Music royalties hit a record 14 billion euros and digital is now the biggest source

Music royalty collections reached a record 14.06 billion euros in 2025, up 11.9 percent, according to the Global Collections Report 2026 from CISAC, the international confederation of authors' societies, released November 4. Digital is now the largest source of that money. But more than half of the global increase comes from a single new member, so the headline growth rate overstates the underlying trend.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), which collects US streaming mechanicals, joined CISAC and was counted for the first time. Its inclusion added 835 million euros, per Music Business Worldwide. Without it, music collections grew 5.3 percent, the slowest pace in three years.

Music made up 14.06 billion euros of the 15.5 billion euros collected across all creative repertoires, which also include audiovisual, visual arts, drama and literature, as Musically reported. Billboard also covered the release in its CISAC report coverage, though outlets differ on dollar conversions, so the figures here stay in euros.

Where the money came from

Digital collections rose 27.9 percent to 6.41 billion euros and now account for 45.6 percent of all music collections. Streaming is the single biggest line, ahead of every traditional source.

Live and background music, which covers concerts, venues, shops, restaurants and similar public use, collected 3.62 billion euros, up 7.3 percent. TV and radio collected 3.32 billion euros, down 3 percent. Live and background passed broadcast for the first time.

Regionally, Latin America and the Caribbean grew 9.4 percent, according to the CISAC report. That is slower than the global headline figure but ahead of the 5.3 percent underlying rate once The MLC is removed.

What the shift means for who gets paid

The mix is moving toward streaming and public performance and away from radio and television. A writer whose income once leaned on broadcast spins now depends more on streaming statements and on how venues and businesses are licensed in their territory.

None of it reaches a writer automatically. The money flows through a performing rights organization (PRO) and, for US streams, through The MLC. A song that is not registered with both has nowhere to be paid. PLAYBACK covered the registration steps on October 9 in The Royalty Registrations Most Latin Artists Never Finish, so this piece stays on the numbers.

The AI warning

CISAC Director General Gadi Oron used the release to flag the risk ahead. In the report he said that "as we enter the age of AI, past growth cannot be taken for granted." The confederation has been pressing for rules on how AI systems use protected works, and the full findings are in the CISAC report.

The next CISAC collections report will show whether digital keeps growing at this pace without a one-time addition to the base.