{
  "id": 18087586,
  "title": "CISAC Reports Record Global Creator Royalties, Warns of ‘Largest Test’ From AI",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/cisac-reports-record-global-creator-royalties-warns-of-largest-test",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-04T07:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/cisac-record-global-creator-royalties-warns-ai-threat/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2025, global music publishing collections reached nearly 14.6 billion euros ($15.89 billion), marking an 11.9% increase from the previous year's 12.6 billion euros ($13.62 billion), according to CISAC's latest Global Collections Report. CISAC's director general, Gadi Oron, highlighted the growth as a testament to the resilience of collective management and the sustained demand for creative works worldwide. However, the majority of the increase, 6.6 percentage points, was attributed to the first inclusion of revenue from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), the U.S. collection agency, while 5.3 percentage points came from organic growth. The organic growth in publishing outpaced the record label side by 5.3%, as reported by IFPI. The industry continues to grow, but the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a significant challenge, as Oron notes that the confederation now faces its largest test with AI, new business models, and shifting consumption patterns. CISAC and its member societies are actively engaging in debates and policy discussions worldwide to ensure creators' rights remain central to AI policy-making. Digital platforms now generate the largest share of publishing royalties, accounting for 45.6% in 2025, totaling 6.41 billion euros ($7.25 billion), reflecting a 28% increase from 2024's 5.01 billion euros ($5.42 billion). This growth is largely driven by the MLC's inclusion. Background music and concerts ranked second at 25.8% with 3.624 billion euros ($4.1 billion), a 7.2% rise from the prior year. Other categories, including television and radio, CDs and video, private copying assessments, and sync, experienced declines in 2025 compared to 2024. In terms of regional revenue, Western Europe led with 45.2% of total revenues, amounting to 6.353 billion euros ($7.2 billion), followed by North America at 31.6% with 4.442 billion euros ($5.02 billion), and Asia-Pacific at 13.3% with 1.87 billion euros ($2.12 billion). The United States topped the list among individual countries, contributing 4.073 billion euros ($4.61 billion), while France, the U.K., Germany, and Japan followed with 1.59 billion euros ($1.8 billion), 1.283 billion euros ($1.45 billion), 1.05 billion euros ($1.185 billion), and 907 million euros ($1.025 billion), respectively. CISAC also collects royalties on literature, drama, visual arts, and audiovisual works, bringing the total revenue to 15.5 billion euros ($17.53 billion), a 11.3% increase from the previous year's 13.92 billion euros ($15.06 billion). CISAC represents 225 collective management organizations across 110 countries and territories, with plans to strengthen the international framework that recognizes creators' rights and supports creative flourishing in an interconnected world.",
  "summary": "Digital is now the largest generator of publishing royalties, accounting for 45.6% of the total.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}