Streaming keeps Polish music market afloat

Mela Koteluk, one of Poland's most streamed artists in 2014: photo - press materials

The Polish music market grew by 0.6 percent year-on-year to 79 million zloty (18.8 million euro) in the first half of 2014, according to data from the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV).

The growth is largely attributable to streaming services, which recorded a 61 percent year-on-year increase of subscriptions in that period. In terms of value, sales through streaming grew by 61.3 percent and amounted to 6.8 million zloty (1.6 million euro).

Another growing segment was advertising on music sites, which amounted to 8.5 million zloty (2 million euro) in H1 2014, 21.7 percent more than a year before.

“What we are observing now is something of a snowball effect,” Przemysław Pluta from streeaming site Spotify told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. “A growing number of people listen to music from legal sources, because it can be very easily accessed now. And those you use streaming services listen to more and more music.”

The sale of music on CDs and in other physical form dropped in the first half of 2014, by 4.6 percent in terms of value.

“The CD will certainly not disappear from the Polish market, at least not within the next few years,” said Laura Strzałkowska from the ZPAV management board. “This is because of the age structure of the group of music buyers and the fact that the older generation is used to owning a physical form of music.

At the same time, she stressed that the market is adjusting to digital sales. “Artists are becoming more aware about how to use digital tools to produce their own music and do their own marketing,” Strzałkowska said. (kw/pg)