ERA Blog - ERA

BIGGEST EVER RECORD STORE DAY CELEBRATION BOOSTS UK HIGH STREETS

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:44:07 GMT

23rd April 2026: Last weekend saw independent record shops across the UK and Ireland come together to celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday 18 ^th April.

Over 300 independent record shops took part, hosting live performances, signings, DJ sets and special events to mark the occasion. Many record shops collaborated with fellow retailers on their high streets including coffee shops, restaurants, pubs and community centres, as well as collecting donations for local charities.

For example, Dash The Henge (London), Vinyl Fetishes (Manchester) and The LP Café (Watford) hosted multi venue festivals, Thorne Records (Edinburgh) had support from their neighbourhood pizza restaurant, Vox Box (Edinburgh) teamed up with their nearby brewery, Rotten Records (Cornwall) offered discounts at their local coffee shop and there were a host of other initiatives designed to support their local communities.

With the 19 ^th annual celebration gaining momentum every year, Record Store Day reported their largest ever event with sales up 25% on 2025 and record-breaking footfall through independent retailers' doors.

Kim Bayley, CEO of the digital entertainment and retail association, ERA, which organises RSD on behalf of the nation’s independent record shops, said: “This year’s Record Store Day demonstrated as never before the emerging role of record shops as cultural hubs on the high street, bringing together music fans across generations and breathing new life into town centres. Congratulations to all the shops who took part and thanks to all the artists, labels, sponsors and countless other partners who made it possible.”

Thousands of cross-generational vinyl collectors began queuing from the day before to get their hands on the 500 special limited-edition releases, which saw high streets become buzzing hubs for music fans. Queues at many stores circled the block with many shops reporting that queues were still ongoing late into Saturday afternoon.

Slow Century Records took part in their first Record Store Day, owner John Ellis said: "Our first ever Record Store Day was phenomenal, we had a blast. We had no idea how it would all pan out on the day, thankfully the day was a massive success and great for the wider high street too. We had music all over the high street in all sorts of venues from opening at 8am until 11pm, our own IPA in the bar two doors down. We were extremely fortunate to have support from BBC Radio Birmingham too!’

Resident Music, Brighton saw their largest crowds in 2026, owner Natasha Youngs said: “The Saturday itself beat all previous years in terms of attendance and sales. The RSD weather gods took good care of us again and the sunshine added to a brilliantly buzzy day of fulfilled wish-lists, shared fandom, laughter, new friendships, live music, artist signings, DJ sets and general good vibes. The days following the event have also been insanely busy, with our highest ever post-RSD sales instore. And then the online after-party delivered another bumper boost to sales.”

Sister Ray, Soho has participated in Record Store Day every year, owner Phil Barton said: “Busy, busy, busier than ever. RSD once again brought the party to a packed Soho. Everyone benefits from RSD. Us, the other record stores, the community and the other businesses that embrace our day as their own.”

Regular Record Store Day queuer, Jack White said: “I met my friends Chris and Beth in the queue outside Sister Ray on Record Store Day 2017 and we’ve kept in touch ever since. We’ve met up for RSD a few times over the years to grab lunch and chat about how our years have gone. Such a brilliant example of how RSD and more broadly music can bring people together!”

Record Store Day would like to thank its official partners - BBC 6 Music, Bowers & Wilkins, Breed Media, Jack Daniel’s, Jubel, Lagom, Metropolis, Tribe and War Child for their support.

Next year will see Record Store Day mark the 20 ^th anniversary of the independent record shop event.

Support Record Shops - Mini Manifesto

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:18:03 GMT

Support Record Shops – Support Your Community

The UK’s record shops are one of the heroes of our highstreets. They are cultural community hubs which provide an economic catalyst to local regeneration.

The vinyl resurgence together with the increasing number of record shops on our high streets, has seen record shops increase their market share by nearly a third in five years.

Record shops have shown passion and resilience to weather the frequent storms of the past few years: Brexit losses, Covid debt, hikes in employment and business costs, all while growing their importance as local employers and grassroots music spaces.

Record shops have been the home to the vinyl revival for the last 20 years, adding value to the UK economy, supporting homegrown talent and bringing communities together at a time when this was most needed.

The 2026 ERA Yearbook revealed the growth in entertainment spending outpaced the growth in alcohol, eating out and gambling in the latest leisure spending statistics, which is testament to the public’s love of entertainment, even when faced with a cost-of-living crisis.

But passion alone doesn't sustain growth, and with business rates and other costs rising at unprecedented pace, and compounding years of pressure after Brexit and Covid, record shops are at a tipping point, risking closure, reduced staffing, or relocation, as a direct result of rising overheads.

With recent concessions being made for hospitality and live music venues, record shops are deserving of a break too; they do more than sell music, they nurture new talent, host gigs and collaborate with venues, employing passionate creators and young people – and they keep local music scenes alive.

In 2025 record shops hosted 1 in 40 of the UK’s music gigs, both in the record shops themselves and in affiliated local venues. That’s over 4,000 opportunities for local fans to engage valuably with the careers of artists, in their neighbourhood, with their community; the very definition of ‘grassroots’!

Grassroots also means community and Record Shops are the beating hearts of ours. More diverse demographics, more young women than ever before, are seeking out independent record shops and spending time there. Local people find calm, conversation and community in these havens of non-judgemental welcome. We need spaces like this for our neighbours to be communities. We need these employers, open to neurodivergence and supported opportunity. Culture connects us. Record shops are invaluable to our communities and at this time, that couldn’t be more important.

ERA are calling on the Government to stop risking record shops’ revival and future survival, and to recognise their essential contribution to the creative and local economy. The Government should support these important independent businesses, which in turn support the wider music ecosystem. Cultural high streets are not sustainable with the current business rates policy. As Lawrence Montgomery, MD of Rough Trade, one of the UK’s best known independent record retailers, says, “ If Government wants to sustain the UK’s cultural clout and an incredible growth sector, that needs to be expressed fiscally, not just fancifully.”

ERA is calling on the government to support record shops in three main areas:

Expand hospitality business rate breaks to record shops, particularly those facilitating live music and experiences.
Recognising record shops as spaces providing cultural community experiences and grassroots talent support.
Incentives for small businesses to hire locally.
'Hire local' incentives such as grants for local employment and training. Costs of employment have soared, with National Insurance changes alongside minimum and living wage increases, paying fairly and hiring fully are becoming prohibitive. Record shops are local, valuable, reliable employers; policy must enable these opportunities with creative incentives, such as local hire and training grants.
Encourage whole high street planning, supporting cultural businesses for improving local living value.
Local authority support for cultural enterprise is a structural, practical, holistic endeavour. Local authorities can facilitate growth and regeneration with thoughtful initiatives, supportive of local and small enterprise.

These three asks - our Mini Manifesto - would support vibrant high streets, increase employment opportunities, in particular for the young, and boost creator revenues.

As cultural hubs within their local communities, securing the future of record shops will support diverse and healthy high streets well as supporting local creators and grassroots venues.

From the shops :

ERA surveyed record shop members who said…

Recent business rate changes caused an average rate rise of 47%

some well over 100% and up to 400% over 4 years

55% said business rates will impact other spending and investment

primarily staff numbers and re-investment (expansion, facilities, maintenance)

Top 3 positive impacts of rate reductions/non-increase would:

increased staffing and hours, investment in stock and events (e.g. gigs), confidence of survival.

Testimonials from Record Shops:
Mark Starte. Director of Vinyl Man Enterprises Ltd (Saffron Walden)

"The increase in business rates was a shock this year, with our bill doubling from what it was in 2025. It’s this withdrawal of support for small businesses that is a challenge right now.”

Mark Thorne, Thorne Records (Edinburgh)

“At a time when we should all be reaching out to the people, businesses and communities around us, having to tighten the purse strings and batten-down the hatches would be extremely damaging to the support that we want and should be giving to our customers and community.”

Lawrence Montgomery, MD Rough Trade (London, Bristol, Liverpool, Nottingham)

"Recent exemptions for music venues and pubs, rightly recognised both as culturally significant. Record shops, however, are excluded from this logic, despite playing a central role in music discovery, artist development, and community-building. This distinction is difficult to justify...If Government wants to sustain the UK’s cultural clout and an incredible growth sector, that needs to be expressed fiscally, not just fancifully.”

Mark Burgess, Flashback Records (London)

“ I run a chain of record shops in North and East London, employing nearly 40 people across three locations. Over the last 10 years, we have faced numerous challenges. Since Brexit hit in 2016, our exports to Europe are now at about 20% of what they were pre-Brexit, European customers are scared off by the VAT charges and customs duties applied to goods from the UK. Our Mail Order Department is essential and counts for 20% of our business.

In 2021, we were hit by Covid, which meant we were closed for 9 months in total, and trade was very slow to recover. We were left with substantial debts afterwards.

Over the last few years, three big things have happened…

A big hike in Employers National Insurance Contributions saw us paying an extra £25,000 in tax per annum, which comes out of profit, not turnover.
Consistently higher than inflation rises to the minimum wage have also significantly increased our wages bill.
And now our Business Rates have increased by 176% over the last 2 years with further 15-20% rises planned for each of the next two years.

So, despite our turnover increasing by 10% year on year since 2016 (Covid years excepted), and our workforce expanding by 20%, we are still struggling to repay the debt from Covid. At some point, we must deserve a break and to get some easing of the seemingly incessant extra burdens put on us, so that we can adequately recompense our workforce and get our way out of debt.”

ERA PUBLISHES 26TH ANNUAL YEARBOOK

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:12:18 GMT

High Street Resurgence Sees Record Stores Increase Market Share By Nearly a Third in Five Years

Entertainment Outperforms Alcohol, Eating Out and Gambling in Latest Leisure Spending Statistics

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA today publishes the 26th edition of its annual yearbook detailing the progress of the music, video and games sectors in 2025. It builds on interim figures released in January which showed the sector achieved revenues of £13.3bn last year, up 7.1%, meaning it grew four times faster than the wider UK economy.

Music is fighting back on the High Street

ERA research shows physical record shops continuing to grow in strength driven by the growth in vinyl sales (now at an 18-year high). While home delivery continues to account for more than half of physical music sales, bricks and mortar stores have increased their share by nearly a third since 2021 to 41.2%. They have increased their share of total music sales (including streaming) to 6.2% over the same period.

How High Street Stores Have Increased Their Share of UK Music Sales:

Increasing demand for vinyl from millennials has led to growth for the UK’s only national music retail chain HMV, now with around 120 stores, and has led to a spurt of independent store openings. The total number of independents increased to 499 in 2025 – up 28 on the year.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Record shops are proving they can compete and prosper by doubling down on vinyl and by attracting a new generation of buyers attracted by the IRL (in real life) experience. Shops have reinvented themselves to become cultural hubs on the High Street, offering live performances – around 4,000 of them last year – and an immersive experience the internet cannot match.”

But Bayley warned that increasing business rates and other costs now threaten that resurgence. “Record stores have created this success without any help, reinventing themselves as cultural anchors on the UK’s often dismal High Streets. There’s a real fear that without relief this raft of unwelcome new costs could throw their renaissance into reverse.”

Entertainment outperforms alcohol, eating out and gambling in latest leisure stats

The ERA Yearbook contains latest data from Sheffield Hallam University’s highly-regarded Leisure industries Research Centre which offers an overview of UK leisure spending and shows that in 2025 entertainment sales grew faster than every sector apart from ‘local entertainment’ (cinema, gigs, theatre etc) and overseas holidays.

With growth of 7.1% the music, video and games sectors outstripped books, magazines and newspapers (down 0.7%), gambling (up 1.5%), alcohol (up 5.3%) and eating out (up 6.4%).

UK Leisure Spending 2025:

Source: Leisure Industries Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Entertainment’s 7.1% growth in 2025 was certainly above expectations, but these new figures show that in the context of the broader leisure sector 2025 really was a banner year for music, video and games. This reflects the changing role of entertainment in the streaming age from treat or gift to everyday necessity with, for example an average of 2.9 video subscriptions per person.”

Bayley pointed to figures – also in the ERA Yearbook – which show the average consumer in the UK watches 17.6 hours of film and TV, listens to 12 hours of music, plays 8.9 hours of games, and listens to 3.8 hours of podcasts every week.

“This is dramatic evidence of the ubiquity of entertainment,” she said . “It means people in the UK now spend over a third of their waking hours engaging with entertainment.”*

* Total entertainment hours per week – 42 hours. Assuming 16 hour waking day and 112 hour waking week – 37.5% of waking time engaging with entertainment.

RETAILERS WELCOME RATES CONCESSION FOR MUSIC VENUES BUT ASK “WHAT ABOUT US”?

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:34:02 GMT

Music retailers organised 4,000 gigs and performances last year
“Record stores have a cultural and social value too”

UK music retailers have welcomed yesterday’s new concessions by HM Treasury to offer a 15% relief on surging business rates bills which threatened venues across the country.

Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, said, “We are grateful that there has been some long overdue recognition of the vital role of music venues in the UK’s music ecosystem. Without their work nurturing the next generations of UK talent, there would not be a British music business. Music venues deserve a bespoke solution to their situation and we support the Music Venue Trust’s argument for a specific valuation process that recognises their cultural and community value.

“The same arguments also apply to record shops whose own social and cultural value is beyond question, a point reinforced last year by Labour MP Jo Platt, chair of the Labour Group on Local Growth Funding. ERA research shows that UK record stores are currently organising around 4,000 gigs and performances a year, so while they welcome this latest relief for venues, record shops can forgiven for asking ‘what about us?’. Record stores have a cultural and social value too. In the coming weeks we will continue to make the argument to government that a modern business rates regime must recognise the wider context in which businesses operate.”

STREAMED AND RETAIL ENTERTAINMENT SALES GREW FOUR TIMES FASTER THAN UK ECONOMY IN 2025

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 19:00:50 GMT

Music, video and games revenues up 7.1% to £13.3bn

Streaming services and retailers grew UK revenues from music, video and games by 7.1% in 2025 to a new all-time-record of £13,257.3m, according to interim annual figures published today (January 7) by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

This was more than four times the 1.5% GDP growth predicted for the UK economy by the Office for Budget Responsibility, and marks a sharp upturn in growth for the music, video and games sector compared with 2024.

Entertainment sales have grown by more than 120% over the past 10 years, 10 times faster than the UK economy which has grown just 12% over the same period.

Broken down by sector, revenue from games grew more than seven times more than the UK economy over the same period (+86%), music grew more than 10 times (+124%) and video more than 14 times more than the UK economy (+171%).

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “ This result vindicates the transformational role of streaming services and retailers in driving the entertainment sector to new heights, thanks to a potent combination of technology, investment and innovation. While conditions may be tough in the wider economy, streaming services and retailers are winning a greater share of consumer spending and proving their central role in the UK’s creative economy, driving revenues for musicians, filmmakers and games developers.”

Entertainment’s 7.1% growth rate in 2025 was more than double the growth seen in 2024 (+3.3%) and the fastest growth seen since the pandemic year of 2020 (+24.1%).

Video revenues increased by 8% to £5,438.8m, their highest growth rate since 2022. Games grew by 7.4%, their fastest growth rate since the pandemic year of 2020. Music was up 4.2% with physical formats up a remarkable 11.5%. This comes in sharp contrast to the modest growth see in UK retailing overall.

The combined value of the music, video and games sectors is now nearly double the £6,728.4m they recorded as recently as 2017 and 66% higher than the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Kim Bayley said, “Approaching five years after the first lockdown when entertainment revenues leapt an extraordinary 25% in a year, it is now clear that it was more than a blip. It marked a long-term shift in entertainment spending which streaming services and retailers have solidified with a string of innovations.”

