Merlin reveals record revenue distributions in new 2019 Membership Report
Merlin has paid out well over $2bn to its members since launch, and delivered over $130m from non-royalty income in the last 12 months.
Merlin, the global digital rights agency for the independent label sector, published its 2019 Membership Report & Survey - revealing a 63% year-on-year increase in member payments (April 2018 - March 2019) to $845m.
This total includes over $130m in revenues generated from settlements and other non-royalty income such as proceeds from the sale of Spotify shares, distributed in line with Merlin’s commitment to transparent and accurate reporting.
Since announcing its first commercial partnership in 2008, Merlin has now paid in excess of $2bn to its members, who collectively represent thousands of independent labels and distributors, and licensed more than 25 DSPs on a global basis. The $2bn landmark was passed in February 2019, and comes only 18 months after Merlin announced its first $1bn in payments.
Over the past 12 months, Merlin has welcomed its biggest influx of new members since launch - adding another 141 companies to its membership - and now represents independent music businesses across 63 countries.
The report also presents results from Merlin’s 2019 member survey, which this year elicited its largest ever number of respondents, with data collected from independent labels and distributors in 35 countries across five continents.
The report can be downloaded here.