2023 broke records — and rewired where money flows
Creators’ royalties reached €13.09bn in 2023 (worldwide, +7.6% year-on-year). The mix shifted: digital was ~35% in 2023, overtaking broadcast, while live & background kept rebounding and broadcast softened. Translation for our region: with digital on top, payouts depend on what societies can match to properly registered works.
Africa’s momentum: small base, sharper upswing
Africa reported €81m in 2023 (+3.2%). In 2024 the region accelerated to €90m (+14.2%), the fastest regional growth in CISAC’s reporting that year. The signal is practical: where licensing expands and repertoire data is usable across systems, more usages convert to royalties. Upside remains — especially where public performance frameworks are still formalising and digital services have scaled.
How the money actually moves — the short version
Platforms report usage on recordings (ISRCs). Societies pay on musical works (ISWCs). Matching the two is not magic; it’s metadata discipline. When ISWC↔ISRC links exist at, or close to, release — and writer/publisher splits add cleanly to 100% with IPI/CAE IDs — cross-border usage can be recognised faster. That’s why data hygiene is the highest-leverage task for SA/SSA creators.
Standards that may improve throughput (if your data is clean)
Two CISAC tracks matter operationally:
- ISWC↔ISRC linking moved into soft launch in 2025 with selected partners. Intent: make the work–record link born-accurate so matching can speed up.
- CIS-Net 2.0 (the societies’ shared infrastructure) is under renewal with a target to complete in 2027. Expect more automation and better interoperability.
These are enablers, not guarantees. Clean catalogues benefit most; messy ones get exposed faster.
SA/SSA operating playbook (creator-first)
- At release: Mint ISWC; assign ISRCs; align shares to 100%; include IPI/CAE for all parties; avoid duplicate/ambiguous titles. Agree cross-border splits before delivery.
- Screen & broadcast uses: File complete cue sheets within a week (timings, titles, writer/publisher IDs, production metadata). Keep broadcaster logs to support back-claims.
- Public performance: Know local tariffs; document setlists; engage early with venues/events; track where you perform to support distributions.
- Quarterly hygiene: Resolve conflicts; fix title variants across DSPs/society portals; maintain a list of unmatched works until cleared.
What to watch in 2026
- Early signals from ISWC↔ISRC adoption at scale (time-to-match, conflict volumes).
- Public-performance coverage and pricing updates in key SSA markets.
- AI remuneration debates that could affect valuation of authors’ rights.
Why this matters to Downtown Music Publishing Africa
We’re the publishing plug: built in Africa, backed by global reach. Our job is to audit catalogues, register works correctly, and ship buyer-ready metadata so societies and platforms can recognise your rights and pay what’s due.
creators: Book a catalogue audit. We’ll assess splits, identifiers and cue-sheet workflows, and return a concrete fix list aligned to current CISAC standards and the 2027 system upgrades.
Sources
- CISAC — Global Collections Report 2024 (for 2023 data): €13.09bn global total (+7.6%); digital ~35%; live/background rebound; broadcast softness. Published 24 Oct 2024 (global).
- CISAC — Global Collections Report 2025 (for 2024 data): €13.97bn global (+6.6%); Africa €90m (+14.2%); digital > €5bn (~37%). Published 6 Nov 2025 (global).
- CISAC — 2025 Annual Report: ISWC↔ISRC soft launch (2025); CIS-Net 2.0 renewal targeting 2027; anti-fraud and AI advocacy. Published 22 May 2025 (global).