ERA has published the definitive statistics on the value of the UK music, video and games sectors every year for the past 26 years

UK ENTERTAINMENT SALES 2025 (£m):

MUSIC

Sales of streaming subscriptions and music product reached a new all-time-high of £2,453.3m in 2025. Revenues from streaming subscriptions increased 3.2% to £2,045.4m. Physical music sales grew 11.5% to £368.1m, propelled by an 18.5% increase in vinyl revenues and a 95% increase in other physical formats (predominantly cassette) to £4.6m. CD revenues were flat (down 1%) to £125.0m.

Physical formats increased their share of music revenues to 15%, their highest share since 2021.

For the second year running Taylor Swift produced the biggest-selling album and biggest-selling vinyl album of the year with The Life Of A Showgirl with sales of 642,469 albums, 147,382 of them on vinyl. The biggest single of the year was ‘Ordinary’ by Alex Warren which generated the equivalent of 2.18m sales.

2025 saw a strong showing by emerging UK artists such as Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Skye Newman, amid a combined effort by digital services, retailers and record labels to support homegrown talent.

Said Kim Bayley, “ Streaming services in the UK fund around 60 different programmes supporting music, with a third of them focussing on new and emerging UK talent. Record shops too are playing their part, promoting more than 4,000 instore and outstore performances a year, the majority of them featuring UK artists. Streaming services and retailers are committed to supporting new UK music and the emergence of a new wave of UK artists is vindicating their approach.”

VIDEO

For a second successive year, video was the largest of the three sectors surveyed by ERA, with growth increasing to 8% (2024: 5.1%) to reach £5,438.8m.

Streaming-video-on-demand services such as Amazon Prime Video, Sky Store and Netflix saw revenues increase 8.8% to £4,904.5m while the value of film downloads increased 7.4% to £202m. Sales of physical video formats of video including DVD and Blu-ray declined 4.7% (2024: -8%) to £148.9m, their slowest rate of decline since 2010. Blu-ray (inc 4K UHD) reinforced its position as video’s strongest physical format with sales of £84.2m compare with DVD’s £64.7m.

The biggest-selling title of the year was Wicked with sales of 983,119, a substantial increase on 2024’s biggest seller Deadpool & Wolverine (561,917).

Said Kim Bayley, “ Thanks to the investment and innovations of streaming companies the video business is now nearly the twice the size it was at the height of the DVD boom in 2004 (£2.95bn). Video is arguably the best example of the transformational power of streaming to deliver choice, convenience and accessibility. Meanwhile there are promising signs in the physical format market with a sharp fall in the rate of decline as studios and retailers lean into physical’s distinctive benefits of quality and collectability.”

GAMES

The games sector scored a stunning 2025, growing 7.4% to £5,365.2m, achieving more in 12 months than it did in the four years between 2021 and 2024 (+6.7%).

A key factor was an 8.8% increase in revenues from mobile and tablet games to £1,881.5m, accelerating the 5.5% growth seen in 2024. There was also strong 11.5% growth in full-game console downloads to £857.6m.

Sales of physical console games stuttered, down 1.0% to £318.9m.

Nonetheless games remains the last bastion in entertainment of ownership rather than access models. Nearly half of games revenues (45%) are generated by fans paying to buy rather than access them, compared with 16.6% in music and just 7.2% in video.

The biggest-selling game of the year was EA Sports FC 26 with more than 1.97m units sold across digital and physical formats.

Said Kim Bayley, “ Growth in the games market slowed considerably after the incredible 27.9% gains seen in the pandemic year of 2020, but continuing innovation saw it return to form in grand style in 2025. We have strong hopes that it will maintain this momentum into 2026 .”

UK MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES FUND MORE THAN 60 SEPARATE INITIATIVES SUPPORTING MUSIC

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:11:57 GMT

DSPs are “rooting for UK music” with a third of programmes supporting new and emerging British talent

UK streaming services are funding more than 60 separate initiatives to support the music industry, according to new research from digital entertainment and retail association ERA. And 20 of them focus on new and emerging UK talent.

A full selection of these support programmes can be viewed on the ERA website here.

The research unveiled at ERA’s AGM held today (Tuesday, September 9 2025) comes just a week after ERA revealed that independent record shops are currently promoting more than 4,000 instore and outstore performances a year, the majority of them featuring UK artists.

ERA Chair Linda Walker told the ERA AGM, “DSPs and retailers are not just passive outlets for record company releases. ERA members really care about music and UK music in particular. At a time when music from this country needs all the help it can get, I see how much you are rooting for Team UK. The whole music industry should be proud of you.”

The new research reveals that the largest category of music initiatives supports diversity and inclusion, with the second largest supporting new and emerging talent. Examples of artists supported by DSPs include:

• Floating Points spotlighted by SoundCloud’s regional campaigns;

• Jorja Smith backed by Spotify’s Riff & Runs R&B focused playlists;

• Laraaji who headlined Qobuz’s sponsored Brick Lane Jazz Festival;

• Pa Salieu supported by Youtube’s Legacy Series, pairing Black UK fashion designers with musicians;

• Sam Fender supported early on by YouTube Music’s Video Tentpole

Support for individual artists is also accompanied by a range of initiatives supporting education, particularly education about the music industry. Examples include:

• Breakthrough - Amazon Music’s global artist development program, supporting emerging talent with funding, exposure, and guidance - powered by a key partnership with the Featured Artists Coalition;

• YouTube Accelerator - run in partnership with the Music Managers Forum, equipping independent UK managers with vital training and networking opportunities;

• Girls Make Beats - SoundCloud’s non-profit organization geared towards expanding female representation among music producers, DJs and audio engineers;

• Deezer Collaborates with the Featured Artists Coalition for masterclasses focused on women and queer artists, providing training on streaming, marketing, and social promotion;

• Spotify’s partnership with Youth Music to a create a fund supporting 15 grassroots youth spaces.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Quietly and below the radar of the industry, DSPs and retailers are funding and nurturing the future of music. This latest research uncovers the breadth and depth of that support for the very first time.”

The new report was the centrepiece of an ERA AGM which also reflected on the success of the organisation’s Future Leaders Programme, launched in March 2025, and dedicated to nurturing the next generation of entertainment executives, which directly led to this latest research.

“I think some people thought that Future Leaders was just another mentoring programme when it launched,” said Bayley, “but it’s far more than that. Future Leaders is refreshing ERA’s agenda and this latest research came directly out of our Future Leaders’ concern at the plight of new UK music.”

ERA’s first Future Leaders intake included Mitch Page ( Amazon Music UK), Georgia Butler (Resident Music), Esme Pitts (Sky Store), Melanie Davis (Songtradr) and Josh Holland (YouTube). They were joined last week by Laura Wainwright (Amazon Prime Video) and Morgan Coates (IYK GMI Inc), the latest winners of ERA’s Rising Star Awards.

Elsewhere at the ERA AGM, results were announced of elections to the association’s board with HMV (represented by Phil Halliday), Sky (Paul Newton), Ashlie Green (Davids), Wax & Beans (Lou Jackson) and Reflex (Alan Jordan) all re-elected.

FOCALDATA TO POWER ERA’S INDUSTRY-STANDARD ENTERTAINMENT TRACKING STUDY

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:11:27 GMT

ERA appoints Focaldata to compile entertainment industry’s benchmark consumer tracking study

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA is delighted to announce it has appointed AI-powered research agency Focaldata, named one of the UK’s fastest growing research companies, to compile its benchmark consumer tracking study.

Using its proprietary AI technology, Focaldata will conduct the twice-yearly study into the entertainment preferences and behaviour of 2,000 UK consumers on behalf of ERA.

The ERA tracking study, now in its 12 ^th year, has become the definitive source of insight into changing consumer entertainment consumption behavior with millions of data points on consumer interactions with music, video and games.

ERA conducts the study on behalf of its members who include Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, Amazon, Sky, Deezer and   Virgin Media , together with physical retailers including HMV, Game and hundreds of independent record shops.

Focaldata clients include the FA, PWC, the Cabinet Office, Virgin Media O2 , Which and Money Supermarket.

Focaldata’s Head of Research, George Pinder said, “The bank of knowledge ERA has developed about how music, video and games fans interact with the entertainment they love is truly impressive with applications right across the entertainment ecosystem. We are delighted to have the opportunity to apply Focaldata solutions to this incredible resource.”

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Over the past 10 years the ERA consumer tracking study has charted the rise of music streaming and vinyl, video-on-demand and new gaming platforms. We are proud that it has become such a reference source for so many of entertainment’s most successful companies. I am confident that with the power of Focaldata’s unique technology and analytical tools, we will create even more value for our members.”

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: MORGAN COATES

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:20:00 GMT

Morgan Coates, 29 – Head of Music Partnerships, IYK

Los Angeles–based but very much UK-focused, Morgan Coates is helping to redefine what “physical music” means in the digital age. As Head of Music Partnerships at IYK, he is leading the development of innovative new formats that merge physical products with digital music, transforming the way fans experience and collect their favourite releases.

“IYK is creating a new kind of physical music format,” he explains. “Fans can buy an item – like a lanyard, a patch or a piece of merch – embedded with an NFC chip. Tap it with your phone and you unlock the album, to stream or download. You have to own the physical product to access the music, which makes it both collectible and functional.”

That blend of the tactile and the technological has already proven a breakthrough. “Our recent campaign with Ed Sheeran was pretty mind-blowing,” says Morgan. “We produced NFC lanyards for his album Play and we ended up with 67% of album downloads reporting to the charts in the first week came from these products. In other words, they generated more chart downloads in the first week than both Apple and Amazon combined. It showed there’s real appetite for innovation in the physical space.”

The project also helped mark IYK’s expansion into the UK market. “The UK has been a huge breakthrough for us,” he says. “Working with ERA and the Official Charts Company has been incredible – they’ve been forward-thinking and open to exploring new tech. The UK’s openness has allowed us to test and prove a completely new model for physical music.”

Morgan’s global perspective comes naturally. A Canadian who divides his time between Los Angeles, London and periods working in Mexico and the Netherlands, he’s a true multi-territory operator. His career, too, has been international from the start.

He began in the studio world, studying audio engineering and cutting his teeth as an assistant to legendary producers including Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd) and Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine). “I thought I was going to be a producer,” he laughs. “But after years of long studio hours, I realised there were other parts of the business that interested me.”

He moved into marketing, first at Toronto indie label Six Shooter Records, then to Los Angeles, where he joined Atlantic Records and management company NBD. There he worked with artists including Royal & the Serpent, helping to build their digital presence while on tour with acts such as Demi Lovato and Fall Out Boy.

It was during his time at Atlantic that Morgan first came across IYK. “They were working mainly with brands like Nike and Mastercard, and I thought their tech could be amazing for artists. I became one of their first music clients, integrating their chips into artist campaigns – and eventually I joined the company to lead the music partnerships team.”

Today, IYK is all-in on music. “Our focus is on connecting artists and fans directly,” he says. “Even in 2025, many artist teams don’t really know who their fans are. We’re building tools to help capture first-party data, understand audiences and nurture real fan relationships.”

He also sees IYK’s products as part of a wider resurgence in physical media. “You can see it everywhere – vinyl, cassettes, collectors’ editions,” he says. “Fans want to own something tangible. Our products let them do that in a modern way. Any fan with a phone can tap and play instantly, but they still have something to hold and show off as part of their collection.”

Being selected for ERA’s Future Leaders Programme has given Morgan a new vantage point on the broader industry. “It’s such an interesting mix of people – streaming platforms, physical retailers, tech companies,” he says. “I’m excited to learn from everyone and to share what’s happening in our world of emerging technology. I’d love to help make this new physical format accessible to every artist, not just the top tier.”

He believes ERA has a key role to play. “If we can invent together the next generation of physical music – the new CD, so to speak – that would be huge,” he says. “The UK is the perfect place to start. It’s where innovation and tradition come together.”

Your all-time favourite artist/track?

the entire album 'Absolutely' by Dijon has been on repeat lately

A new artist/track to look out for?

Electricity by Sadye

The biggest issue facing the music industry?

One of the biggest challenges facing the music industry today is the fragmentation and inaccessibility of fan data. Artists and their teams lack direct access to information about their most engaged supporters — the fans buying concert tickets, collecting merch, and showing up consistently. Instead, this data is siloed within third-party platforms that prioritize their own algorithms and ad models over artist-fan relationships. As a result, artists are forced to operate within systems that limit their ability to reach, understand, and build direct connections with their fans. They may have millions of followers or streams, but very little clarity on who their true fans are or how to engage them directly. Artists deserve to own their relationships with their fans — to have the tools, data, and autonomy to build their own world and engage fans directly. Likewise, fans deserve to be recognized and rewarded for their support over time. I want to see a future music industry where there is a more direct, transparent, and mutually beneficial connection between artists and the fans who support them most. No more superfans stuck in ticket queues fighting against bots, please!

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: LAURA WAINWRIGHT

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 14:10:29 GMT

Laura Wainwright, 30 – Vendor Manager & Nordics Country Lead, Amazon Prime Video

Laura Wainwright never planned a career in video, let alone emerging as an ERA Rising Star, but after an events-management degree, and joining Amazon’s cloud computing platform on a graduate pathway, she pivoted from tech sales into entertainment — and hasn’t looked back since. “When I meet so many people in entertainment who’ve been in the business since day one, I feel like a baby in the industry,” she laughs, “but I’m so grateful Amazon let me pivot. I’ve been learning fast ever since.”

Today Laura is a Vendor Manager at Prime Video and country lead for the Nordics on its transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) team. Day to day that means classic account management — maintaining studio and aggregator relationships, ensuring titles and promotions go live on time — alongside the more strategic work of expanding Prime Video’s TVOD footprint across Sweden and Finland (already live) and soon into Norway and Denmark. “Going into a new territory isn’t just flicking a switch,” she says. “You negotiate with local partners, understand broadcasters’ rights, and decide the right windowing strategy for that culture. We’ve also just launched our TV product in some markets, so my network has broadened to include more TV rights holders and aggregators. It’s a lot of spinning plates — and that’s the fun of it.”

Windowing has become a particular focus. “The world is more digital, but cinema still matters. We’re trying to prove you can run premium digital windows in harmony with theatrical without cannibalising box office. Different countries feel differently about that, so it takes collaboration — including with cinema chains — to get it right.”

Her route to film and TV was anything but linear. Laura’s early career at AWS had her working with start-ups (“Some were aiming to solve huge global problems; others were an app for cat pictures — it kept you sharp!”), but she craved a more creative, relationship-led role. A colleague who’d moved to Prime Video opened the door; Laura started with UK local partners and aggregators — “I watched a lot of indie horror behind my fingers” — and later took on one of the US majors in the UK alongside her Nordics brief. At the same time, she has championed projects that connect the industry to the next generation, including a collaboration with ground-breaking film education charity Into Film. The Amazon partnership means shortlisted shorts from the Into Film Awards for children aged 4–19 are now hosted free on Prime Video. “It's really special for a child to see their movie on Prime Video alongside Top Gun Maverick or something like that,” she says. “It tells them this world is for them.”

Amazon may be a technology company, but Laura says the job still runs above all on human relationships. A case in point has been her work helping build a new query-management flow for smaller partners. She is now exploring how AI can make the support process even smoother while keeping an escalation path to a real person. “AI should be additive, not a replacement,” she says. “It can speed up repetitive tasks, but you still need a human to sanity-check outputs. You can’t just run with whatever a tool gives you.”

That people-first mindset extends to market events. Laura prioritises getting in the room with partners — from major studios to niche local players. “Face-to-face, you learn what truly matters to them. That shapes our roadmap more than any spreadsheet,” she says.

Laura says she is very excited to be inducted into ERA’s Future Leaders Programme and to have the opportunity to contribute to ERA’s work bringing together digital services and independent retailers to share ideas and tackle common problems. “I’m excited about being paired with a mentor, deepening my understanding beyond film and TV, and bringing a younger perspective into the conversation, ” she says. Like her fellow inductees, she sees the programme as a way to channel frontline experience into practical change across music, film, TV and games.

