In 2025, CISAC's network of 228 collective management societies in 111 countries and territories collected a record €15.5bn in royalties on behalf of creators across five repertoires: music, audiovisual, visual arts, literature and drama.
Global collections rose by +11.3% in 2025, including newly reported data from The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), which accounted for approximately 52% of the annual increase. Excluding The MLC, collections grew by +5.3%.
Since 2016, global collections have increased by nearly €7bn.
From the President
Björn Ulvaeus
CISAC President and ABBA Co-founder
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This year has taken me from the stage at CISAC's Centenary General Assembly in Paris to the United Nations' AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva. The audiences were different and the conversations varied, but everywhere I have gone, I have carried the same message: human creativity is not the enemy of artificial intelligence. It is the reason artificial intelligence exists.
Digital leads as royalty income shifts
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Digital accounted for 42.4% of global collections while Live & Background collections overtook TV & Radio to become creators’ second-largest income source.
Digital
€6.57bn
+27.9%
Live & Background
€3.87bn
+7.7%
TV & Radio
€3.82bn
-2.6%
Drama takes centre stage as music leads collections
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Collections grew across music, audiovisual and drama in 2025, while visual arts declined slightly and literature remained stable. Music remained the largest repertoire, while drama recorded the fastest growth at +12.4%.
Music
Digital accounted for 45.6% of collections
Audiovisual
Europe accounted for 86.2% of collections, with 60.7% coming from TV & Radio.
Visual Arts
Collections reported in just 40 markets highlighting the need for stronger legislation.
Drama
Fastest growing repertoire.
Literature
Literary reprography collections rose by +1.5% to a record €177.2m.
Live music outpaces background music
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Live music continues to pull ahead, with royalties reaching a record €1.4bn in 2025, up +14.9%. Since 2017, live music collections have grown nearly three times as fast as background music royalties, highlighting the growing importance of concerts to creators’ income.
Canada/USA leads growth in creators’ royalties worldwide
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Western Europe remained the largest collecting region in 2025, while Canada/USA recorded the strongest growth (+26.5%), partly driven by the inclusion of The MLC. The United States led global collections, followed by France and the UK, while Central and Eastern Europe recorded the second-fastest regional growth (+12.6%).
Western Europe
€7.5bn
+5.7%
Canada/USA
€4.5bn
+26.5%
Asia-Pacific
€2.0bn
+4.8%
Latin America
€847m
+9.8%
Central and Eastern Europe
€635m
+12.6%
Africa
€92m
+3.2%
Beyond the headline figures
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Millions of songs, but who gets heard?
Digital music collections reached €6.4bn in 2025, but streaming's vast catalogues do not guarantee visibility for local creators. As playlists and algorithms shape listening habits, how can cultural diversity thrive?
From stage to royalties: Making every performance count
Live music royalties reached a record €1.4bn in 2025, creating new opportunities for creators but also greater challenges in tracking performances and distributing royalties. How is CISAC working with its member societies to improve live performance data and ensure creators are paid accurately and without unnecessary delay?
A small levy, a vital source of income
Private copying and reprography systems generate more than €1bn annually for rightsholders worldwide, but their effectiveness varies significantly across countries. Where are these systems working, where do gaps remain and how do these differences affect creators’ remuneration?
Leadership perspectives
Director General
Gadi Oron
CISAC Director General
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“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”
Board Chair
Dean Ormston
CISAC Board Chair and APRA AMCOS CEO
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"The figures in this year’s report show what collective management delivers for creators around the world. They illustrate the scale of the achievement of CISAC’s global network and demonstrate what collective management makes possible. CISAC’s centenary provides an opportunity not only to reflect on what has been accomplished, but also to consider the responsibilities that lie ahead: protecting creators’ rights; strengthening international cooperation; ensuring that collective management continues to evolve alongside the industries it serves."
CISAC Global Collections Report 2026
The CISAC Global Collections Report is the annual definitive assessment of creator royalties across the global creative industries, tracking royalty collections for more than 5 million creators across music,audiovisual, drama, literature and visual arts repertoires via exclusive data reported to CISAC from its network of collective management societies.