The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) has released its 2026 Global Collections Report.
The report analyses royalty collections for 2025, when CISAC’s membership comprised 228 authors’ societies in 111 countries and territories, representing creators in music, audiovisual, visual arts, literature and drama.
Royalties collected for music creators rose by 11.9% year-on-year to €14.06 billion in 2025. The collections were given a one-off boost after The MLC in the US joined CISAC.
Digital music collections increased by 27.9% to €6.41bn, representing 45.6% of the music total.
Live & background became music’s second-largest income source, rising by 7.3% to €3.62bn and overtaking TV & radio for the first time.
Music collections from TV & radio fell by 3.0% to €3.32bn.
Music collections have grown by 83.5% since 2016.
The report arrives in CISAC’s centenary year, following the adoption of The Paris Commitment on AI at its General Assembly in June. The declaration calls on governments, technology companies and cultural industries to ensure human creativity remains recognised, protected and fairly remunerated.
The continued growth in global collections shown in our report is a strong and encouraging signal
Gadi Oron
“Human creativity is not something to be replaced or bypassed,” said CISAC president and ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus. “It is something to be valued, protected and celebrated. And I hope that if we get it right, artificial intelligence will not diminish human creativity but will help inspire its next chapter.”
“The century ahead will face the same central challenge as the first 100 years, which is ensuring creators are paid when their work is used, including beyond their own borders,” said APRA AMCOS CEO and CISAC board chair Dean Ormston.
“The continued growth in global collections shown in our report is a strong and encouraging signal,” said CISAC director general Gadi Oron. “It reflects the enduring demand for creative works around the world and the effectiveness of collective management in delivering value back to creators. But as we enter the age of AI, past growth cannot be taken for granted. Our priority must be to ensure that technology strengthens, rather than erodes, creators’ livelihoods.”
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