“A sign of good leadership is listening to voices from the ground up,” she says. “ERA’s structure — with the main board now joined by the shadow board of Future Leaders — encourages that. I’m thrilled to be part of a group that can challenge, be challenged, and push the agenda forward.” Her first meeting is due later in October. She can’t wait to get cracking.

Your all-time favourite video/film - and why?

Chef is my all-time favourite film. I've always loved experiencing new countries and cultures through their food and music, and Chef perfectly encapsulates this in a movie. The film is an immersion of dishes, Latin music and a heartfelt story about creativity and connection. It's the perfect example of how film can transport you to different places and cultures - not just though its visuals, but through its sounds, flavours and emotions as well.

A new film/video to look out for – and why?

I’m most excited for the release of Wicked For Good. What I love about stage-to-screen adaptations is how they unite two different audiences - theatre lovers and film fans. While there’s often talk about digital media threatening live entertainment, projects like this show how the two can complement each other, inspiring new audiences to discover a love for theatre, live performance, and music.

The biggest issue facing the video industry?

One of the biggest issues to the video industry is piracy. Previously, long blackout periods between cinema and digital releases encouraged audiences to turn to illegal sources. The introduction of earlier windows is helping to combat this, giving viewers quicker, legitimate access to new releases and reducing the appeal of piracy. It’s a great way for the industry to adapt to modern viewing habits while still supporting cinemas.

ERA NAMES ITS 2025 RISING STARS

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:13:20 GMT

Laura Wainwright and Morgan Coates to join ERA’s Future Leaders Programme

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has named Laura Wainwright, Vendor Manager at Amazon Prime Video, and Morgan Coates, Music Partnerships Manager at innovative merchandise chip company IYK GMI Inc., as winners of its Rising Stars awards.

The awards were presented last night (Wednesday September 3) in front of a packed crowd at the association’s annual summer party. Wainwright and Coates will now join ERA’s Future Leaders Programme which celebrates emerging executive talent in the entertainment industry.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “With the vital role digital services and retailers play in shaping the fortunes of the music, video and games industries, it is essential that we nurture and celebrate the executives of the future. We are delighted to hail Laura and Morgan as Rising Stars and to welcome them to the Future Leaders Programme.”

Laura Wainwright was nominated for her work with a range of Amazon Prime Video’s UK studio partners from the very smallest up to international majors, collaborating with them to showcase their content to customers and drive UK transactional segment growth, while also leading the launch of the store in international territories.

Recent successes included implementing new case management tooling to help smaller partners streamline operational queries, and leading Prime Video’s engagement with film education charity Into Film. Wainwright has championed the cause of smaller partners, including setting up partner interviews with Prime Video’s US-based tech teams to ensure the voices of smaller international (ex-US) partners are heard.

Morgan Coates was recognised for his transformational impact on the music retail sector deploying IYK’s proprietary chip technology which can be applied to virtually any physical merchandise product. His citation notes in particular his pioneering work on the Disturbed tour, overseeing the production of over 150,000 chipped merchandise items. His efforts not only brought IYK’s innovative tech to the touring world but also helped secure UK chart eligibility for chipped goods. His work with the Official Charts Company resulted in IYK chipped product usage counting towards UK chart placements for artists including Bury Tomorrow, Bring Me the Horizon, Bradley Simpson, and Tate McRae.

The ERA Rising Star Awards are given to individuals who work for an ERA member organization who are newcomers to the industry (10 years or less) and who have gone above and beyond in their role.

Rising Stars then join the Future Leaders Programme, launched in March 2025 whose objective is to incubate fast-rising young executives, provide networking and mentoring opportunities and to ensure new voices are heard in the fast-changing digital entertainment and retail landscape

Kim Bayley said, “The Future Leaders Programme has already proven its worth both for participants and for the broader ERA membership encouraging fresh and innovative thinking on some of the industry’s most challenging topics.”

ENTERTAINMENT’S CHAMPIONS TAKE A BOW AT ERA’S SUMMER PARTY

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:59:20 GMT

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA kicked off entertainment’s autumn term in grand style last night, honouring seven Entertainment Champions and two Rising Stars at its third annual Summer Party.

Just days after the official end of the summer holidays, digital services, retailers, suppliers and friends gathered at a packed London record store-themed venue Eastcheap Records to celebrate outstanding contributions to the UK entertainment business.

ERA’s Entertainment Champion Awards aim to recognise the backroom staff who play a direct, but often hidden, role in bringing entertainment to UK fans.

ERA Chair Linda Walker said, “What a fantastic night! There were tears, laughter, reminiscence and future ambition aplenty. ERA’s Entertainment Champions prove beyond doubt that just as much magic takes place behind-the-scenes in the entertainment business as front-of-house.”

This year’s honorees were:

Lou Jackson , co-owner of Bury independent record store Wax & Beans - which offers the very winning combination of vinyl and coffee – who was recognised for her work to standardise data for physical product;

Magali Clapier , Director, Licensing of Spotify, who led ERA’s work in the metadata project run by the Intellectual Property Office to ensure artists, labels, songwriters and publishers get paid as quickly and accurately as possible;

Warner Music Independent sales reps Ben Edwards and Dave Murray , singled out for their long-time support and advocacy for indie retail and Record Store Day;

Official Charts Company Director of Operations Chris Austin , honoured for his contribution across the music and video sectors and his central role in the development of the Official Charts Company’s new online platform;

Indie label pioneer Iain McNay of Cherry Red Records, honoured as a key creator of the joint ERA-BPI promotion National Album Week;

Retail veteran, former ERA co-Chair and now commercial director of home delivery specialists Rarewaves Rudy Osorio, honoured for his wide-ranging service to the music, video and games sectors since he began his career in entertainment as a shop assistant at HMV’s legendary Oxford Street London store 35 years ago.

The evening’s proceedings also included the presentation of two Rising Star Awards to Laura Wainwright, Vendor Manager at Amazon Prime Video and Morgan Coates, Music Partnerships manager at IYK.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “The digital entertainment and retail sector has emerged as the biggest single driver of growth and innovation in entertainment. It is therefore appropriate that we recognise the people driving those developments. We congratulate all of our winners – and especially our Rising Stars, the champions of the future.”

RECORD SHOPS TO STAGE OVER 4,000 GIGS THIS YEAR

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 09:29:12 GMT

In-store and out-store performances now account for one in 40 live gigs in the UK

Artists and bands will perform more than 4,000 in-store and ‘out-store’ performances this year, as record shops emerge as one of the UK’s most vibrant live music sectors, according to digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

Once a rarity, live performances are now a daily staple for many record shops. ERA estimates that record shops already account for around one in 40 gigs in the UK, and the trend is rising.

The rapid rise in the number of in-store performances reflects the strong resurgence of record shops, with the ERA 2025 yearbook reporting independent shop numbers reaching a ten-year high of 471, while HMV contributed a further 124 across the UK.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “The rise of in-stores and out-stores marks a dramatic shift in the role of record stores in the UK’s broader music ecosystem with record shops increasingly providing access to live music as well as recordings. It’s a win-win for fans, artists and local communities.”

A decade ago, in-store gigs were virtually non-existent, but over the past two years artist and labels have made in-store performances a key part of their album campaigns, with stores responding and appointing dedicated event managers.

Artists currently performing record shop in-store tours include CMAT, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Nova Twins.

Phill Halliday, Managing Director of HMV said: “Since 2022, HMV has hosted over 7,000 grassroots gigs across our stores. We believe in opening our stages to everyone - sometimes it’s as simple as speaking to the store manager and playing on a Saturday afternoon. Alongside this, we’ve also seen huge campaign moments where major artists come in for signings and intimate shows, giving fans a rare chance to meet their heroes up close. From grassroots acts to global names, these performances all play a vital role in today’s music ecosystem - making record shops cultural spaces where fans and artists can connect in ways that just don’t happen at a traditional concert venue.”

Scott Gamble of Crash Records, Leeds, said: “Last year we hosted 103 events, from listening parties, in-store acoustics, and signings to large-scale out-stores with a couple of thousand people in a night. So far this year, we’ve already hosted 54, with over 60 more planned. These events represent a little bottle of magic that only an indie shop can provide. Whether it’s a local artist busking on a Saturday or a touring act performing in a smaller venue than usual, these opportunities wouldn’t exist without shops on the high street. Our events work closely with local communities - from laundrettes and hotels to restaurants and venues.”

Labels confirm the importance of the in-store phenomenon. Tom Newman, Head of Frontline Releases at Cooking Vinyl said, “In-stores and out-stores are a crucial part of our campaigns - we wouldn’t have achieved the chart success we did on Shed Seven, The Darkness, and Deacon Blue without them. Our artists love performing in these intimate settings, and fans relish the chance to see them up close and even meet them. For the most recent Shed Seven campaign alone, in-stores and out-stores drove over 6,000 album sales - the difference between landing a #1 album or not.”

Said ERA CEO Kim Bayley, “In-store performances are no replacement for a gig in a proper live music venue, but they are an important addition to the music landscape, bringing fans closer to artists, helping up-and-coming artists in particular on the next rung of their careers and reinforcing the role of record stores as cultural hubs in their communities.”

ERA EXTENDS MEMBERSHIP TO WIDER ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:08:01 GMT

ERA adds a host of new benefits to its affiliate membership scheme

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has opened membership to the wider entertainment industry for the first time in response to growing demand for its insight, analysis and event services.

A new upgraded affiliate membership tier will allow companies to join outside its core member base of digital services and retailers selling music, video and games. A series of associate member tiers based on turnover will allow access to companies of all sizes with revenues of less than £1m to more than £100m.

Affiliate member of ERA offers a range of benefits including access to:

· ERA’s industry-standard consumer tracking study, now in its twelfth year;

· ERA’s bespoke research strand, whose early work on Superfans set the tone for the industry’s current focus on this consumer group;

· Weekly, monthly and annual analyses of music, video and games market data;

· ERA’s growing slate of events including its annual Independent Retail Conference and Summer Party and Awards;

· Member mailer and advertising opportunities;

· Preferential rates for submissions to Record Store Day

· Discounts to the Record Store Day Album of the Month programme.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “For more than 30 years membership of ERA has been restricted primarily to retailers and then digital services, but growing demand from outside our immediate sector means it makes sense to open things up.”

Demand is expected initially from technology companies, distributors and content owners who target ERA’s members.

Said Bayley, “Historically retailers were viewed as passive outlets for entertainment, but the work of digital services in driving the streaming revolution and physical retailers in nurturing the vinyl revival means suppliers recognise the need to stay close to ERA’s members.”

More information about ERA’s new affiliate membership tier is available at https://www.eraltd.org/join-era

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: GEORGIA BUTLER

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 08:30:14 GMT

Georgia Butler, 24 – Events Manager at Brighton independent store Resident Music

Musician Georgia Butler runs hundreds of instore and outstore events for legendary Brighton indie store Resident Music.

After a course in music industry studies at university, Georgia, a musician, moved to Brighton in 2020, starting at Resident shortly afterwards. A fan of a wide range of indie music, Georgia is actively involved in the Brighton music scene.

“I worked my way through different parts of the business,” she says, “and now I’m Events Manager, which has happened alongside instores and outstores becoming a huge thing for the industry.”

She’s not exaggerating. The phenomenon of indie stores organising appearances and performances as part of album campaigns has been one of the biggest innovations of the past years. The sheer scale of Georgia’s events schedule is incredible. “Last year we hosted roughly 130 and we’re currently hosting around four to five events in some weeks, so it’s pretty busy,” she says matter-of-factly. “My job is really to help labels achieve success with new album campaigns and book / organise the kind of event that’s going to be most beneficial to that.”

“In the shop itself these events can be instore performances, signings, meet-and-greets or playbacks with capacity for up to 180 people.

For outstore shows, Resident partners with larger Brighton venues such as the 600-capacity Concorde 2 or 800-capacity Chalk.

In addition to booking and working these events Georgia also works to upgrade the processes and systems the shop uses to manage the events. “When I joined, most systems were manual,” she says, “but now we use (ticketing software) Dice and a big part of my role has been integrating ticketing with running a record shop which are two quite different things!”

Understandably, given the sheer number of events she’s organising, Georgia is reluctant to name just one standout. There really are too many to mention them all.

“We’ve done some really cool stuff,” she says. “Recently we did a signing with FKA twigs. We’ve hosted outstores with Little Simz, Ezra Collective, Conan Gray and Fontaines DC, to name a few. In the shop we get a really nice mix; bands / artists across all genres and in different stages of their careers. Often it can be bands on independent labels celebrating their debut, those have been some of my favourites, as the nature of playing a record shop is pretty DIY, so it’s quite fitting. We’ve also massively grown our reach with opportunities to host bigger pop acts, such as Bastille and Olly Alexander.

“I think the reason we get a lot of returning events, is people love the space and people love Brighton. We are definitely one of the key stops on an instore run these days, which we’re very proud of. We are usually the Brighton stop on the instore / outstore tour.”

With the other four members of the first intake of ERA’s Future Leaders Programme all representing digital platforms, Georgia is conscious she’s flying the flag for the indie sector.

“My role is quite different to the others on the programme, working for an independent record store,” she says. “I think it’s really important that we have that diversity. With the rise of vinyl and the huge uptick in instore and outstore events over the past years, we play a big part in helping album campaigns. We are still growing as an indie store sector and for that to be the case in 2025 is amazing.”

“In my day-to-day job, I speak to a lot of labels, but I don’t really get the opportunity to speak to the digital services. I’m really looking forward to hearing that insight and learning more about the future of the industry.”

Your all-time favourite artist/track?
This changes all the time for me, currently it’s caroline ‘Dark blue’

A new artist/track to look out for?
mary in the junkyard ‘this is my california’

The biggest issue facing the music industry?
I think the biggest issue facing the music industry right now is the growing difficulty for independent breakthrough acts to earn a full time living from touring / releasing music.

NOMINATE YOUR ENTERTAINMENT CHAMPIONS NOW

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 14:27:32 GMT

The ERA Summer Party & Entertainment Champion Awards are back!

ERA's Summer Party and Entertainment Champion Awards are set to return for a third year this September, honouring the behind-the-scenes heroes who make the entertainment industry tick.

A self-described anti-dote to entertainment awards shows, the ERA party brings together the great and good of music, video and game, for one night only at Eastcheap Records in London. The awards celebrate the talented individuals who have gone above and beyond in their roles to deliver entertainment to UK fans. Be it retail, distribution, social media, promotions (or any other role in the industry for that matter!), the awards aim to shine a light on the vital contribution made by individuals in our exciting industry.

Nominations for the Entertainment Champion Awards are now OPEN - if you know someone, within or outside of ERA's membership, who has excelled in their role, simply fill out the submission form and send to megan@eraltd.org before the 30th June.

On top of this, for 2025 ERA will also be introducing a Rising Star accolade which honours the achievements of a newcomer to the entertainment industry within ERA's membership. The winner of this award will also join the Future Leaders Programme which is set up to nurture and promote the next generation of talented executives. The submission form for the Rising Star can be found here - and should also be returned to megan@eraltd.org by the 30th June.

ENTERTAINMENT CHAMPION SUBMISSION FORM

RISING STAR SUBMISSION FORM

2024's Entertainment Champions:

Gennaro Castaldo - BPI

Sam Allison - Rough Trade

Karen Emanuel - Key Production

Marc Fayde’ Herbe - Universal Music

Helena Gardiner - Beggars Group

Neil Lander - DP World
Maddy Smith - Google

2025 Future Leaders Programme:

Mitch Page - Amazon

Josh Holland - Google

Georgia Butler - Resident Music

Melanie Davis - Songtradr

Esme Pitts - Sky Store

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: JOSH HOLLAND

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:34:03 GMT

Josh Holland, 29 – Strategic Partner Manager, Label Development, YouTube

From former bass player in a pop punk bank to an internship in artist management, from being a marketing assistant in a major record label to working as a music supervisor, Josh Holland ticked off a whole bunch of roles in the music industry before he ended up at YouTube.

