Report: Major Labels Account for Nearly 95% of Airplay & Downloads In Europe...

[thafonz]

Report: Major Labels Account for Nearly 95% of Airplay & Downloads In Europe...
Thursday, January 19, 2012
by paul
The four-turning-three major labels utterly dominate the European musical landscape, according to a study just shared by Impala. And these are the eye-popping results of the group's 2011-focused report:

95 out of the top 100 downloads in 2011 came from one of the major labels.

94 out of the top 100 played songs on the radio in 2011 came from one of the major labels.

More than 90% the top 1,000 most-downloaded and most-spun songs came from one of the major labels.

And, that excludes one of the biggest successes of the year: Adele. "These results are very revealing, especially as they already factor in independent successes such as Adele," said Impala executive chair Helen Smith. "They send a serious warning about the dangers of concentration in music for diversity in Europe."
That is, the acquisition of EMI's recording and publishing units, by Universal Music Group and a consortium led by Sony Corp., respectively. Those consolidations are happening against serious downturns in the recorded music sector, yet the major label system continues to exert this uncanny and unexpected power over pop culture.
And, that includes cross-border songs, because according to the study, local repertoire often doesn't make it on the outside. "The only repertoire circulating effectively across Europe is US repertoire," the study, authored by music journalist Emmanuel Legrand, relayed.
All of which is motivating Impala, an unexpectedly powerful group, to work towards blocking this merger.