AIR calls on indie sector to help quantify local market share

Image: Tash Sultana recently launched her own label, Lonely Lands Records

The Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR)is conducting a survey to estimate the market share of independent music in Australia.

The indie label body has engaged economics advisory practice Deloitte Access Economics to conduct a survey to capture information on the local independent recording sector.

AIR hopes the questionnaire will enable it to make adequate representations on behalf of the sector to both government and commercial stakeholders.

Stu Watters, a consultant to AIR for industry advocacy and government relations activities, told TMN the survey’s findings will support AIR’s lobbying efforts.

“With any government lobbying it is always advantageous to be able to qualify your sector and its position in the broader music industry,” he said. “The findings will undoubtedly support those efforts, whether that’s to do with changes to the Copyright Act or on issues of tax concessions or arts and business funding.”

Among the survey questions, AIR asks participants whether they are registered with the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), and what label they represent.

AIR has stressed that all results will remain strictly confidential and will only be aggregated and presented as national numbers.

Watters told TMN AIR’s survey aims to support the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN)’s global independent survey, which was released in June. Of the Australian findings released, WIN found that independent labels represented 35% of the country’s total recorded music revenue share in 2015. Indies’ physical revenue share in Australia was 31%, while the sector represented 36% of download revenue share, and 39% of streaming revenue.

“What we’re aiming to do is support that report, but drill down into more micro level detail on a per-label basis,” Watters told TMN.

TMN published the independent label market share for the Alternative Top 40 and Australian Top 40 charts in its Mid-Year Chart Report in July. Indies represented 40.95% market share in the Australian Mid-Year Top 40 and 45.24% in the Alternative Mid-Year Top 40.

AIR’s survey kicked off a week ago and a quarter of its membership have either completed it or are in the process of completing it.

“We need to get as close to the whole picture as possible for this to be an effective process so I would urge those who haven’t filled it in yet to do so,” said Watters.

If you work in Australia’s independent recorded sector, please clickhereandcomplete the survey by September 30, 2016.