Global music publishing collections rose 11.9% to nearly 14.6 billion euros ($15.89 billion) in 2025, according to the latest Global Collections Report from the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). Digital is now the largest source of publishing royalties, accounting for 45.6% of the total.
The 2025 total was up from 12.6 billion euros ($13.62 billion) in the prior year. CISAC director general Gadi Oron said the growth showed “both the resilience of collective management and the enduring demand for creative works around the world.”
Drivers of growth#
More than half of the increase, or 6.6 percentage points, came from first-time inclusion of revenue from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), a U.S. collection agency. Organic growth accounted for about 5.3 percentage points.
The 5.3% organic growth in publishing exceeded the 4.8% increase that the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) recorded for 2025 on the record label side of the music business.
Royalties by source#
Digital royalties rose 28% to 6.41 billion euros ($7.25 billion) in 2025, up from 5.01 billion euros ($5.42 billion) in 2024. The MLC inclusion had its largest effect on this category.
| Source | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital | 6.41 billion euros ($7.25 billion) | 5.01 billion euros ($5.42 billion) | +28% |
| Background music and concerts | 3.624 billion euros ($4.1 billion) | 3.38 billion euros ($3.66 billion) | +7.2% |
| Television and radio | 3.315 billion euros ($3.75 billion) | 3.42 billion euros ($3.67 billion) | -3.1% |
| CDs and video | 326 million euros ($358.6 million) | 358 million euros ($387.3 million) | -8.9% |
| Private copying | 252 million euros ($285 million) | 270 million euros ($292.1 million) | -6.7% |
| Sync | 58 million euros ($65.6 million) | 62 million euros | Slight decline |
| All other licensing | 70 million euros ($79.15 million) | 92.25 million euros ($99.8 million) | -24.1% |
Background music and concerts ranked second, at 25.8% of publishing revenue. Television and radio accounted for 23.6%. Every other category, apart from digital and background music and concerts, declined in 2025.
Including royalties on literature, drama, visual arts and audiovisual works, which the collective management organizations also collect, CISAC counted total revenue at 15.5 billion euros ($17.53 billion) in 2025. That was up 11.3% from 13.92 billion euros ($15.06 billion) in the prior year.
Regional and country breakdown#
Western Europe generated the most revenue, at 45.2% of the total. North America ranked second with 31.6%.
| Region | Revenue | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Western Europe | 6.353 billion euros ($7.2 billion) | 45.2% |
| North America | 4.442 billion euros ($5.02 billion) | 31.6% |
| Asia-Pacific | 1.87 billion euros ($2.12 billion) | 13.3% |
| Latin America | 785 million euros ($887.6 million) | 5.6% |
| Central and Eastern Europe | 529 million euros ($598 million) | 3.8% |
| Africa | 77 million euros ($87.1 million) | 0.5% |
Among individual countries, the five largest for music publishing royalties were:
- United States: 4.073 billion euros ($4.61 billion)
- France: 1.59 billion euros ($1.8 billion)
- United Kingdom: 1.283 billion euros ($1.45 billion)
- Germany: 1.05 billion euros ($1.185 billion)
- Japan: 907 million euros ($1.025 billion)
Artificial intelligence concerns#
The report raises concerns about how artificial intelligence will affect the industry’s economic model. In the foreword to the CISAC annual report, Oron wrote that “our confederation now faces its largest test with artificial intelligence, new business models and changing patterns of consumption.”
He added that “this technological change also means that the future can bring real opportunities for creators… The issue is no longer whether AI will transform our industries, but whether the systems that protect creators’ rights are evolving quickly enough to keep pace.”
Oron said CISAC and its member societies are “contributing to numerous consultations, policy debates and legislative processes around the world, so as to ensure that creators’ rights remain at the heart of AI policy making.”
CISAC president and ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus said: “Human creativity is not something to be replaced or bypassed. It is something to be valued, protected and celebrated. And I hope that if we get it right, artificial intelligence will not diminish human creativity but will help inspire its next chapter.”
CISAC represents 225 collective management organizations in 110 countries and territories. Oron said: “As CISAC approaches its second century, our purpose remains to strengthen the international framework that recognizes creators’ rights, supports effective collective management and enables creativity to continue flourishing in an increasingly interconnected world.”
