Independent music is a substantial part of the global rights economy. In 2024, independent music publishers generated €2.7 billion worldwide and held 26.3% of the global music publishing market. The figures below focus mainly on publishing and rights collections, with older recorded-music estimates clearly separated because they use a different measure and period.
Contents
- Independent publishing at a glance
- Revenue and market share
- Where independent collections are generated
- Digital growth and emerging markets
- Europe and major national markets
- Latin America and Africa
- Recorded-music estimates
Independent publishing at a glance
The IMPF Global Market View 2025 reports a global music publishing market valued at €10.28 billion in 2024. Independent music publishers accounted for €2.7 billion, or 26.3% of that market. Their share was unchanged from 2023, even as their revenue increased 5.1% year over year.
The same report places independent publishing in a broader collecting-society context. Total CISAC music collections reached €12.587 billion in 2024. Publishers’ share was €6.293 billion, while independent publishers’ share was €1.655 billion. These are related but different measures: the market figure describes global music publishing revenue, whereas the CISAC figures describe collections reported through the rights-collection system.
Several long-term figures point to expansion. Independent music publishers’ global revenue had grown 116% since 2018 and 60.7% since 2020, according to the IMPF Global Market View 2025. Global music collections rose 7.2% in 2024, and global digital collections reached 5.01 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of total CMO revenues.
Revenue and market share
The 2024 market structure shows why independent music statistics cannot be reduced to the performance of the three largest companies. The three major publishers accounted for 60.6% of the global market, leaving non-major publishers with 39.4%. The report also states that independent music publishers were collectively larger than any single major publisher in 2024.
| Measure | 2024 figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global music publishing market | €10.28bn | IMPF Global Market View 2025 |
| Independent publisher revenue | €2.7bn | IMPF Global Market View 2025 |
| Independent publisher market share | 26.3% | IMPF Global Market View 2025 |
| Three major publishers’ share | 60.6% | IMPF Global Market View 2025 |
| Non-major publishers’ share | 39.4% | IMPF Global Market View 2025 |
| Independent publisher revenue in 2023 | €2.57bn | IMPF Global Market View 2025 |
The 2023 independent-publisher revenue figure was €2.57 billion. The increase to €2.7 billion in 2024 is accompanied by the reported 5.1% year-over-year growth rate. The market-share figure, however, remained at 26.3%, indicating that independent publishers grew while maintaining the same stated portion of the overall publishing market.
The longer historical comparisons are also worth keeping in their original time frames. Revenue growth of 116% since 2018 and 60.7% since 2020 are cumulative comparisons reported by IMPF; they are not annual growth rates. They describe the change in independent publishing revenue across those periods rather than a forecast for future years.
Where independent collections are generated
Regional collections show the largest absolute flows in Europe and North America. Western Europe generated €5.975 billion in music collections in 2024 and delivered €785.6 million to independent publishers. North America generated €3.509 billion and delivered €461.4 million to independent publishers.
Europe as a whole accounted for 51.2% of total music collections, with €6.445 billion collected in 2024. Western Europe alone represented 47.5% of global music collections. Central and Eastern Europe generated €471 million and delivered €61.9 million to independent publishers. Its collections grew 17.9% year over year, increasing in 24 of 26 countries.
| Region | Total music collections | Delivered to independent publishers |
|---|---|---|
| Western Europe | €5.975bn | €785.6m |
| North America | €3.509bn | €461.4m |
| Asia Pacific | €1.837bn | €241.6m |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | €718m | €94.4m |
| Central and Eastern Europe | €471m | €61.9m |
| Africa | €79m | €10.1m |
Asia Pacific generated €1.837 billion and delivered €241.6 million to independent publishers. Latin America and the Caribbean generated €718 million and delivered €94.4 million. Africa generated €79 million and delivered €10.1 million. The amounts in this regional comparison are reported in euros for 2024, so they should not be read as local-currency totals.
The regional pattern combines scale and momentum. Western Europe and North America produced the largest collection totals in the supplied 2024 data, while Central and Eastern Europe posted the strongest stated regional growth rate at 17.9%. The number of countries with increased collections in that region—24 out of 26—also indicates that the rise was geographically broad within the region.
Digital growth and emerging markets
Digital collection figures are particularly prominent in the 2024 data. Global digital collections reached 5.01 billion and represented nearly 40% of total CMO revenues. In India, 82.7% of music revenue came from digital sources. India generated over €80 million in music collections in 2024, up 40.9% year over year. A decade earlier, its annual music collections were below €5 million, according to the IMPF Global Market View 2025.
