Global music publishing collections grew to nearly 14.6 billion euros ($15.89 billion) in 2025, up 11.9% from the prior year’s total of 12.6 billion euros ($13.62 billion), according to data published in CISAC’s latest Global Collections Report.
CISAC director general Gadi Oron noted that the growth demonstrates “both the resilience of collective management and the enduring demand for creative works around the world.”
However, more than half of the increase, or 6.6 percentage points was due to the first time inclusion of revenue from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), the U.S. collection agency, while only only about 5.3 percentage points came from organic growth. On the other hand, the 5.3% organic growth from publishing outpaced the 4.8% increase for 2025, as counted by IFPI, that the record label side of the music business experienced.
While the industry is still growing, a counterbalance worry is how the double-edged sword of artificial intelligence will impact the economic model.
“Our confederation now faces its largest test with artificial intelligence, new business models and changing patterns of consumption,” Oron writes in the forward to the CISAC annual report. “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.”
Fortunately, CISAC and its member societies are at the center of the debate around new laws, and is “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,” Oron wrote.
Adds CISAC president and ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus, “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.”
Getting back to the numbers, digital is now the largest generator of publishing royalties comprising 45.6% of music publishing royalties. In 2025, digital royalties totaled 6.41 billion euros ($7.25 billion) or a 28% increase over the 5.01 billion euros ($5.42 billion) collected in 2024. But it is here where the additional of the MLC is having its biggest impact.
Otherwise, background music and concerts was second largest at 25.8% of music publishing revenue with a total of 3.624 billion euros ($4.1 billion), or a 7.2% increase over the prior year when that category total 3.38 billion euros ($3.66 billion).
All other categories of publishing royalties produced declines in 2025 when compared to 2024. For instance, television and radio brought in another 23.6% of total publishing revenue in 2025 with 3.315 billion euros ($3.75 billion), but that was down 3.1% from the prior year total of 3.42 billion euros ($3.67 billion.) Similarly, CDs and video produced 326 million euros ($358.6 million), or a 8.9% drop on the 358 million euros ($387.3 million) garnered in 2024; while private copying assessments brought in 252 million euros ($285 million), or a 6.7% decrease from the prior year’s total of 270 million euros ($292.1 million); sync also declined slightly to 58 million euros ($65.6 million) from 62 million euros (467 million); and all other licensing sources generated 70 million euros ($79.15 million) or a 24.1% decline from 92.25 million euros ($99.8 million).
Looking at revenue by the continents, Western Europe brought in the most revenue, accounting for 45.2% of revenue with 6.353 billion euros ($7.2 billion emanating from these territories); with North America coming in second, comprising 31.6% of total revenue with 4.442 billion euros ($5.02 million). Asia-Pacific with 1.87 billion euros ($2.12 billion) was third largest at 13.3% of royalties; followed by Latin America at 5.6%, or 785 million euros ($887.6 million); Central and Eastern Europe with 529 million euros ($598 million), or 3.8%; and Africa with 77 million euros ($87.1 million), which was one half a percent.
Within the continents, looking at the five largest countries for music publishing royalties, the United States accounted for 4.073 billion ($4.61 billion); France 1.59 billion euros ($1.8 billion); the U.K with 1.283 billion euros ($1.45 billion); Germany at 1.05 billion euros ($1.185 billion) and Japan at 907 million euros ($1.025 billion).
In addition to music, the collection management organizations also collect royalties on literature, drama, visual arts and audiovisual and when those revenues are added in CISAC counted total revenue at 15.5 billion euros ($17.53 billion), or a 11.3% increase over the prior year’s 13.92 billion euros ($15.06 billion).
CISAC represents 225 collective management organizations located in 110 countries and territories. Looking ahead, Oron noted “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.”
Read more at cisac.org and download the report here.