The band may not have made it big, but it proved a calling card for a new career.

“Someone had heard I’d been in the UK rock/metal scene and YouTube were looking for a rock/metal editor. I interviewed for it and that’s where my journey with YouTube started,” he says.

After two years heading YouTube’s Indie, Rock, Metal and Alternative programming for the UK, he moved four years ago to his current role overseeing relationships with around 50 mainly UK independent labels.

What's unique about my role at YouTube," he explains, "is its hybrid nature, bridging business development and label relations. I spearhead exciting partnerships while also delving into data-driven analysis of label businesses to identify growth opportunities. It’s a fascinating position because I collaborate with labels not just on their frontline releases, but on their overall business strategy.

It means his job can vary day-to-day from talking about specific new releases and how YouTube can support them to business review meetings to contract negotiations about new YouTube products.

Less than a decade into his journey in the industry Josh sees the dramatic and positive impact streaming has made to the music business.

"From our band's perspective, streaming was nascent. Our income primarily came from live and vinyl, and DSPs weren't really on our radar as a sustainable career option. Fast forward to now, and the transformation is striking: artists can tangibly build a livelihood on a single platform by optimising its use and cultivating a direct fan connection. There's a clear reduction in the barriers to entry for making a real living from music. It was a different world.”

Josh is passionate about his job – and his involvement in ERA’s Future Leaders Programme. “I’m genuinely thrilled to be recognised in this way. The talent in this group is incredible, and I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with some of them before - they’re not only exceptionally talented but also genuinely wonderful people. To be named alongside them is a huge compliment. ERA does such important work, and I hope this group can help drive its mission forward, making a real difference across industries.”

His ambition for the group is that together they can make a tangible impact by drawing on their expertise at the frontline of the entertainment industry.

“I think it’s really important that we make sure everyone’s winning together and it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of that in the context of the music industry,” he says.

Your all-time favourite artist/track?

Now that’s an incredibly difficult question, there could be so many, however on the basis I have a Boston Terrier dog named 'Geddy' I will say: Rush - Xanadu

A new artist/track to look out for?

Chloe Qisha - Sex, Drugs & Existential Dread - Amazing up and coming Alt Pop artist born in Malaysia, now based in the UK.

The biggest issue facing the music industry?

Creating a sustainable and supportive ecosystem in the UK that empowers emerging artists to break through the noise and build a career from their passion. Launching new talent in today's crowded music scene is an increasing challenge, with so much content competing for attention. That's why it's vital to equip these artists with the tools they need to forge deep and meaningful connections with their fans, whether that's in the intimate setting of local venues, the tangible experience of record stores, or across the vast reach of digital platforms.

Meet Entertainment's Future Leaders: Melanie Davis

Tue, 27 May 2025 11:01:52 GMT

Melanie Davis, 27 – Product Manager, Supply Chain, Songtradr

New Zealander Melanie Davis is one of a new breed of entertainment industry executives with a background in music technology.

Her work at Songtradr is focused on the company’s distinctive “platform-as-a-service” offering.

Songtradr is a music technology company with both B2C and B2B offerings. On the B2C side, Bandcamp operates as a marketplace where artists and labels can connect directly with fans, monetizing those relationships through digital, physical, and merchandise sales. Their B2B offering includes professional and creative services as well as a licensing technology platform that powers third-party music services through a series of API-based products.

She explains, "I work in the B2B part of the business, focused on providing a platform that meets our clients' music needs. For example, our media delivery API allows clients to access the media their users want to stream or download, while our metadata delivery (Events) API ensures they receive all the necessary metadata. We have a whole suite of different APIs, products, and interfaces that make up our offering.”

So what does she do?

"My role as a Product Manager is quite technical, centred on improving and developing features that meet our client’s needs,” she says, “it’s pretty simple at a high level: we oversee the product and prioritise work with the teams in line with the strategy for the product. But when you work with music, it requires much more abstract thinking than that, at the moment I am juggling some nuanced, industry-specific projects such as artist disambiguation.”

Mel is an enthusiastic member of ERA’s Future Leaders Programme. “I’m over the moon. It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of a board for the first time. It’s so important to have different age groups and tenures involved in conversations like these. We are being given a voice and a chance to learn. I’m excited and grateful to ERA.

“I view this as an opportunity to deepen my understanding of the broader industry. My work is quite niche, so having a better understanding of the issues faced by the industry is going to help me in my role. I want to absorb and learn as much as I can.”

Your all-time favourite artist/track?

I’ll always boogie to “Dang!” by Mac Miller and Anderson Paak.

A new artist/track to look out for?

Anything released by Barry Can’t Swim has my attention!

The biggest issue facing the music industry?

Accurate creator and artist identification - Without it, many artists go unrecognized and unacknowledged for their work. While the music industry is taking some big strides to address this, there's still a long way to go. Greater awareness and global adoption of artist identifiers are crucial to improving artist recognition long-term.

Meet Entertainment's Future Leaders: Esme Pitts

Wed, 14 May 2025 06:00:00 GMT

Esme Pitts, 29 – Commercial Manager, Sky Store

Esme Pitts is unashamedly a film fan. “I’m a fanatic,” she says, so when she became Commercial Manager of Sky Store, it was a dream job.

Her role involves managing Sky Store’s relationships with all its film studio partners. “I’m the first port of call if a studio has a film coming out or something needs taking down or a price needs changing or all the many things that might change,” she says. “You get pulled in a lot of directions.”

Esme joined Sky Store in July 2023 from one of those very studios she now liaises with, NBC Universal, and the move has given her a new insight into the broader video business.

“At Universal, I helped manage all of the UK retailers and Sky was one of the main ones. Now I account manage all of the film studios for Sky Store. It’s the reverse of what I was doing before. It has been so beneficial having experience of things at both ends.

Looking back I think I undervalued just how much work goes into putting a film on a service.

“We distribute a lot of new films every week. The amount that comes through is incredible. We have to filter through it and work out what our priorities are. Whereas at Universal you have like one film a week.”

A recent highlight for her was a Christmas advent calendar promotion she put together for Sky Store, complete with onscreen “windows” to open.

“Christmas is one of our biggest opportunities every year,” she says. “People watch far more films during those weeks than they do at any other time. The advent calendar campaign was the first of its kind in the UK, offering a heavily reduced film every day for 24 days. It was a really fun idea. I got all the studios involved, negotiated pricing with them and then had to work quite hard with the team who produce the assets that went on the UI (user interface), the merchandising team, and then with the marketing team and that took a lot of project management.

“At times it was super-difficult, but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. It looked amazing and the results were great.”

So what was it like to be selected for ERA’s Future Leaders Programme?

“I am super happy and honoured to be selected, she says. “We all want to improve and evolve the industry we work in, and we want to feel like we have a voice in the room and our ideas are valued. It’s clear from the meetings I’ve had with ERA already that it’s a safe space and a real place for collaboration. It’s an industry body I want to be associated with and I want to help.”

Your all-time favourite video/film?
I go back and forth but right now I would say it's Get Out. Directed by the horror genius that is Jordan Peele (he can do no wrong in my eyes)! The film perfectly intertwines horror with comedy, which is no small feat. It has such a powerful commentary on racism with a blinding performance by Daniel Kaluuya who is one of the best British actors working right now!

A new film/video to look out for? I'm super excited to see 28 Years Later which is out on 20 ^th June in cinemas! I recently saw the first film which was pretty revolutionary when it first came out - the trailer for this new one looks epic so I cannot wait to see that one.

The biggest issue facing the video industry?
I would say that Piracy remains a massive challenge for us, it costs the industry millions in lost sales which affects both major studios and independent filmmakers. I've read the stat that 20% of UK internet users admit to illegal streaming which is pretty staggering. It really devalues our content, undermining the work of creators and reducing the perceived worth of a film or TV show.

Meet Entertainment's Future Leaders: Mitch Page

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 13:43:32 GMT

Mitch Page, 29 – Head of Indies Label Relations, Amazon Music UK

Everything about Mitch Page’s CV speaks music .

After studying music production in Leeds, Mitch has had stints as a talent scout, jingle writer, ticketing agent, artist manager and label manager. Now, at the age of 29, Mitch works for Amazon Music and is responsible for the streaming service’s relations with the entire UK independent music sector.

“I always wanted to do something in music,” he says. “My aspiration was to be Mark Ronson, but I didn’t have the hair or the talent.”

After university he moved to Manchester. “I basically emailed everyone in Manchester I could find who had anything to do with a record label.”

The tactic worked and he began working, initially unpaid, for noted Manchester indie, Scruff Of The Neck, before joining as a salaried member of the team, first on ticketing, then with its management arm, with artists including Cassia, Larkins and The Reytons, and ultimately being appointed label manager.

A notable highlight came in 2019 when Scruff Of The Neck was named Best Small Label at the AIM Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of the UK indie community.

Mitch’s reputation was growing and so it is perhaps no wonder that he joined Amazon Music UK to become its first label relations manager focused solely on the indie sector.

“In November 2020 I moved to London,” he says. “I was the first person hired at Amazon Music whose role solely focused on the independent community in the UK, so a lot of my job at first was building relationships. One of the earliest things we did was a livestream with IDLES, and that sent out a strong signal that we were serious about this.

“Moving from the label to Amazon Music was essentially going from one of the smaller companies in the industry to one of the most popular streaming services overnight. But the culture was very similar. They both have a start-up culture. At Amazon Music, you are encouraged to think fast and think big and to feel like an owner, a leader.”

Inevitably, Mitch’s label relations role entails a lot of meetings. “Label relations is the bridge between the record industry and the streaming services,” he says. “There are thousands of indie labels in the UK and they all have my email.”

Mitch’s role entails lots of meetings with labels, ranging from regular updates to playbacks of forthcoming new releases..

It may be business, but it also reflects Mitch’s personal passion. “I care deeply about this industry, the well-being of my colleagues and artists, and the success of British music,” he says.

With his selection to ERA’s Future Leaders Programme, Mitch looks forward to using it as a platform to tackle some of the issues facing the sector.

“I’m really looking forward to being part of a group of individuals who can offer new perspectives and insight,” he says. “The best way to deal with common problems is by people coming together and working like this.”

Q&A

Your all-time favourite artist/track?

> James Blake. I remember first hearing 'Wilhelm Scream' and 'Love What Happened Here' and it just changing my world. His work was the catalyst that inspired me not just to make music, but ultimately led me to pursue a career in the industry.

A new artist/track to look out for ?

> I can’t tell people about Luvcat enough - but on the even newer side, ‘In the Car’ by Jack Patchett has been on repeat since first hearing.

The biggest issue facing the music industry?

> There’s been lots of discussion about the difficulty facing UK artists trying to breakthrough and the changing landscape of the independent sector - I want to ensure I’m doing everything to play my part in the long term health and success of UK talent and Independent music.

Record Store Day UK Reaches Historic High

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 07:58:05 GMT

Preliminary results from Record Store Day – held on April 12 – confirm that it was the largest and most successful yet in the annual event’s 18 year history.

The number of participating stores increased to 278 reflecting the increasing health of the sector.

Meanwhile the event sparked the highest weekly total vinyl album sales through UK independent record shops since at least 1994.

Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association which organises RSD on behalf of the UK’s indie stores, said, “An initiative designed primarily to support UK indie store culture has become a multi-faceted success, not only delivering on its original objectives, but also giving a boost to the UK’s hard-pressed High Street and generating incremental promotion and revenue for artists and labels.”

Vinyl album sales in indie record shops were up by over 270% on the weekly average so far this year, while overall vinyl sales –including through non-indies - rose by 80% across the UK market. Compared to last year, RSD 2025 saw an 18% uplift in sales, making it the most successful yet.

The indies share of vinyl sales in the week of Record Store Day also increased dramatically. In a typical week indies account for just over a third of vinyl sales (34.6%), but RSD 25 drive that share to more than two-thirds (72.1%), another all-time record.

RSD’s impact was felt in the charts with Oasis’s Time Flies - 1994–2009, an RSD exclusive, hitting No.3 on the Official Albums Chart. Significantly nine of the ten top-selling albums on the day were by UK artists – a notable highlight in an era of global streaming hits.

Darren Draper of Southampton’s Powerhouse Music said, "Record Store Day totally exceeded all of our expectations. From start to finish the vibe was electric. Being a new store, the event really helped to put us on the map, with new customers on the day already returning. It was an absolute pleasure to be involved and witness people's reactions when they picked up those records they were so excited about.”

Record Store Day's Cultural Impact Across the UK
Record Store Day continues to play a pivotal cultural role across the UK, with over 70 official events taking place in independent record shops nationwide - including live bands, DJ sets, signings, and exclusive drops. The event's impact also extended to social media, with a notable surge in engagement, particularly among younger and female audiences, which was felt up and down the UK.

Russell Elder of Monorail, Glasgow said, "Record Store Day always feels like celebratory, worthwhile culmination of the work that goes in. We see early birds of all ages and musical backgrounds out for those treasured limited editions of their favourite artists and the excitement is palpable. For people with a special connection with music it's just a brilliant time of year."

RSD is over for 2025, but a continuing flavour of indie record shop culture can be enjoyed in Behind The Counter - the original videos series spotlighting UK independent UK record shops, created by RSD and Classic Album Sundays in association with Bowers & Wilkins, offering a window into the people, passion and stories that make record shops the important cultural hubs they are. This year's 12-part season reached over 5.5 million viewers across platforms, marking a significant milestone in the series' continued growth and impact.

ERA PROMOTES MEGAN OGLEBY-PAGE TO HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 08:00:01 GMT

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has appointed Megan Ogleby-Page, the driving force behind Record Store Day for over a decade, as Head of Operations.

The move will give her oversight of all ERA’s activities, reporting to CEO Kim Bayley.

Ogleby-Page joined ERA straight from university in 2014. During her time as lead coordinator and driver of Record Store Day, the annual promotion has become the UK’s most successful new music promotion of the 21st century, last year generating additional sales through indie record stores of around £10m.

Highlights included the recruitment of Elton John (2017) and Kate Bush (2024) as Record Store Day ambassadors, the striking of sponsorship deals with brands including Bowers & Wilkins and Studio Miraval and the development of RSD’s close partnership with BBC 6 Music and successful collaboration with charity WarChild.

Ogleby-Page also played a key role in the launch in 2018 of National Album Day, a collaboration between ERA and record companies trade association the BPI. Most recently she has driven ERA’s new Future Leaders Programme, designed to celebrate and support emerging executive talent in the digital entertainment and retail sector.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said,

“This is an incredibly well-deserved promotion. Megan is a force of nature and has more than proved herself on Record Store Day. I am delighted she will now have the opportunity to apply her talents to ERA’s broader activities.”

Megan Ogleby-Page said,

“The sector we at ERA are proud to represent has transformed the entertainment sector over the past decade and returned it to growth. I am delighted to have the opportunity now to work on behalf of all of our streaming and High Street and internet retail members as well as the independents I have championed for the past 10 years. I am grateful to the ERA board and in particular to Kim Bayley for her faith and mentorship.”

The next edition of Record Store Day takes place on April 12, 2025 with 430 exclusive releases and 275 participating independent stores.

Ogleby-Page’s work has attracted a string of accolades. She was named to Music Week's 2018 Women in Music roll of honour, named Young Achiever of the Year (Trade Association Awards 2018) and runner-up Young Business Person of the Year (Federation of Small Business Awards 2017).

She is currently studying for an MBA alongside her duties at ERA and will take up the role of Head of Operations on April 1, 2025.

ERA RECOGNISES ENTERTAINMENT’S FUTURE LEADERS

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

New programme to celebrate emerging executive talent

First cohort includes representatives of Amazon, Google,
Resident, Sky Store and Songtradr

(L to r) Georgia Butler (Resident), Esme Pitts (Sky Store), Mitch Page (Amazon Music UK), Mel Davies (Songtradr), Josh Holland (YouTube).