Other Asia Pacific markets also recorded sizable 2024 totals in the report. China’s music collections grew 10.3% to €56 million. The Philippines and Malaysia each reached €17 million, while Vietnam reached €14 million. These figures are collection totals for the stated year, not estimates of the full value of every music-related activity in those countries.
India’s combination of an €80 million-plus collection total and an 82.7% digital share illustrates how market structure can vary by territory. A high digital proportion does not mean every independent publisher has the same revenue mix; it describes the share of India’s music revenue reported in the IMPF market view. The ten-year comparison also uses different scales: less than €5 million a year earlier versus over €80 million in 2024.
Digital growth is visible in mature markets as well. France’s digital collections rose 15.4% to €650 million in 2024. Brazil’s audio streaming revenue rose 17% during the year. These measures are not interchangeable with global digital collections, because the France figure concerns digital collections and the Brazil figure concerns audio streaming revenue.
Europe and major national markets
The European figures show several large national rights markets within the continent’s €6.445 billion total. Germany’s music collections passed €1 billion in 2024, while its live and background sector grew 13.7%. The United Kingdom’s collections reached €1.18 billion, up 8.2% year over year. Its publisher revenues reached £1.7 billion, equivalent to €1.93 billion in the IMPF report.
France’s rights-society revenues reached €1.503 billion. Within that total, digital collections rose 15.4% to €650 million, live and background collections rose 6.2% to €413 million, and radio and television performance-rights collections rose 2.5% to €326 million.
Other national totals reported for 2024 include €576 million in Italy, €368 million in Canada, €366 million in Australasia, €299 million in Spain, €285 million in the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom’s €1.18 billion collection total. These values refer to music collections as labeled by the IMPF Global Market View 2025; the United Kingdom’s separate £1.7 billion publisher-revenue figure uses a different measure.
Central and Eastern Europe’s 17.9% growth rate stands out against the national and regional totals because it measures change rather than absolute scale. The report’s finding that collections increased in 24 of 26 countries adds context to the rate, while the region’s €471 million total shows the base from which that growth occurred.
Latin America and Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean generated €718 million in music collections in 2024, up 3.3% year over year. Brazil reached €235 million, with collections rising 5.0%. Mexico reached €232 million, up 9.2%. The two national totals were therefore close in absolute size, although Mexico had the higher stated annual growth rate.
Brazil’s underlying activity measures moved at different speeds. Audio streaming revenue rose 17%, while live concert collections rose 33%. Business and live-event music revenues across Latin America fell 1% to €255 million, yet still made up one third of the region’s total. Because these statistics cover different segments, they should be compared as indicators of separate revenue channels rather than combined into a single total.
Africa’s music revenues increased 10% in 2024 and reached nearly €80 million, consistent with the reported €79 million in collections. South Africa, Morocco, and Côte d’Ivoire accounted for 74.5% of Africa’s collections. The concentration across those three countries is important context for the continental total: the €79 million figure is not evenly distributed across all African markets.
The regional figures also show why geography matters when interpreting independent music. Latin America and the Caribbean delivered €94.4 million to independent publishers from €718 million in total collections, while Africa delivered €10.1 million from €79 million. These are the independent-publisher amounts reported for 2024, not projections or guarantees of artist-level income.
Recorded-music estimates
The older WINTEL figures describe the independent recorded-music sector, rather than music publishing. They should therefore be kept separate from the 2024 IMPF publishing statistics. WINTEL 2018 reported $6.9 billion in total independent recorded-music-sector revenue and a 39.9% independent market share for 2017. WINTEL 2017 reported $6.0 billion and a 38.4% share for 2016. WINTEL 2016 reported $5.6 billion and a 37.6% share for 2015.
| Reporting source | Measurement year | Independent recorded-music revenue | Independent market share |
|---|---|---|---|
| WINTEL 2018 | 2017 | $6.9bn | 39.9% |
| WINTEL 2017 | 2016 | $6.0bn | 38.4% |
| WINTEL 2016 | 2015 | $5.6bn | 37.6% |
These legacy figures are historical estimates as reported by WINTEL and have not been independently verified here. They use dollars, cover recorded music, and come from reports named by their publication year. They should not be added to the euro-denominated 2024 publishing or CISAC collection figures.
Taken together, the available statistics describe two connected but distinct parts of independent music. Publishing data shows €2.7 billion in 2024 revenue and a 26.3% global share, with collections distributed across established markets and fast-growing territories. The older WINTEL estimates show a large independent presence in recorded music, but their different sector, currency, dates, and methodology require separate interpretation.