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February 09, 2011Issue 429Music & CopyrightStatistics •Digital radio listening continues to growin the UKFigures recently published by Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) in the UK show that 46.7million adults, or 90.5% of the UK population age 15 and over, listened to a radio station for at leastfive minutes during an average week in the final three months of last year. The figure is up 1.7%year-on-year, from 46 million in 4Q09. RAJAR also said that radio listening via a digital platformincreased 22.1% year-on-year, with 20.9 million people tuning in to radio via a digitally enabledreceiver each week in 4Q10, up from 17.1 million in 4Q09. Total digital-radio-listening hours in thelatest quarter stood at 262 million, up 26.9% year-on-year.Listening via DAB radio is the most popular method of listening to digital radio, accounting for63.2% of all digital hours (see fig.). However, listening via the Internet and digital TV both saw yearon-yeargrowth in listening hours, rising 36.6% and 54.9%, respectively. RAJAR said that the risewas reflected in the share of radio listening via a digital platform, which increased from 20.9% in4Q09 to 25% in 4Q10. Access to a DAB receiver rose 7.9%, and more than one-third of the UKpopulation, or 18.5 million adults age 15 and over, now claim to live in a household that has a DABset.UK, digital-radio listening by platform, 4Q10Other digital 7.5%Internet 12.2%DTV 17.2%DAB 63.2%Source: RAJARwww.informatm.com © 2010 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved. 18
February 09, 2011Issue 429Music & CopyrightCountry profile •No end in sight to the turmoil in the USrecorded-music marketData box: USSources: Informa Telecoms & Media, Nielsen SoundScan, Music & CopyrightThe US experienced another year of falling recorded-music sales in 2010, and early indicationssuggest that this year will not see an end to the market contraction. Royalty collections remainreasonably buoyant, but the tough trading conditions caused by an economy falling short of itspotential suggest that difficult times lay ahead.No other market in the world can match the US in terms of size, diversity and dominance when itcomes to the music industry. Despite experiencing another year of falling recorded-music sales in2010, it still accounted for about 30% of the global total. The US is often seen as a world leader interms of technology development and the digital sector, and it is the market that artists from allcorners of the world look to succeed in when planning global ambitions.In recent years, the shine has faded from the US. The widespread optimism that swept thecountry after the election of Barak Obama as president in 2008 has all but disappeared, with manycritics of the president saying his policies are responsible for the country’s ongoing economicproblems. Late last month the Federal Reserve said that the US economy was not growing fastenough to lower unemployment, despite the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates at arecord-low near-zero level in an effort to encourage both business and consumer spending.The economy has begun 2011 with some positive signs. The US Commerce Department said latelast month that economic growth accelerated in the final quarter of last year, resulting in anannualized growth rate of 3.2%. That was up from 2.6% for the 12 months to end-September.According to the Commerce Department, the growth was due to higher consumer spending andfewer imports. In 4Q10, exports exceeded imports, resulting in a trade surplus. Consumerspending rose 3.5% last year compared with 2009 – the highest annual growth since the 5.2%increase in 2007.According to the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the US budget deficit is likely to end2011 at close to US$1.5 trillion. That is up from US$1.4 trillion in 2009 and US$1.3 trillion in 2010 andis a big rise from the previous CBO estimate of US$1.07 trillion. The new level is equal to 9.8% of USGDP. The CBO said that although recent actions by the government should help support furthergains in real GDP (inflation adjusted) this year, production and employment are likely to stay wellbelow the economy’s potential for a number of years. It forecast that US economic growth willremain moderate this year and in 2012. Between 2011 and 2016, the CBO has estimated that theeconomy will add about 2.5 million jobs a year. It also expects the unemployment rate to fall to9.2% by end-2011, 8.2% by end-2012 and 7.4% by end-2013.www.informatm.com © 2010 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved. 19
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