Spotify, leader in streaming in France, is celebrating its 15th anniversary at a time when copyright for music creators has reached records. Antoine Monin, general manager of Spotify in France and Benelux, is the eco guest this Thursday, October 26.
The world of music streaming has never been better. Global royalties collected for music creators break records, 11 billion euros in 2022.
So much so that the President of the Republic himself mentioned, a few months ago, the establishment of a streaming tax based on the turnover of the platforms. Antoine Monin, general manager of Spotify France, streaming market leader in the country, is the guest of franceinfo.
franceinfo: This tax is ultimately no longer relevant, since it is not in the finance bill. Are you relieved?
Antoine Monin: I am not yet relieved, but in any case, I think that we have been heard by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Economy. In the sense that we are not yet a completely profitable company even though we are, with other streaming platforms, the leading contributors to the renewal and growth of the music market in France and around the world. It is impossible for us today to bear the cost of a tax.
Even if it is a voluntary contribution?
We understand the need to finance the National Music Center and that the entire sector must contribute to it. This is why we are proposing to the government a voluntary contribution which would have the advantage of being more balanced and more equitable, because it would be supported by all the players in the sector.
“The sine qua non condition for a voluntary tax is that everyone pays it.”
Antoine Monin, general manager of Spotify Franceat franceinfo
This is the path we will favor and we hope to reach an agreement with the government before the end of the year.
According to a study which was published today by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), worldwide royalties collected for music creators reached records in 2022, almost 11 billion euros in total. So the paid streaming model is profitable for everyone, for the artists and for yourself?
Absolutely. That’s excellent news. And since today, we are celebrating fifteen years of Spotify in France and in several countries, we are also celebrating the renewed growth of the music market. We celebrate the return to a more virtuous model. We have not yet reached the maximum of what we can generate for the entire music market, but we welcome this new growth and it is obvious that Spotify is not for nothing in this growth and in that of the income generated.
This growth is accompanied by profits which is new for Spotify. You announce a third quarter profit of 32 million while you were in constant deficit. At the same time, you have increased your premium rate by one euro. It was the very first time. Is it still difficult for a company to increase its prices?
Of course, but for a business to survive, it must be profitable. However, until now, we have invested a lot in the growth of uses to convince more and more users and artists to trust us and this new growth primarily benefits the music industry. Today, as we are able to grow, we are able to begin to create room for maneuver and profitability is obviously the essential condition for our longevity.
To mark your fifteenth birthday, you published the list of the ten most listened to artists in France last year. Almost only French people, starting with Jul, Ninho, Gazo, Damso, et cetera. Is this a French specificity or ultimately does each country listen to its own artists?
This is another great revolution of the advent of streaming. If we take a step back, fifteen years ago, the best sales in France were almost exclusively Anglo-Saxon. Today, out of the ten most listened to artists in France on Spotify, nine are French or French-speaking.
This is also the case in Italy and Germany, where local artists are at the forefront. So, there is a phenomenon called globalization, which was the subject of a study by the London School of Economics which shows that, with the advent of streaming, it is not the globalization of Anglo-Saxon music with a taste for everyone. On the contrary, it’s full of different artists who reign in their different markets. We also have the export of French music, which is doing better and better. And we welcome that.