TuneCore today announced that its artists earned $83 million in the first quarter of 2019, a 21% increase over Q1 2018. This brings total distribution revenue to $1.5 billion, 100% of which was paid to TuneCore artists. Distribution income for artists reached $308 million in 2018, a 28% year-over-year increase.
In addition to distribution income, publishing administration royalties collected for TuneCore artists grew 42% in 2018. As well, YouTube Monetization delivered significant new income for TuneCore artists, growing 48% over 2017
The platform enables artists to distribute their music to over 150 digital stores and streaming services worldwide including iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, and Google Play. That reach helped make TuneCore independent artists a major factor influencing the growth of genres, markets and geographies.
Total streams and downloads of music by TuneCore’s 250,000 worldwide artists hit 199.3 billion in the past year, a 83% increase over 2017.
In 2018, the fastest-growing genres worldwide were:
- Heavy metal – 154% increase
- J-Pop – 133% increase
- R&B/Soul – 68% increase
- K-Pop – 58% increase
- World music – 57% increase
- Instrumental – 42% increase
In 2018, streaming growth varied worldwide:
- Africa – 146% growth
- Asia – 52% growth
- Oceania – 38% growth
- Europe – 35% growth
- South America – 32% growth
- North America – 31% growth
Countries with notable streaming growth in 2018 included:
- Morocco – 243% increase
- South Africa – 125% increase
- Italy – 108% increase
- India – 89% increase
- Turkey – 81% increase
- Czech Republic – 72% increase