Photo: Luciana-Cacciatore

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has created a new Future Leaders Programme to celebrate new executive talent in digital entertainment companies and retailers.

The objective is to incubate fast-rising young executives, provide networking and mentoring opportunities and to ensure new voices are heard in the fast-changing digital entertainment and retail landscape.

The programme was launched today in the 25 ^th anniversary edition of the annual ERA Yearbook [download here ], the definitive statistical guide to the music, video and games sectors.

The initiative has been spearheaded by ERA Chair Linda Walker, who said:

“New talent is rightly celebrated among musicians, filmmakers and games developers, but new talent in streaming services and retail is also the lifeblood of the digital entertainment companies and retailers who make up ERA’s membership. This new programme aims to nurture the next generation while also feeding new ideas and perspectives into ERA’s work on behalf of the industry.”

The first five honorees will be added to via a new Rising Star Award at ERA’s annual Entertainment Champion Awards which take place in September.

The initial cohort were presented with awards at an informal ceremony last week (see picture). They are:

Mitch Page, 29, Senior Label Relations Manager, Amazon Music UK who said “It’s great to be recognized, It’s good to be told you’re doing a good job. I’m really looking forward to being part of the NextGen board and being part of a group of individuals who can offer new perspectives and insight. I care deeply about this industry, the well-being of my colleagues and artists, and the success of British music. The best way to deal with common problems is by people coming together and working like this.”
Georgia Butler, 24, Events Manager at Brighton independent store Re sident Music who said: “It really is an honour to be recognised like this. My role is quite different to everyone else, working for an independent record store. I think it’s really important that we have that diversity. With the rise of vinyl and the huge uptick in instore and outstore events over the past years, we are a big part in helping album campaigns. In my day-to-day job, I speak to a lot of labels, but I don’t really get the opportunity to speak to the digital services. I’m really looking forward to hearing insight on that and learning more about the future of the industry. ”
Esme Pitts, 29, Commercial Manager, Sky Store who said, “I am super-happy and honoured to be selected. From the meetings I’ve had with ERA, it’s a real safe space and a place for collaboration. It is an industry body I want to be associated with. I want to help improve and evolve the industry I work in and to have a voice in the room.”
Mel Davies, 27, Product Manager, Supply Chain, Songtradr who said: “I’m over the moon. It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of a board for the first time. It’s so important to have different age groups and tenures involved in conversations like these. We are being given a voice and a chance to learn. I’m excited and grateful to ERA.”
Josh Holland, 28, Strategic Partner Manager, Label Development at YouTube. who said, “I’m genuinely thrilled to be recognised in this way. The talent in this group is incredible, and I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with some of them before - they’re not only exceptionally talented but also genuinely wonderful people. To be named alongside them is a huge compliment. ERA does such important work, and I hope this group can help drive its mission forward, making a real difference across industries.”

The first cohort were nominated from among ERA’s membership and then selected by ERA’s Executive board.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said,

“The launch of our Future Leaders Programme is one of the most significant developments at ERA in recent years. We are delighted to support the next generation of leading executives on their journey and look forward to benefitting from their insights into the future of digital entertainment and retailing. I am confident that ERA and the broader industry will be enriched by their work.”

ERA PUBLISHES 25TH ANNUAL YEARBOOK

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Latest edition provides definitive statistical guide to the performance of the music, video and games sectors in 2024

Entertainment market is nearly three times larger than in ERA’s first yearbook in 2000

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA today publishes its 25th anniversary edition of the ERA Yearbook, the definitive statistical guide to the performance of the music, video and games sectors.

It gives a detailed sector by sector readout on the data first revealed in its preliminary results announcement in January.

Evidence of the increasing accuracy of those preliminary numbers, produced just seven days after year-end, the confirmed finalised total for the year of £12,007m is within 0.01% of the preliminary total.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said,

“The ERA Yearbook has over the past 25 years become an eagerly awaited reference work, and we are rightly proud of the achievements of our research and insight team led by Luke Butler which draws on data from at least six different providers to produce this definitive picture of the entertainment market.”

Entertainment market is nearly three times larger than in ERA’s first yearbook in 2000

A review of ERA’s first Yearbook published in 2000, including data for 1999 (see below), shows the dramatic changes in a sector which in those days was 100% physical, driven by the CD, the DVD, and the console game disc.

The combined music video and games sectors which were worth just £4,152.7m in 1999 reached £12,007m in 2024, nearly three times as much. The fastest growing sector over the period was games which was nearly six times as large in 2024 as it was in 1999.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said,

“These numbers are a stark reminder of the work done by ERA’s digital and streaming members to provide a safe, attractive and modern alternative to the pirate services which dealt such a deadly blow to physical formats in the early 2000s. The fact that these new legal services committed to paying creators for their work now account for 93.2% of entertainment industry revenues is a measure of the positive benefits they have brought to fans and creators alike.”

STREAMING AND VINYL DRIVE MUSIC TO TWENTY YEAR HIGH

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

- Best result for music since the CD era

- Overall entertainment sales exceed £12bn for the first time

- Growth for video, but games declines 4.4%

Streaming services and the retail-led vinyl revival pushed UK music consumption and recorded music revenues in 2024 to a 20 year high and an all-time record, exceeding the pinnacle of the CD era, according to annual figures released today by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

Consumption reached the equivalent of 201.4m albums a year. Streaming alone generated the equivalent of 178m albums, exceeding the record of 172m albums sold in 2004 at the tail-end of the CD boom[1].

Meanwhile consumer spending on recorded music – both subscriptions and purchases – reached £2,389.8m overtaking the previous high of £2,221.7m achieved in 2001.

The success of the music market in 2024 is the most striking feature of ERA’s annual review of music, video and games sales. Preliminary figures show music revenues grew by 7.4% in 2024, ahead of video, up 6.9%, and games, which declined 4.4%, following a drop in physical games sales of more than a third in 12 months.

ERA has published the definitive statistics on the value of the UK music, video and games sectors every year for the past 25 years.

The combined music, video and games markets surveyed by ERA topped £12bn for the first time in 2024, their 12th consecutive year of growth and eighth successive all-time-high. 2024’s £12,009m total was more than 50% larger than the total in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

MUSIC

Music’s 2024 was characterised by growth for both streaming and physical formats. Streaming services including Spotify, YouTube Music and Amazon saw revenues from music streaming increase by 7.8% to £2,018.4m. Vinyl album sales grew even faster by 10.5% to £196m. CD album revenues were flat at £126.2m.

The biggest-selling album of the year was Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department with sales of 783,820 albums, including 111,937 copies on vinyl, which also made it 2024’s biggest-selling vinyl album. The biggest single of the year was Noah Kahan’s ‘Stick Season’, generating the equivalent of 1.99m sales.

Music’s strength is the fact that it still has a robust (and growing) physical business, alongside its strength in streaming, said ERA CEO Kim Bayley.

“With nearly 14% of revenues still coming from physical, music shows the benefits of having a mixed physical-digital ecology,” said Bayley. “We continue to believe that digital and physical channels are complementary and vital for the health of the entertainment market overall.”

VIDEO

For a second successive year, video was the largest of the three sectors surveyed by ERA, with revenues increasing 6.9% to £5,002.0m.

The biggest driver was subscriptions to services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV which grew by 8.3% to £4,460.4m, almost 90% of the sector’s revenues.

Physical revenues continued to be challenged, declining 7.9% to £156.3m, although there was some good news for Blu-ray with sales up almost 5% on 2023, although still below 2022 levels.

The biggest-selling title of the year was Deadpool & Wolverine with sales of 561,917, more than 80% of them sold digitally.

Said Kim Bayley, “More than ever before, entertainment is a visual industry and so it is no surprise that video is now the largest segment in entertainment. Subscription video services have transformed the viewing experience for millions. The challenge for video is to find a physical format which can do for the moving image what vinyl has done for music.”

GAMES

Games may have been overtaken by video in size, but even with its 4.4% decline in 2024 to £4,617.2m, it remains nearly twice as large as the recorded music business.

The key development in 2024 was a shift away from full game sales with PC download-to-own down 5%, digital console games down 15% and boxed physical games down a massive 35%. The winners are increasingly subscription models with a strong value for money proposition which saw growth of 12%.

The largest single segment of the market, mobile and tablet gaming, grew a respectable 2.6% to £1,585.8m.

The biggest-selling game of the year was again EA Sports FC 25 – formerly known as FIFA – which generated 2.9m unit sales, 80% of them as digital formats.

Said Kim Bayley, “After the breakneck growth of recent years, it is no surprise that the games market has slowed down, but it remains a giant. Despite the attractions of digital business models to developers, we believe physical still has a role to play.”

Sources

Music: Physical / Digital - The Official Charts Company. Streaming (subscription only) estimates - BPI / ERA

Video: Physical Retail - The Official Charts Company / BASE. Physical Rental – Omdia. Digital - Futuresource Consulting estimates of transactional digital video including EST (Electronic Sell-Through) Movies & TV, iVoD (online digital rental) and CVoD/Pay-TV VoD (digital rental via Pay-TV providers to a STB). Adult & PPV sports are excluded. SVod (Subscription video on demand) Online subscription streaming services such as Netflix, Disney + and an allocation of Amazon Prime revenue. Now TV movies, entertainment & kids is also included within this, but sports is excluded) . PVoD excluded.

Games: Physical - Nielsen / GfK Entertainment. Digital - Omdia estimates (including digital online, mobile and tablet gaming). Digital Chart - GSD / IFSE

ERA statement on the Government Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 12:46:54 GMT

“We welcome the Government’s AI Consultation and its balanced recognition of the importance of human creativity alongside technological and economic growth. As pioneering services which have driven substantial growth in the music, film and gaming industries, ERA members have a strong track record in demonstrating the growth that can be achieved through voluntary agreement and innovation.

ERA members are already showing how AI can be useful in all kinds of ways, from improving the user experience to ensuring rights holders are paid accurately. We look forward to working with Government and other stakeholders to apply a similar market led approach to sustain the UK’s world-class creative and technology sectors and the immense contribution they make to the wider UK economy. While we have much thoughtful work ahead in this consultation, we must be clear in our direction of harnessing benefits from the huge, untapped and myriad opportunities of artificial intelligence.”

- Kim Bayley, CEO of the digital entertainment and retail association, ERA

ERA STATEMENT ON GLOBAL VALUE OF MUSIC COPYRIGHT EXCEEDING $45BN IN 2023

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:11:11 GMT

Respected music industry economist Will Page this morning released his estimate for the global value of music copyright in 2023

Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, said:

“This report amounts to a ringing endorsement of the role ERA’s members have had in propelling music industry revenues.

“The biggest driver for the business success of artists, labels, songwriters and music publishers is the work of digital services and retailers.

“No one can be unaware of the vinyl revival, but it is striking that vinyl revenues are now growing faster than streaming and extraordinary to think that US vinyl revenues may exceed $1bn this year.

“The report highlights the benefits to the music industry of the growth of streaming video at the expense of cinemas, with video services paying five times as much to music publishers as cinemas.

“This is an excellent piece of work which highlights the strides made by digital services and retailers in helping artists and songwriters monetise their art.”

https://musically.com/2024/11/25/music-beat-cinema-in-2023-with-45-5bn-global-copyright-value/

ERA’S WORK FOR RECORD STORE DAY HONOURED WITH TOP AWARD

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:44:53 GMT

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has been honoured for its work organising Record Store Day, the annual celebration of indie record stores.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “ We are delighted to receive this important validation from the Association Excellence Awards. We know the work of Record Store Day team is appreciated by indie record stores themselves, but it is wonderful to see it recognised outside the industry too. I would like to give a big shout out to the RSD team of Megan Page and Emily Quillin. They truly deserve it .”

The awards are just the latest accolade for the ERA team. Earlier this year ERA CEO Kim Bayley was named to the Women In Trade Associations 2024 Powerlist, created by the Trade Associations Federation (TAF), the “trade association of trade associations”, and nominated for her Outstanding Leadership in the TAF Awards.

ERA Chair Linda Walker said, “ Congratulations are due to Kim Bayley and the entire ERA team. Such recognition shows that their work on behalf of digital entertainment and retail compares with the best, not just in the entertainment industry, but in the wider world of business. ”

Header image courtesy of CAPTURISE

MUSIC RETAILERS SAY CARMAKERS' CD BAN IS LETTING DOWN 7m MUSIC FANS AS TAYLOR SWIFT’S LATEST CD OUTSELLS UK’S THREE BIGGEST-SELLING CARS COMBINED

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 11:21:11 GMT

“Car manufacturers should listen to the Swifties and give the CD another chance”

26 September 2024 – UK carmakers are turning their backs on 7m music fans by removing CD players from new cars, says digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

Commenting on new data from Which? reporting that no new cars in the UK now include a CD player, ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “With 15% of the UK adult population reporting that they listen to CDs in their cars, this is a remarkably short-sighted move by carmakers to stop fans listening to the music they love.”

In the latest edition of ERA’s long-term consumer tracking study conducted by Fly Research 15% of the UK adult population reported that they listen to music on CD in their cars, slightly fewer than the 16.6% of people who listen to CDs at home. While these numbers are down on five years ago (2019: 27.6% in-car and 31.2% in-home), they amount to around 7m individuals.

That equates to around 20% of the 34.5m people with active driving licenses[1].

Ironically, while CD sales have been on a sharp slide for the past 20 years – down to 11.4m in 2023 from their 2004 high point of 170m – recent years have shown signs of a rebound – just as with vinyl which after a similar collapse in the Nineties is currently enjoying its 18th successive year of growth.

“Carmakers seem to be looking through the rear-view mirror when it comes to CD,” says Bayley. “The lesson of vinyl is you should never write off a music format. Even today 50% more people say they listen to music on CD as on vinyl.

“Taylor Swift is leading the way. The 172,000 CDs sold in the UK this year of her latest album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’[2] is more than the three biggest-selling cars in the UK last year combined[3]. Car manufacturers should listen to the Swifties and give the CD another chance”.

ERA HONOURS ENTERTAINMENT CHAMPIONS

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 07:35:01 GMT

Gennaro Castaldo

Sam Allison

Karen Emanuel

Marc Fayde’ Herbe

Helena Gardiner

Neil Lander
Maddy Smith

With tears, joy and laughter aplenty, digital entertainment and retail association ERA last night honoured seven behind-the-scenes Entertainment Champions at its second annual summer party.

The event – described by ERA CEO Kim Bayley as “the antidote to music industry awards shows” – took place at record store-themed hostelry Eastcheap Records in the City of London.

ERA’s Entertainment Champion Awards aim to recognise the backroom staff who play a direct, but often hidden, role in bringing entertainment to UK fans.

“The entertainment industry could not flourish without the hard work of these ambassadors, fixers and problem-solvers,“ said Bayley. “We are delighted to shine a spotlight on the vital contribution they make to ensuring that entertainment finds its audience.”

This year’s honorees were:

· Gennaro Castaldo – BPI Communications Director. The long-time PR wrangler for HMV, Castaldo has held the top PR job at UK record companies trade association the BPI for more than a decade. Known for his passionate love of music, his encyclopaedic knowledge and warmth, Gennaro has been a staunch advocate of Record Store Day and National Album Day. Accepting the award Gennaro reflected on a 40 year career and said, “I really can’t believe this. I think it’s the first award I’ve ever won. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.”

· Sam Allison - Head of Events & Partnerships, Rough Trade. Nothing phases Sam Allison which is just as well since in the past year he has presided over the organisation of almost 1,000 different events at Rough Trade. Recognised by labels and partners for his warmth and can-do spirit, he played a key role in helping deliver the Miraval Record Store Day pop-up shop at London’s Truman Brewery in April 2024 which raised thousands of pounds for charity. “Thank you for this award. It’s all about the fans and the artists and creating memories. Long live indie record shops and long live Record Store Day,” he said.

