French music industry suffers 6.7% decline in sales for Q1 2013
The French music industry suffered from a decline in sales of 6.7% in Q1 2013, according to recently released figures.
The report comes from anti-piracy group Syndicat National de l’édition Phonographique (SNEP) in its first quarter results for the year.
According tho SNEP, the wholesale market for recorded music was worth 107.9 million euros in France, down 6.7% on the same period last year. Overall in 2012, sales fell 4.4%.
In Q1 2013, physical sales fell by 7.3% and for the first time ever digital sales were also hit – down 5.2%.
Downloads of albums demonstrated a little growth – 1.9 million albums were bought in Q1 2013 compared to 1.8 million in Q1 2012.
During the first quarter of 2013 the number of downloaded singles was down 21% on the same period last year – 10.7 million tracks versus 13.7 million in 2012.
Overall market share for digital content remained stable at 29%, versus a worldwide average of 35%.
SNEP – the group that that championed the uptake of the so called three strikes law – says the decline in digital revenues is due to a label deal that expired in 2012 and a YouTube agreement with rights group SACEM that was suspended until the second quarter of 2013.
Without these “unusual” issues digital revenues would have been stable, SNEP says.
The numbers come after a government-commissioned report recommended that the county’s anti-piracy law is replaced with 60 euro per time automated fines.
Source: Music Week
