IMS Business Report 2018

23 May 2018 - Press release

The 11^th edition of the annual International Music Summit Business Report is now live.

IMS is the three-day inspirational, educational and motivational thought-leadership platform held annually in Ibiza. The annual report is an in-depth economic study of the Electronic Music Industry, covering all aspects of the genre. Delivered directly to the key leaders in the music industry at IMS Ibiza by the author Kevin Watson. The report highlights and analyses the current movements in the industry as a whole and is used by professionals across the industry, referenced countless times in market research and journalistic reports, and is an essential tool for the electronic music business.

A quick summary of some of the key findings:

• Industry Value: Overall Electronic Music industry down 2% YoY to $7.3bn; value of integration into mainstream culture immeasurable.

• Industry Value: If Electronic Music maintains share in each segment of the music industry, it could be worth nearly $9bn by 2021 

• USA: Overall N.A. recorded music revenue grew 12.8% in 2017, but Dance/Electronic share in the USA & Canada fell YoY

• EUROPE: Dance share of recorded music also fell in Germany & UK in 2017, on the back of significant gains in prior years 

• SPOTIFY: Business valued at $28bn, subs forecast to double by 2020; Electronic music over indexes on the platform 

• Beatport: Track sales growth almost doubled in 2017 and acquisition of Pulselocker enables launch of new services in 2018/19 

• Forbes: Estimated DJ Earnings rebounded in 2017, rising c.10% YoY; Calvin Harris down to $49m, Tiesto up to $39m

• Merchandise: DJs are tapping into the rising demand for music merchandise; global sales grew by 30% between 2014 and 2016 

• Festivals : Worldwide expansion continues - China events expected to double in 2018, Ultra launched 23 new events in 2017

• Ultra Worldwide: Attendance of 1m+ at 45 events in 20 different countries puts Ultra on par with the Winter Olympics & Formula 1

• Sonar: Events now attract 124k attendees & 700+ artists a year, who represent over a third of the countries in the world 

• Boiler Room: In the 5 years to 2017 Boiler Room has grown its audience from 10m to 303m, and nearly tripled average viewing time 

• M&A: Spinnin Records acquisition by Warner for $100m is the 3rd largest Electronic Music deal in the past six years

• Investment: Funding remains strong for companies focussed on Electronic music, with a number of deals in the past year

• Hardware & Software: Pioneer DJ & Native Instruments sales continue to rise; music production software market to grow at 9% pa.