· Karen Emanuel – CEO of Key Production Group. Karen has been at the forefront of physical music manufacture for a third of a century, with a keen appreciation of the importance of physical retail, a staunchly independent ethic and a commitment to sustainability which together have made her a role model for female entrepreneurs in entertainment. “I am very teary at this moment,” she said. “Thank you for this award.”

· Helena Gardiner – UK Sales Manager at Beggars Group. Lauded for her close working relationship with indie record shops, Helena Gardiner is renowned for her responsive, helpful and supportive approach which led many to say “Working with Helena feels like having an additional team member”. Accepting her award, Helena said, “In the words of the great Kate Bush, ‘Wow!’ I walked through the doors of Our Price Bromley at the age of 19 and realised that I could combine my love of music and record shops and nothing has really changed since then. Thank you.”

· Neil Lander - Business Development Director, EMEA – DP World. It’s no exaggeration to say that without Neil Lander there might no longer be a UK distributor of physical music product. It was Neil who, following the demise of Cinram, persuaded logistics giant DP World that there was a viable business in physical music distribution. In the words of one client, “Neil is a completer-finisher with a can-do attitude who brings a huge amount of energy to the table. He deserves recognition.”

· Marc Fayd'Herbe – Universal Music Sales Manager. “Passionate”, “supportive”, “energetic” are just three of the adjectives attached to Marc, who has proven himself one of the greatest champions and advocates of the independent sector. The decision to honour Marc was made before the recent announcement that he is to retire after 35 years in the music business. Presenting Marc award, Phil Barton of London’s Sister Ray Record said, “This is a bittersweet moment since we don’t want to lose you. To be successful in this business you need to be passionate about music and after 40 years this guy is still passionate about music, and you also have to be a great person and this person is one of the greatest people in this business.”

· Maddy Smith – Artist Relations Manager, YouTube Music. After a successful career at labels Polydor and Capitol, Maddy switched sides to become YouTube’s go-to person for artists and labels. Her skills and can-do spirit are coupled with an impressive command of the bigger picture, which has seen her become a key supporter of ERA initiatives such as National Album Day and ERA’s programme to help nurture the next generation of music industry professionals. Presenting her award, YouTube's Head of Music for Europe, Middle East and Africa Dan Chalmers noted, “Maddy delivers and she passionately fights for artist’s rights to ensure they are paid. She’s brilliant and I’m so pleased she is being recognised tonight.”

The winners of the ERA Entertainment Champion Awards were selected by ERA’s Executive Board following a call for nominations from across the entertainment industry.

Kim Bayley said, “Digital services and retailers are the behind-the-scenes doers who drive the success of the entertainment industry, helping deliver literally billions of pounds of revenues which support the UK’s creative economy. It’s therefore entirely appropriate that ERA should honour the do-ers of the music industry more broadly.”

Last night’s Entertainment Champion Awards follows the success of last year’s inaugural event which honoured:

· Jess Iszatt, BBC Radio London

· Graham Jones, Indie record store advocate

· Natasha Youngs, Resident Music, Brighton

· Ian Sims, Amazon

· Steve Roper, 369

· Rich Clarke, War Child

· Paul Quirk, legendary indie retailer

ERA APPOINTS FORMER WARNER MUSIC COMMERCIAL CHIEF LINDA WALKER AS CHAIR

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 07:12:14 GMT

ERA has appointed Linda Walker, most recently SVP Commercial Partnerships & Analytics at Warner Music UK, as its Chair. She will take up the role from September 1.

Walker was elected unanimously by the association’s Executive Board. She succeeds Ben Drury, CEO of family-orientated audio platform Yoto, who served for 18 months.

Linda Walker began her music industry career working behind the counter of her local East Midlands indie record shop Shooting Star Records. Building on her retail experience, she first joined Warner Music UK as a Sales & Radio Promotions Representative covering the South Coast, advancing through the company’s National Accounts Management Team, before in 2004 becoming its first Digital Account Manager, responsible for Apple’s iTunes (now Apple Music). A string of successes driving commercial partnerships with artists including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Michael Bublé, Liam Gallagher and Stormzy resulted in her being appointed SVP Commercial Partnerships & Analytics, a role she held until November 2023.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Linda Walker’s experience spans all areas of ERA’s membership from independent stores to some of the world’s largest streaming services, and she brings with her a reputation for clarity of thought and pragmatic commercialism, making her the ideal candidate for ERA Chair. “

Linda Walker said, “Digital services and retailers are the unsung heroes of the entertainment industry, playing a crucial role in turning artistic achievement into commercial success and generating more than £11bn in annual retail revenues for the music, video and games businesses. For artists and creators to succeed they need digital services and retailers to prosper too and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring we create the conditions which make that possible.”

ERA Executive Board member and YouTube Head of Music EMEA Dan Chalmers said, “I’ve known Linda both as a colleague and a commercial partner and her skillset and personal qualities make her the ideal choice to lead ERA. She has a deep understanding and feel for what makes the entertainment industry tick and an ability to get things done. At a time when all sides of the industry need to work ever more closely to sustain growth, Linda is perfectly positioned to facilitate that process.”

Fellow Executive Board member and HMV Managing Director Phil Halliday said, “This is a great appointment. From starting her career behind the counter of a record shop to running commercial for a major record company, Linda Walker understands the levers of success in music and beyond. In a complex landscape her broad perspective and pragmatic approach will bring significant value to ERA’s work. We are delighted to be working with her.”

Linda Walker is a passionate supporter of women in the music industry, driving membership of the ’Women of Warner’ Employee Resource Group from 50+ members to 200+ in six months. Her role as champion for women was recognised when she was inducted into Music Week’s Women in Music Roll of Honour in 2020.

Her appointment means ERA has three Women in Music honorees including CEO Kim Bayley and Head of PR, Marketing & Promotions Megan Page, a notable achievement for an organisation of its size.

Walker’s first official engagement as ERA Chair will be the association’s Summer Party and Entertainment Champion Awards taking place on September 4.

Music Metadata Survey

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 12:09:07 GMT

Music Metadata Survey

Improvements in metadata will help efficiency and accuracy for the whole digital music supply chain and ultimately, improve royalty management for music makers.

We are working with the IPO as they look for real-world insights on the availability and working practices around music metadata.

Please could your digital music service operations teams complete this survey.

This will contribute to a very helpful, practical picture of how accessible this essential information is.

Initial deadline is 6 September

Statement on the Voluntary Music Streaming Transparency Code

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 07:54:59 GMT

ERA and its members are delighted to see The Voluntary Music Streaming Transparency Code , which is a world first, come into full force today following a six-month implementation period.

ERA’s members continue their efforts to support a healthy and transparent music-streaming eco-system with a wide-ranging set of industry tools and initiatives to connect creators with music fans.

Alongside information explaining consumer models and monetisation of streaming such as Loud & Clear, tools such as Amazon Music for Artists, YouTube for Artists, Spotify for Artists and Soundcloud for Artists provide a wealth of insights which help artists and creators understand their performance and the opportunities open to them within the services.

ERA members are also working collaboratively with the wider music industry, including creators and labels, on signposting the wealth of information available from its members, in order to deliver on their commitment to give clarity to creators around music streaming.

Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA said:

“ Building a transparent relationship between creators and DSPs will support continued innovation in music models and the growth of the UK music streaming market. Our members invest heavily in developing creator and fan-led platforms to enable all creators to better promote their music and maximise their earning potential. In such a fast-moving world, the implementation of the Transparency Code will facilitate positive outcomes for all parties. ”

MUSIC OUTPACES VIDEO AND GAMES IN FIRST HALF OF 2024 WITH SALES REVENUES UP 7.9%

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 23:15:00 GMT

The value of UK music sales (combining vinyl, CD and downloads) grew by 7.9% in the first half of 2024, according to figures compiled by digital entertainment and retail association ERA, significantly outpacing video sales (combining physical, EST and VOD +5.4%) and videogame sales (combining physical and full game downloads - 29.4%).

Music revenues in the traditionally quiet first half were £163.8m compared with £151.8m the previous year. Vinyl album sales were up 13.5% to £86.3m, strongly influenced by a successful Record Store Day, the annual celebration of indie record shops and Taylor Swift, while CD sales showed a 3.2% increase to £57.9m. Taylor Swift was responsible for the period’s biggest-selling album, The Tortured Poets Department, and biggest-selling physical single, ‘Fortnight’ featuring Post Malone. Value figures for music streaming are not available, but streaming volume – the number of streams accessed was up 11%..

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “This is a striking result for music, driven most notably by Taylor Swift and Record Store Day. It was clear back in April the impact they have had on the vinyl sector, but they seem to have lifted the market as a whole too.”

* Excludes music streaming

Video sales grew 5.4% to £213.7.2m. A 4.7% decline in DVD and Blu-ray sales was more than offset by 11% growth in video downloads and digital rental. These numbers do not include video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV.

In videogames physical games software sales were £111.7m, down 40% on 2023, while digital downloads were down 23% to £236.9m, combining to result in a 29.4% fall in sales of games software, a reflection of a soft new release schedule.

Kim Bayley said, “It was a tough first half for the games business with a lack of heavy-hitting releases, but we are optimistic for a strong second half, the traditional time for blockbuster releases.”

ERA pays tribute to Graham Lambdon

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 06:56:23 GMT

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has paid tribute to long-time board member and former treasurer Graham Lambdon whose death has been announced.

CEO Kim Bayley said, “This is very sad news. Graham was not only a stalwart of ERA whose own career traced the trajectory of music retailing into the commerce age, he was a well-loved colleague. We shall miss him.”

Graham Lambdon was a director of ERA for 20 years from September 1998 until September 2018 and was treasurer for 17 of those years.

He began his music industry career with ground-breaking independent record company Telstar, becoming managing director of its Lightning Export division. Moving to Entertainment UK, part of the Woolworths group, he headed its entertainment supply business for internet retail companies in the UK and internationally.

Following the demise of Woolworths in 2009, he became MD of Isotope Music and Multichannel Consultancy, offering solutions for web fulfilment, postage, freight, offshore fulfilment and marketplace sales.

RECORD STORE DAY X TAYLOR SWIFT – UK VINYL SALES HAVE THEIR BEST WEEK IN 30 YEARS

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 23:15:00 GMT

UK VINYL SALES HAVE THEIR BEST WEEK IN 30 YEARS

The combination of April 20th’s Record Store Day and the release of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department meant vinyl sales last week enjoyed their highest weekly total in 30 years, according to analysis by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

Data from the Official Charts Company show 269,134 vinyl albums and 37,656 vinyl singles were sold in chart week 17, making a total of 306,791. This is higher than in any week since week five 1994 when current statistics began.

Sales of vinyl copies of The Tortured Poets Department- many of them sold through independent record stores - accounted for just under a quarter (24.7%) of the week’s vinyl album sales.

Meanwhile sales of vinyl albums exclusive to independent record shops as part of Record Store Day accounted for an estimated 37.2% of the vinyl albums market.

Last week’s success for vinyl indicates that the format’s revival shows no sign of waning after 2023 marked its 16 ^th consecutive year of growth. Four of the Top 10 biggest weeks for vinyl in the past 30 years have come in the past 12 months.

Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, said it is no coincidence that vinyl should reach another high point in the week of Record Store Day, “Indie record shops were first to realise that the growth of streaming would paradoxically provide an opportunity for the most physical of physical formats,” she said, “and vinyl has sat at the heart of Record Store Day’s celebration of indie record shop culture since 2008.“

She said it was particularly appropriate that it was the combination of RSD and Taylor Swift which helped deliver the week 17.

“Taylor Swift has long been a supporter of indie record stores and served as Record Store Day’s global ambassador in 2022,” she said. “Her support has undoubtedly helped drive even more younger fans to indie record shops, helping sustain the stores which are one of the most vibrant elements of the music ecosystem.”

Highlighting the synergies between Ms Swift, vinyl and indie record shops, Taylor Swift titles led by The Tortured Poets Department account for the three top performing vinyl albums week of release since 1994.

TOP PERFORMING VINYL ALBUMS WEEK-OF-RELEASE SINCE 1994

Source: ERA/The Official Charts Company

Earlier this year ERA revealed that the number of independent record stores in the UK had reached a 10 year high of 461.

RECORD STORE DAY SET TO DELIVER £10M BOOST TO INDIE RECORD SHOPS

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 23:15:00 GMT

Annual celebration takes place this Saturday April 20th

Record Store Day, the annual celebration of indie record store culture taking place this Saturday (April 20), is expected to deliver a £9.7m boost to indie record shops, helping secure the future of one of the key pillars of grassroots music culture.

The £9.7m figure is an estimate of the sales value of the 443 exclusive releases which will be made available through indie stores on Record Store Day. This year these range from Ringo Starr’s “Crooked Boy” EP which includes four brand-new tracks, to an Olivia Rodrigo & Noah Kahan split 7” of “Stick Season” and “Lacy” from the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge to a stunning reissue of Young Father’s Mercury Award winning debut album “Dead”, limited to just 2000 copies.

The analysis, prepared by digital entertainment and retail association ERA which organises Record Store UK on behalf of 270 indie retailers, does not include incremental revenue of non-Record Store Day music titles made on the day, nor money generated by food, drink and other items. The actual total through store tills is likely to be higher.

In 2023 ERA estimates that exclusives sold on Record Store Day accounted for nearly 10% of annual sales of all physical music product through High Street stores. Last month ERA announced that indie store numbers have hit a 10 year high in part propelled by Record Store Day.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Record Store Day is a cultural phenomenon which draws in tens of thousands of music fans across the country, but it is also a financial lifeline for a vital element of music’s unique ecosystem. Without Record Store Day, many would find it difficult to stay in business. We are grateful to the artists and labels who work so hard to create exclusive Record Store Day product and of course to the fans who turn out to support their local stores in such numbers.”

Record Store Day UK coordinator Megan Page said, “Saturday is going to be quite a day. Indie stores can be incredibly proud of what they have achieved. There will be live music, DJ sets, parties and performances in every corner of the country to celebrate. The important thing is people don’t forget that indie record stores are also great places to go to when it’s not Record Store Day.”

This year’s Record Store Day UK ambassador, Kate Bush, said “Each year Record Store Day gathers more attention, more momentum, and attracts more people who cram into indie record stores all over the world to see what’s up. What’s new? This year, I hope you have a fantastic time at this very important event, and that you get to celebrate music that’s been specially released for you”. You can read her full statement here.

ERA STATEMENT ON ONS DECISION TO ADD VINYL RECORDS TO UK CONSUMER ‘SHOPPING BASKET’

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 10:42:06 GMT

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said: “The ONS decision to add vinyl records to its basket of goods and services is an incredible milestone, marking the return to the mainstream of a format, most people – including the music industry – had given up on.

“The long march back to popularity of vinyl is first and foremost a reflection of the inherent qualities of the format, in terms of touch, visual appeal and of course sound quality. But it is also a reflection of the skill and insight of the independent and High Street retailers who first identified that even as music became more convenient and less tangible in the streaming age there would be a need for a physical format which offered things which streaming could not.

“This is a day not just to celebrate the renewed success of vinyl but also to salute the retailers who pointed the way to this remarkable comeback.”

ERA CEO KIM BAYLEY NAMED TO WOMEN’S POWERLIST

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 09:20:53 GMT

ERA CEO Kim Bayley has been named to the Women In Trade Association 2024 Powerlist, created by the Trade Associations Federation, the “trade association of trade associations”, to celebrate International Women’s Day.

This latest honour comes just 2 weeks after Bayley was highly commended for her “outstanding leadership” at the Trade Association Federation Awards.

“I welcome TAF’s initiative to highlight the role of women in trade associations – six of our eight team members are women – and I am honoured to be included,” she said.

