According to a new report in Informa's "Music & Copyright", Universal Music Group (UMG) took an even larger share of the music industry in 2007, with almost 30 percent of the global market, up from 25.7 percent in 2006 to 28.8 percent last year.

 

The report quoted Sony BMG with 20.1 percent, Warner Music Group with 14.4 percent and EMI Group with 10.9 percent. Independent record companies control just under a quarter of the global recorded music market.

Total sales of recorded music fell 8.9 percent in 2007 to $18.9 billion, while digital sales grew by $0.8 billion to $2.9 billion, just under 15 percent of total sales.

With regards the publishing side of the music business, Universal had 22.2 percent of the market, EMI 19.8 percent. Warner Chappell 14.8 percent and Sony/ATV had 7.4 percent. Independent publishers made up a substantial 35.8 percent of the worldwide market.

 

More details on the research can be found at Informa