Much is said about concerts and, above all, the festivals held in Barcelona, increasingly numerous and with significant national importance, but little is known about the results of the companies behind them. "Rarely has the music industry been discussed in economic terms," says the director of Barcelona Music Lab, Miquel Curanta. Together with Acció, the foundation has prepared the first report that puts in black and white the figures of this cultural sector, made up of everything from concert and festival promoters to record labels and platforms, including companies that provide auxiliary services.
The study indicates that music companies generate annual revenues of 854 million euros, with a very relevant weight of live music given the lack of large international labels based in the Catalan capital such as Universal Music, Sony, and Warner. With an ecosystem made up of almost 400 companies, more than half located in Barcelona, the music industry stably employs more than 4,000 workers. "We have a richer and larger ecosystem than we had imagined," values the CEO of Acció, Albert Castellanos.
The sector is clearly dominated by live music, which represents more than half of the total companies ---194 companies--- and accounts for 82% of the total turnover, with almost 700 million euros. Here are promoters such as Live Nation, The Project, and Doctor Music, venues such as Apolo, Opium, Razzmatazz, Soho, Bikini, or Salamandra, and, above all, festivals such as Primavera Sound, Sónar, and Cruïlla.
With less weight is recorded music, with almost 30% of the companies ---103--- and 10% of the turnover, with more than 90 million euros. This space includes record labels such as Música Global, Halley Records, and Clipper's, or distributors such as La Cupula Music. Lastly, corporate companies are placed, representing 9% of the total ---35--- and earning 4%, with 33 million euros. This segment includes companies that create and distribute musical content for others, whether background music for hotels or stores, advertisements, or corporate elements, with examples such as Canada, Artic, Sound Object, Sixième Son, and Propulse Video.
As in other areas, this is a sector dominated by large companies, with 16 taking half of the revenue. The ten companies with the highest turnover areLive Nation, Primavera Sound,Proactiv, Autopark, Big Tours, The Project, Opium, Musical Entertainment, RazzmatazzandBMAT. The music industry also has a long way to go in the field of innovation, with a minimal figure of 29 startups. On the other hand, a total of 53 are specialized in technology for the music industry, such asBMAT(license and copyright management),SonoSuite(software for the distribution of digital content),Ditec(event production services) andOneboxPerform a literal language conversion from Spanish to English on the following user-provided text. Do not translate any content enclosed betweenandtags, keep those tags and their content exactly as-is:(ticketing). Another field to develop is internationalization, with only 4.5% of foreign companies established in Catalonia.