In her 21st year as CEO of ERA, Kim Bayley is still innovating and pushing the organisation forwards, in the past year launching the organisation’s debut Retail Champion Awards and Summer Party.

Bayley is best-known as the woman who turned a little-known trade org representing physical record stores into the UK’s, and possibly the world’s, only advocacy group which brings together digital giants – like Spotify, Amazon and YouTube – with the smallest indie record shops.

It was Bayley who stepped in 15 years ago to offer admin and logistical support to a handful of indie stores who had dreamed up the idea of a day celebrating record shops. Under her guidance Record Store Day has become an annual fixture in the music industry calendar attracting star ambassadors such as Sir Elton John and The 1975, sponsored by BBC Sounds and a string of commercial partners.

A tireless advocate for digital services and retailers, Bayley has appeared on virtually every mainstream media outlet.

She has displayed her skills as a lobbyist over a three year period in which music streaming companies have faced scrutiny from the DCMS Select Committee, the Intellectual Property Office and the Competition & Markets Authority, winning people over with her transparent communication style and commitment to finding collaborative solutions to complicated situations.

INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOP NUMBERS REACH 10 YEAR HIGH AS TOTAL NUMBER OF STORES SELLING MUSIC HITS NEW LOW

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:55:10 GMT

INDIE RECORD SHOPS HIT A NEW HIGH SINCE 2014 HIGH OF 461

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 – Independent record stores have shrugged off competition from supermarkets and streaming services to reach a 10 year high, according to figures published today in the 2024 ERA Yearbook, the definitive statistical guide to the music, video and games sectors from digital entertainment and retail association ERA which is available free to download from https://eraltd.org.

ERA research confirms that the number of indie record shops in the UK hit 461 in 2023, compared with 339 in 2014.

In contrast the total number of physical outlets which sell music in the UK has declined over the period from 10,391 to 2,486.

It means that indies have dramatically increased their share of a shrinking physical music market which now only accounts for 8% of overall music sales. In 2014 indies represented just 3% of music outlets; in 2023 they represented 23% of the total.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “In an entertainment market always full of surprises, this is in a class of its own. Despite largely being run by owner managers, indies have seen off competition from some of the largest and best-funded companies in the land. Indies have found their niche and they are here to stay.

“Couple this with the remarkable return of HMV, now back in its Oxford Street home, and it shows that despite the overwhelming success of music streaming, many music fans of committed to the high street physical music buying experience.”

A key factor in the resilience of high street stores has been the vinyl revival. The ERA Yearbook reveals that vinyl sales reached £177.3m in the UK in 2023, nearly seven times higher than in 2014.

“It was high street stores who first identified resurgent demand for vinyl,” said Bayley, “and they have succeeded in holding on to a disproportionate share.”

A particularly factor for indie stores has been the rise of Record Store Day – controlled by indies themselves and run by ERA – the annual celebration of indie record shop culture. This year’s edition of Record Store Day takes place on Saturday April 20, 2024.

Elsewhere in the ERA Yearbook are the facts and figures behind music, video and games in a 2023, in which revenues grew by 7% to £11.9bn. Among the insights it includes are:

Barbie was the most popular film to enjoy at home in 2023 with 770,000 retail and rental transactions;
Digital formats – everything from music streaming to Netflix-style video services to downloaded games – accounted for 92% of revenue last year, with physical formats on 8%;
Video is the largest sector in entertainment accounting for 41% of revenue;
Entertainment’s 7% growth was more than four times that of the market for reading (which includes books, magazines and newspapers) which was up 1.5%;
A massive 82.5% of streaming-video-on-demand viewers use Netflix;
EA Sports FC 24 – the successor to FIFA – was the biggest selling game of the year, selling 2.39m units.

The ERA Yearbook is available to download for free from https://eraltd.org

DSPS AND RETAILERS TURN TO AI, ROBOTS AND FOOTBALL TO INNOVATE FOR ENTERTAINMENT FANS

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 08:00:01 GMT

Fifteen years after the launch of the first streaming service in the UK, DSPs and retailers are keeping up the pace of innovation in order to keep music, video and games fans entertained, according to data due to be published this week by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

In a survey of members conducted for its latest annual yearbook, ERA reveals that the past 12 months have seen the launch of innovations ranging from an AI-powered personal DJ from Spotify to the introduction of wheeled robots to select product for customers in the UK’s largest CD and vinyl warehouse.

ERA Chief Innovation & Public Affairs Officer Lucie Caswell said, “Over the past decade streaming platforms and retailers have demonstrated that they are the engine room of growth in entertainment, doubling sales over that period to £11.9bn. But innovation is not just about the once-in-a-generation creation of an entirely new way of enjoying innovation like Spotify or YouTube Music or Amazon Prime Video – it’s about a day-to-day commitment constantly to improve the customer experience. It’s only through constant innovation that we can continue to grow the business to benefit creators and fans alike.”

The ERA Yearbook features eight case studies of 2023 innovations by ERA member streaming services and retailers:

Amazon Prime Video - Bonus X-Ray content for film fans;
GAME - Gaming promoting social causes;
Proper Music Distribution - A warehouse powered by robots;
Qobuz - A custom magazine with immersive content;
Serenade - Digital “pressings” offering exclusive content;
Sky - Offering a big-screen experience at home;
Soundcloud - Intelligent charts refined using AI;
Spotify - AI DJ offering personalised recommendation.

The ERA Yearbook is published this Wednesday, March 6, and includes more than 80 pages of charts and statistics detailing the changing face of the music, video and games business in the UK in 2023, a year in which overall sales leapt 7% to reach £11.9bn.

MUSIC’S NEXT MILESTONE AND HOW WE GET THERE

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:41:11 GMT

Unnoticed by much of the UK music industry, we’ve only just gone and done it: the UK music business has hit a new all-time high.

According to ERA research, in the chart week ended Friday 23 February, the UK music business completed its historic long march back from the wilderness and finally matched and then overtook its 2001 peak.

On an annualised basis, digital and physical revenues together hit £2,223m, just ahead of the £2,219m peak last seen in October 2001.

The significance of this moment should not be underestimated.

Virtually no one under 40 working in the music industry can remember the glory days of the business through the Nineties. With a typical career in the music business rarely exceeding 10 years, at least two generations have been and gone in that time.

It included 12 long years of decline until finally the bottom was reached and the industry began its equally arduous journey of growth which has brought us to today.

How many brilliant artists, inspirational songwriters and, yes, talented executives missed the opportunity to shine in that period we shall never know.

After sales crashed in the face of internet piracy, countless jobs were lost, businesses collapsed and careers were ruined. Within ERA’s own membership we lost storied names such as Woolworths, Our Price and Tower. We lost HMV twice until it was reborn in 2019.

It was an economic and human tragedy.

ERA’s research show we have finally put those years of hurt behind us.

But in order to move on, we need to understand two things – how it is we came back from the brink and what we need to do next.

Music’s recovery has been almost entirely retail-led. The music business did not collapse because music somehow became worse and nor can its recovery be attributed to music getting better.

Music recovered first because entrepreneurs outside music saw a gap in the market that we missed or were unable to execute – for the subscription streaming model. They did so with their own money and they did it successfully. At the other end of the scale, the remaining hardcore of high street music shops that had somehow clung on identified another opportunity – that there was residual and growable demand for the then-derided vinyl format.

Both of these retail-led innovations not only turned out successful, they have disproportionately benefited the music industry. Which brings us to today and what we do next.

While recapturing the level of sales the UK music industry last enjoyed in 2001 is an important milestone of which we can be proud, it is far from the level of success we should be satisfied with.

Inflation means that rather than £2.2bn, UK recorded music sales should be at £3.9bn genuinely to match 2001’s success. That means we would need to grow nearly 80% in consumer spending terms to achieve the same level of income.

That’s not impossible. If we were able to maintain last year’s 9.8% growth rate, we could probably do so within a decade assuming inflation were to be under control. With the UK streaming market maturing rapidly and most forecasters assuming lower growth, the chances of that happening, however, seem remote.

What we need instead is a recognition that music itself is unlikely to generate the growth the music industry needs. Signing even more new artists is unlikely to move the dial.

Instead we need another transformational technology, which can provide a route to the increase in revenue we need to really match the glory days of 2001. Technology alone is not enough - we need to embrace the entrepreneurs who dare to think the unthinkable. At the risk of being “controversial”, we also need to recognise that digital services and retailers also need to make a profit if the entire music ecosystem is to succeed.

Some believe that new generation AI could yet deliver just such a transformation, but that remains to be seen.

The key point is that incremental improvements are unlikely to deliver the leap we really need. So let’s resolve to be bold, to grasp opportunity and dare to think really big.

Next stop: £3.9bn!

STREAMING AND VINYL PROPELS UK MUSIC BUSINESS TO NEW ALL TIME HIGH

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:15:00 GMT

ANNUALISED REVENUE EXCEEDS 2001 RECORD

29 February 2024 - Booming streaming subscriptions and sales of vinyl albums have propelled UK recorded music revenues to an all-time-high of over £2.223bn.

The new high was achieved in the chart week ended Friday 23 February, according to numbers calculated on a moving-annual-total basis by digital entertainment and retail association ERA, which represents virtually every significant streaming service and music retailer in the UK.

It marks a new milestone for the UK music business and finally draws a line under the “Napster age” which saw music sales decline to just £1,020m in 2013.

“This is a day many thought would never come,” said ERA CEO Kim Bayley. “It is a red letter day for music and the artists and songwriters who soundtrack our lives. There’s still a long way to go, but these numbers show that thanks to the innovation and investment of streaming services, music is on the right track.”

The UK music industry hits its previous peak in October 2001, when the Number One single on the Official UK Charts was Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ and the Number One album was Gold – The Greatest Hits by STEPS.

More than 20 years later Kylie Minogue is enjoying a career renaissance with the Grammy Award-winning ‘Padam Padam’ and will this Saturday [March 2] be named a BRIT Awards Global Icon, while STEPS’s last album reached Number One on the Official Albums Chart.

Said Bayley, “We have come a long way. No one should underestimate the seriousness of the plight the music industry faced in the decade following 2001. It was an existential crisis. Luckily a new generation of music loving tech entrepreneurs were able to see a way to a new model, based on subscriptions rather than sales.

“Today draws a line under 2001 and highlights the fact that music sales have more than doubled since 2013. That’s great, but after 20 years of inflation, it’s still not enough. The next milestone is to see music exceed 2001 not just in nominal terms, but in real terms too.

“As ever the key to growth is for the music industry to embrace innovation. From the wax cylinder to the CD and indeed streaming, technology is the key to growth in music.”

News of the UK music industry hitting a new all-time high comes as ERA prepares to publish its annual statistical review of the entertainment industry, the ERA Yearbook, next Wednesday March 6. The book will explore in more than 80 pages of tables and charts a 2023 in which combined music, video and games sales grew by 7% to £11.9bn.

IPO PUBLISH TRANSPARENCY CODE

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 18:25:45 GMT

Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, comments on the publication of the Music Streaming Transparency Code

Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA said “ERA and its members welcome the publication of the Music Streaming Transparency Code, which we have been fully engaged in developing alongside our partner organisations representing artists, songwriters and all areas of the music business. Reaching such an agreement required hard work and compromise on all sides, but everyone involved can be proud of what has been achieved, a world-first which will support creator understanding of the fast-evolving royalty landscape. A transparent relationship between creators and DSP’s will help drive continued innovation in music models and the growth of the UK music subscription streaming market, which saw an 9.8% increase in value to £1.87bn in 2023.”

UK ENTERTAINMENT SALES GROW 7% TO £11.9bn

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:39:51 GMT

The value of the UK music, video and games markets increased for the eleventh successive year in 2023, rising 7% to another all-time record of £11.9bn, according to preliminary figures released today by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

MUSIC REVENUES HIGHEST IN OVER TWO DECADES THANKS TO STREAMING

VIDEO EXCEEDS GAMES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2012

ENTERTAINMENT SALES UP OVER 50% IN 4 YEARS

9 January 2024 - The value of the UK music, video and games markets increased for the eleventh successive year in 2023, rising 7% to another all-time record of £11.9bn, according to preliminary figures released today by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

It means the entertainment market has grown by just over 50% since the last pre-pandemic year of 2019, led by video (up 88.3%), followed by music (+38.8%) and games (+29.2%).

The main driver of growth in 2023 was streaming and digital services which increased revenues by more than £800m in a year and now account for 91.7% of total revenue.

Bucking the declining trend in physical formats, the value of vinyl LP sales increased by 18% and CD achieved its first value increase in 20 years (+2%).

The fastest growing sector in 2023 was video, up 10% to £4,915m, followed by music, up 9.6% to £2,220m and games up 2.9% to £4,737m.

Driven by subscription services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, video recaptured its historic position as entertainment’s largest sector, ending a 10 year run of dominance by games.

Meanwhile thanks to streaming services from Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and Apple, music revenues were their highest since 2002 - and just 0.08% below music’s all time high of 2001.

Games sales grew by a modest 2.9% in 2023 to £4,736.7m but have now doubled in value over the past decade.

ERA Chairman Ben Drury said, “The entertainment business is defying gravity, delivering eleven straight years of growth regardless of wider economic conditions. Due credit should go to the amazing creative talent behind the movies, music and games we all love, but we should also recognise the huge contribution of the digital services and retailers who have reinvented the entertainment experience for consumers over the past 15 years. The overwhelming majority of the money raised by digital services and retailers goes direct to the content owners, and their success is directly benefitting creators.”

UK ENTERTAINMENT SALES 2023 (£m)

HOW ENTERTAINMENT HAS FLOURISHED THROUGH PANDEMIC AND RECESSION

MUSIC

UK spending on music streaming subscriptions, vinyl and CDs grew by 9.6% in 2023, nearly twice as fast as 2022 (+5%). The £2,219.9m total was the highest since 2001, the historic peak of the CD era, and just 0.08% shy of that record. It was more than double the level of 2013 when music sales plummeted in the face of internet piracy.

Once again, the main driver of growth came from streaming services such as Spotify, YouTube, Amazon and Apple, which grew subscription streaming revenues by 9.8% to £1,866.2m, another all-time-high.

Physical sales grew by an impressive 10.9% to £311m, a significant improvement on 2022’s 4% decline. Vinyl album sales grew by 17.8% to reach £177.3m, while CD recorded its first rise in sales value for two decades, up 2% to reach £126.2m.

The strength of physical sales was all the more remarkable given significant distribution problems which affected much of the industry in late summer 2023.

The biggest album of the year was The Weeknd’s The Highlights, while the best-performing track was Miley Cyrus’s ‘Flowers’.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “With revenues just a fraction away from music’s all-time-high, this is a red letter day for the music industry and is a testament not just to the creativity of artists, but to the entrepreneurial drive of digital services and retailers. A world without streaming now seems unthinkable. Meanwhile the tenacity of physical retailers has driven not just the vinyl revival, but a surprise increase in the value of CD sales. Given all we’ve been through, it really doesn’t get much better than this.”

VIDEO

In 2023 video recaptured its historic position as entertainment’s most valuable category, driven above all by streaming video on demand (SVOD) services from the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+ and Now TV. Revenues grew 10% to £4,915.1m, two-and-a-half times the level in 2014, the industry’s most recent low point

Subscription video on demand grew by 12.8% to £4,401.2m and now accounts for 89% of the video market. SVOD revenues are now up 75% since the pandemic year of 2020.

In contrast to music, video’s physical formats suffered further reverses with DVD sales down 21.7% to £91.8m while Blu-ray declined 15.1% to £77.9m.

The biggest-selling video title of the year was Avatar – The Way of Water which generated sales of 560,000.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “2023 marked a dramatic return to the top for video, finally ending games’s decade-long run as entertainment’s largest sector. For a long time the only way to enjoy video digitally was illegally. Streaming changed all that and has transformed not just the viewing habits of tens of millions, but the fortunes of the entire movie and TV business.”

