal in September 2016, in which it addressed the transfer of value. The file is currently under scrutiny in the European Parliament and the Council, and it is imperative that both European institutions acknowledge the importance of tackling this issue.