Global creator royalties reach record EUR 15.5bn

Digital collections drove 42.4% of the global total, reaffirming the urgent need to protect creators' rights in the face of unlicensed AI
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Paris, France – 4 November 2026 – The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) released the 2026 Global Collections Report today. The comprehensive report analyses royalty collections for 2025, when CISAC’s membership comprised 228 authors’ societies in 111 countries and territories, representing creators in music, audiovisual, visual arts, literature and drama.

Royalties collected for creators worldwide rose by +11.3% to a reach record EUR 15.5bn in 2025. The report includes, for the first time, figures coming from The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) which joined CISAC this year and accounts for approximately 52% of the annual increase.

Digital collections became the significant story in this year’s dataset, continuing the trend from last year and rising +27.9% to EUR 6.57bn, accounting for 42.4% of the global total. Live & Background collections (derived from live concerts and festivals, plus music played in public venues such as shops, restaurants, hotels and gyms) increased by +7.7% to EUR 3.87bn, overtaking TV & Radio to become creators’ second-largest income source. Global collections now stand nearly EUR 7bn above their 2016 level.

“The continued growth in global collections shown in our report is a strong and encouraging signal. It reflects the enduring demand for creative works around the world and the effectiveness of collective management in delivering value back to creators. But as we enter the age of AI, past growth cannot be taken for granted. Our priority must be to ensure that technology strengthens, rather than erodes, creators’ livelihoods” said CISAC Director General Gadi Oron.

The report arrives in CISAC’s centenary year, following the adoption of The Paris Commitment on AI at its General Assembly in June. The declaration calls on governments, technology companies and cultural industries to ensure human creativity remains recognised, protected and fairly remunerated.

“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” commented CISAC President and ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus.

“The century ahead will face the same central challenge as the first 100 years, which is ensuring creators are paid when their work is used, including beyond their own borders” said APRA AMCOS CEO and CISAC Board Chair Dean Ormston.


Key highlights from the CISAC Global Collections Report 2026

  • Global collections: Royalties collected for creators reached a record EUR15.5bn, up +11.3%.
  • Digital: Collections rose by +27.9% to EUR6.57bn, representing 42.4% of the global total and the leading source of income for creators.
  • Live & Background: Collections rose by +7.7% to EUR3.87bn, overtaking TV and radio for the first time to become the second-largest income source for creators. Live music collections increased by +14.9% to EUR1.4bn.

  • TV & Radio: Collections fell by -2.6% to EUR3.82bn, the third-largest income source for creators.

    Across the creative repertoires: 

  • Music collections reached EUR14.06bn (+11.9%) 
  • Audiovisual collections reached EUR0.76bn (+8.0%)
  • Visual Arts collections reached EUR0.21bn (-1.6%) 
  • Literature collections reached EUR0.23bn (+0.0%) 
  • Drama collections reached EUR0.23bn (+12.4%)


Music highlights

  • Royalties collected for music creators rose by +11.9% to EUR14.06bn in 2025.
  • Digital music collections increased by +27.9% to EUR6.41bn, representing 45.6% of the music total.
  • Live & Background became music’s second-largest income source, rising by +7.3% to EUR3.62bn and overtaking TV & Radio for the first time. 
  • Music collections from TV & Radio fell by -3.0% to EUR3.32bn.
  • Music collections have grown by +83.5% since 2016.


Regional highlights

  • Europe remained the largest collecting region. Collections rose by +6.2% to EUR8.09bn, accounting for 52.2% of the global total. Digital collections rose by +13.1% to EUR2.57bn.
  • Canada/USA recorded the strongest increase in total collections, up +26.5% to nearly EUR4.5bn. Digital collections rose by +63.5% to EUR2.6bn.
  • Asia-Pacific surpassed EUR2bn for the first time, with collections rising by +4.8% to reach EUR2.01bn. Digital collections exceeded EUR1bn and accounted for 51.3% of the regional total. 
  • Latin America and the Caribbean collected EUR847m, up +9.8%. Digital collections rose by +10.3% to EUR360m. 
  • Africa collected EUR92.4m, up +3.2%. Digital collections rose by +6.7% to EUR15.9m.


Media Contact
Rebecca Webster, Director of Marketing & Communications
rebecca.webster@cisac.org


Note to editors
•    The reported total includes collections from The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) for the first time. These accounted for approximately 52% of the annual increase, so the headline growth rate is not a like-for-like comparison.
•    In this report, we refer to Live & Background to define what are sometimes known as public performance royalties. That is collections derived from live concerts and festivals, plus music played in public venues such as shops, restaurants, hotels and gyms.


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