The Centre national de la musique and Arcom publish a study on music livestreaming

On Thursday June 30, the Centre national de la musique and Arcom presented the results of their joint study on the development of music livestreaming, at the 8th edition of the Forum Entreprendre dans la Culture.

The study is in two parts:

• an economic component, carried out from September to December 2021 by PMP, based on documentary analysis, some thirty interviews and two forward-looking workshops with music industry professionals;
• a usage component, based on 12 qualitative interviews and a quantitative phase conducted by Ifop with a representative sample of 1,201 Internet users and an oversample of 816 music livestream consumers, between January and February 2022.

Key findings of the CNM/Arcom study

The music livestream market concerns almost half of French Internet users

Music livestreaming first appeared in 2007, enabling live or deferred broadcasting of concerts and shows. In the wake of the health crisis, the music livestream market has grown strongly, against a backdrop of shutdowns in concert halls. In February 2022, 45% of French Internet users said they had already viewed a music livestream.

Since the resumption of live performance, only 10% of music livestreamers have stopped.

Music livestream users have a younger profile than the average French Internet user, with an over-representation of under-35s (45% of music livestream users). Music livestreamers are also regular consumers of physical music and concerts.

The crisis has accelerated and anchored the development of music livestreaming: 39% of current livestream consumers began their practices since the start of the pandemic. Conversely, only 10% of consumers have stopped using livestreams since the venues reopened.

What's more, while almost half of livestream users (46%) claim to have viewed livestreams for a fee, this propensity to pay has declined since the venues reopened.

Thelivestream supply is gradually becoming more professional

The business model for music livestreaming has developed since its beginnings, moving from artisanal forms to a pay-per-view model. It now includes a diversity of business models and players. However, the supply is still underdeveloped on the French market, where investments are few and far between compared to the Anglo-Saxon and American markets.

The need to develop go paperless supplies for diversified, innovative shows

The study identifies several challenges for the development of the livestream market in the music and variety sector:

• profitability ;
• a regulatory manager to be defined;
• the risk of developing unlawful practices;
• the need for a value proposition distinct from physical concerts.

Three scenarios for livestreaming to 2030

By 2030, music livestreaming could develop into:

1. a complement to the physical concert ;

2. a technological performance (augmented show, metaverse);

3. a primarily promotional tool.

These three scenarios could coexist, and their realization will come under the control of several challenges, including the fair breakdown of rights and the place of traditional live performance players in the value chain.

To access the study click here

About Arcom
Arcom is an independent public authority that guarantees freedom of communication. Its mission is to ensure that the public has access to a plurality of audio and video supplies that respect rights and freedoms, to defend creativity and to contribute to the fight agains unlawful and problematic content on the Internet.

About the Centre national de la musique
The Centre national de la musique is a public industrial and commercial establishment under the authority of the Ministry of Culture, created on January 1, 2020. Its mission is to support the creation, performance, production, publishing, promotion, distribution and diffusion of music and variety in all its forms and to all audiences, at national and territorial levels, as well as the sector's international development. It has an economic observatory for the music industry, and provides training, information and guidance services.