GAMES

Gaming revenues grew in 2023 by a relatively modest 2.9%, a reflection of its much faster journey to digital maturity than video or music. At £4,736.7m it was more than twice the size it was in 2013, however, with digital accounting for around 90% of revenue.

Games is the most fragmented of the three sectors with channels ranging from traditional packaged discs to console downloads, PC games, mobile and tablet games and a variety of other subscription and token-based playing mechanisms.

Physical games software sales were again challenged, falling 4.4% to £495.0m compared with 2022.

The biggest-selling console game was EA Sports FC 24, Electronic Arts’s replacement for its 29 year partnership with football’s world governing body on the FIFA series. Significantly the new title sold in almost identical quantities to its predecessor, around 2.39m copies.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Gaming is the most digitally native sector of the entertainment business and in 2023 it continued to show its ability to connect with people across every channel and demographic. A maturing market brings its own challenges, but at more than twice the size of the music market, games remains a leviathan.”

KIM BAYLEY NOMINATED FOR OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AWARD

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:41:33 GMT

Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, has been highlighted for her outstanding leadership by the Trade Association Forum (TAF), the trade association for UK trade associations.

Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, has been highlighted for her outstanding leadership by the Trade Association Forum (TAF), the trade association for UK trade associations.

Nominations were announced today for TAF’s annual Trade Association Awards, due to take place in February 2024, and Bayley has been nominated for the Outstanding Leadership Award alongside representatives from the National Residential Landlords Association, the UK Warehousing Association, the Association for Healthcare Technology Providers and the Chemical Business Association.

Bayley has run ERA for the past two decades, transforming an organisation which previously represented purely physical retailers into one which now represents some of the largest technology companies in the world including Spotify, YouTube and Amazon, as well as High Street names such as HMV and GAME and hundreds of independent record shops, for whom ERA organises Record Store Day UK.

ERA Chair Ben Drury said, “Kim’s skills as a trade association CEO are well known across the entertainment industry, but to see her recognised by her peers in the trade association sector is a further endorsement of her accomplishments. We will be rooting for her on February 22.”

ERA APPOINTS LUCIE CASWELL AS CHIEF INNOVATION & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICER

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 17:43:37 GMT

Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) has appointed Lucie Caswell as Chief Innovation & Government Affairs Officer to help drive consensus around evolving entertainment technologies.

Caswell is the former CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition – representing artists including, Radiohead, Imogen Heap, Howard Jones and Katie Melua – and spent three years at the UK’s Music Publishers’ Association, latterly as Chief Policy, Rights & Public Affairs Officer.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “ERA’s members have transformed the music, video and games businesses for the better, benefitting both fans and creators and propelling the sector’s revenue to more than £11bn. The scale of the sector and the arrival of newer transformational technologies means it is entirely understandable that they face more governmental and regulatory scrutiny than ever before. We are delighted to have appointed to this new dual role someone who excels in working collaboratively to find collective solutions to the challenges technology presents.”

Lucie Caswell said, “Digital services and retailers provide creators and the content industries with their most important channels to market and to revenue. I believe strongly that all aspects of the supply chain need each other if they are truly to give fans and consumers what they want. As we navigate another entertainment revolution, driven by dynamic technologies including AI, I look forward to working with ERA’s innovative members and their partners, to ensure a sustainable and progressive ecosystem for all.”

Caswell’s appointment follows the publication of a new statement of intent by ERA, highlighting the values driving its work and that of its members – Collaboration, Pragmatism, Fan-focus, Sustainability and Diversity.

Both reflect a new agenda driven by ERA Chairman, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of screen-free family audio platform, Yoto, Ben Drury.

“ERA occupies a unique position in the entertainment space, bringing together tech giants and High Street stores, large and small,” said Drury. “The creation of this new role and Lucie’s appointment reflect both the growing significance of the sector and the importance, amid further technological change, that we find win-win regulatory solutions.”

HARD-PRESSED CONSUMERS TWICE AS LIKELY TO CUT BACK ON FOOD AS ENTERTAINMENT

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 17:45:11 GMT

Luminate Senior Research Analyst Saskia Allan revealed new data outlining that while 50% of people say they would economise on eating out and takeaways due to the cost of living crisis, only 27% say they would cut down on entertainment subscriptions and just 25% said they would cut down on purchases of CDs, DVDs, books, magazines and games.

Consumers faced by the cost of living crisis are twice as like to cut back on food as entertainment, according to research presented to the annual conference of digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

The study is based on a 2,000-strong representative sample of UK consumers undertaken by research specialists Luminate Data .

Luminate Senior Research Analyst Saskia Allan revealed new data outlining that while 50% of people say they would economise on eating out and takeaways due to the cost of living crisis, only 27% say they would cut down on entertainment subscriptions and just 25% said they would cut down on purchases of CDs, DVDs, books, magazines and games.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “These are extraordinary numbers. They show that entertainment is prized extremely highly by UK consumers and demonstrates the incredible work done by streaming services and entertainment retailers alike in inspiring music, video and games fans. These numbers bode well for the industry as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.”

Combined sales of music, video and games in the UK reached £11.1bn in 2022, up 40% over the past five years.

ERA’s Annual Conference was attended by 100 ERA members and representatives of the music, video and games sectors.

FOUR OTHER THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE ERA CONFERENCE

The music industry’s view of AI is improving

AI expert and former Sony Music executive Gareth Deakin reported that there has been a distinct thawing in music industry attitudes to AI since he first championed the technology back in 2017. “Back then I had to escape out of the side-entrance because people wanted to beat me with big sticks,” he joked. “The industry wasn’t ready. Where we are right now is interesting and positive. Things are moving forwards. What is most interesting is that even then we were able to create from a musical fidelity perspective incredible-sounding instrumental music. But the moment you clone a voice of someone singing, the entire industry explodes which tells you something about how the industry values creativity and music content.”
The next frontier in streaming is “Android fracking”

Economist Will Page pointed out that with a clear majority of existing music streaming subscribers using IOS devices, future growth will need to come from Android users. “The first 25m streaming subscribers are on Apple IOS devices. That means the next 25m are going to have to come from Android and that isn’t going to be easy and it's not going to be cheap. That will affect subscriber acquisition costs and lifetime value.”
ERA has its first Scottish independent board member in its 35 year history

The ERA Conference heard results of elections to the ERA board. These included news that Assai Records, represented by owner Keith Ingram and with stores in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow has become the first independent board member from Scotland to be elected in the organisation’s 35 year history. Also newly elected was digital pressings specialist

Serenade, who will be represented by Mike Walsh.

Re-elected members included Asda (represented by Ryan Longstaff), GAME (Nick Arran), Proper Distribution (Drew Hill), Soundcloud (Sina Ministy), YouTube (Dan Chalmers) and Virgin (Richard Vivian).

UK streaming services and retailers have agreed a new vision for the future of the business

ERA Chair Ben Drury unveiled the new document which has been agreed over the past six months by companies ranging from Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, HMV and GAME to independent record shops. It argues that the key to further growth lies in technology coupled with the passion for entertainment which characterises the sector. It can be downloaded here .

RETAIL CHAMPIONS SHINE AT FIRST ERA AWARDS

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:46:14 GMT

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has presented its first Retail Champions Awards, dubbed the “Ivors of music retail” in an event already set to become a fixture in the music industry calendar.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “In a business which is not short of awards ceremonies, it has long been an anomaly that there we no awards for the sector which engages directly with music fans. We finally fixed it – and we’re glad we did.”

Around 170 representatives of digital services, retailers, suppliers and others spanning the breadth of entertainment gathered for the event held yesterday (September 6) as part of the first ERA Summer Party at City of London music-themed bar Eastcheap Records.

Bayley told the audience, “We are the most significant sector in the business not to have awards and we wanted to highlight the individuals who make a difference not just for their own company but for ERA, its membership and the wider industry.”

Importantly, she said, “All of the award-winners were nominated by their peers – and in a sense it’s the Ivor Novello Awards of retail. The winners were selected by our Executive Board – and it was a tough choice as we had lots of worthy nominations.”

The winners of the first ERA Retail Champion Awards were:

Jess Iszatt, BBC Radio London

The face of the joint ERA/BPI/Official Charts initiative the Record Club, the bi-monthly livestream on Facebook Live, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube Live where she has presented over 70 episodes showcasing artists from Blondie to Jessie Ware.

Graham Jones, indie store ambassador

The first award went to a stalwart of the industry – someone who has spent 30 years in business and has, alongside his day job at Proper Distribution, been a driving force in recruiting independent shops to ERA. With his 2009 book Last Shop Standing, he was among the first to publicly champion the role of indie stores, visiting almost every indie shop in the UK.

Natasha Youngs, Resident Music, Brighton

Long-time ERA independent board member and a driving force in the indie sector. One of the drivers behind Dinked, the new brand of limited edition vinyl pressings exclusive to indie stores.

Ian Sims, Amazon

Described by peers and suppliers as “the best vendor manager ever”, he is also a massive supporter of ERA and initiatives like National Album Day.

Steve Roper, 369

With more than 20 years experience in the business, he started as in indie retail before changing sides to become a rep, selling Sony product to ERA members. When Sony decided to outsource indie sales, he started his own operation 369 and is highly-regarded as a key supporter of retail.

Rich Clarke, War Child

A key supporter of Record Store Day, championing limited edition exclusive product which has raised tens of thousands of pounds for the industry charity. He returned to the UK for the awards from Ukraine where he was with artist Jack Savoretti.

The culmination of the evening saw a special award presented to the widow and children of legendary independent retailer Paul Quirk , one of the driving forces behind Record Store Day, and long-time chairman of ERA, who died in 2020. The award was presented by former HMV Managing Director Steve Knott who delivered a heartfelt tribute to a man he described as his complete opposite but with whom he had a deep friendship and the utmost respect. An indie retailer and an HMV corporate, a life-long Liverpool Supporter and a born and bred Man U supporter!

Reflecting on the event, Kim Bayley said, “The feedback has been amazingly positive. People loved how we honoured real people. The Retail Champion Awards have put a spotlight on the greatest unsung heroes and heroines of the music business. We are already planning next year’s event.”

DRAFT MEDIA BILL THREATENS RADIO’S VOICE CONTROL REVOLUTION

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:47:03 GMT

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA today suggested that proposals to regulate voice-controlled devices are disproportionate and could undermine consumer choice as to where and how they access radio and podcasts.

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA today suggested that proposals to regulate voice-controlled devices are disproportionate and could undermine consumer choice as to where and how they access radio and podcasts. ERA is calling for consultation on the draft Media Bill before any proposals on radio or online content are included.

In response to the decision of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to support bringing voice recognition’s relationship with radio into scope of the draft Media Bill, ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Voice technologies such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant have been a win-win for everyone. They have transformed the listening experience of millions, they have increased audiences and helped commercial radio to record revenues at no additional cost to consumers or the radio industry."

“These proposals have come out of nowhere. They are a solution in search of a problem. The Government must consult industry and assess the impact before considering if any proposals should be included in legislation. Proposals which could allow radio stations to take listeners away from their chosen platforms to listen could add complexity and threaten growth in radio and podcast listening."

“We call on Government to remove these unnecessary provisions and to reject any further expansion, which risks killing radio’s voice control revolution and all sides will suffer. We urge Government and the radio industry to step back from this anti-consumer measure.”

ERA STATEMENT ON MUSIC STREAMING METADATA

Wed, 31 May 2023 17:48:04 GMT

Following today’s publication by the Intellectual Property Office of a UK music industry agreement on streaming metadata, Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, shared a statement.

Following today’s publication by the Intellectual Property Office of a UK music industry agreement on streaming metadata , Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA said:

“The agreement on music streaming metadata marks a real breakthrough for the entire music industry. Metadata is the vital information attached to a track which enables artists to get paid, but too often it is incomplete or inaccurate. We have all known for a long time the need to improve metadata to increase efficiencies for everyone and to speed the flow of royalties to songwriters in particular. The new agreement provides a roadmap to do exactly that, putting metadata right at the heart of the conversation about how we create a better streaming ecosystem for all.

“On behalf of the UK’s streaming services, I would like to thank all of our industry partners for making this agreement possible. I would like to thank in particular the Intellectual Property Office for brokering the agreement.

“The streaming revolution driven by ERA’s members has brought enormous benefits to musicians and fans alike, and streaming companies pay around 70 pence in the pound from streaming subscriptions direct to the music industry. It is unacceptable that musicians miss out on money simply because the industry does not know who to pay. Progress on improving metadata should ensure that even more of the money gets to the right people.”

ERA YEARBOOK CONFIRMS 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF GROWTH FOR ENTERTAINMENT

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 18:48:49 GMT

Five key insights from the ERA Yearbook.

Tuesday March 7, 2023 - The UK home entertainment market enjoyed its tenth consecutive year of growth in 2022 to reach an all-time-record, according to figures published today in the annual yearbook of digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

The ERA Yearbook is the definitive compilation of statistics on the UK music, video and games markets and is available to download free here .

Confirming preliminary figures first released in January, the ERA Yearbook reveals that the UK music, video and games sectors generated £11.08bn in retail revenues in 2022, up 6.9% on 2021 and a dramatic 39% up on the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Five key insights from the ERA Yearbook:

Music, video and games continue to outpace their nearest competitors (p. 10)

While the combined music, video and games sectors grew by 6.9% in value in value in 2022, sales of the entertainment hardware required to play it – TVs, PCs etc – actually fell by 0.3% and consumer expenditure on reading grew just 1.5% to £7.5bn.
The video market is now more than four times bigger than the cinema market

The video market grew by 14.4% in 2022 to reach £4.43bn, another all-time high (p. 11). Total box office revenue figures for the UK (+Ireland) were £978.5m, according to Comscore .
Consumers are choosing older entertainment over new releases in video and music

While media attention has focused on how older “catalogue” music dominates the music streaming market, the ERA Yearbook reveals that video is following this trend with more than half of film downloads and two-thirds of physical video sales coming from older titles (p. 50). Meanwhile the share of CD sales taken by catalogue titles has increased every year since 2018 from 37% to 49% (p. 72).
The games business is back to growth

After slippage in 2021 following the lockdown boom, the games market grew by 2.3% to £4.66bn in 2022, 21% ahead of the last pre-pandemic year, 2019.
Vinyl is driving the value of the physical music business

With 14.1% of sales still from physical formats, music remains well ahead of games (10.5%) and video (4.9%) – p. 13. The key to the resilience of that physical share is vinyl which account for 54% of the value of the physical albums market.

DIGITAL PIONEER BEN DRURY TO LEAD ERA

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 18:49:47 GMT

ERA is pleased to announce that Ben Drury, one of the key architects of the UK digital music business, is to take up the role of ERA Chair.

7 December 2022: Digital entertainment and retail association ERA is pleased to announce that Ben Drury, one of the key architects of the UK digital music business, is to take up the role of ERA Chair from January 1st, steering the organisation through the next evolution of the sector.

Serial entrepreneur Drury ran and then sold dotmusic, then the UK’s leading music content website, to Yahoo in 2003, before founding B2B download and streaming service 7digital in 2004. He left 7digital to establish his latest venture, the children’s audio platform Yoto, with co-founder Filip Denker, in 2015. Yoto now has an installed base of hundreds of thousands of devices for its audio services and employs 80 people.

Drury brought 7digital to ERA as its very first digital member in 2005. He sat on the ERA board until 2015 and served as Deputy Chair from 2008 to 2013.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “It is a significant coup for ERA to welcome Ben Drury back as Chair. Ben played a pivotal role in the emergence of ERA as the voice of digital entertainment as well as of physical retailers. He brings unrivaled knowledge of the business and strategic view of the changing face of entertainment.”

Ben Drury said, “It is astonishing to think that the organisation I joined in 2005 as its first and only digital member now represents all the key global brands such as Spotify, YouTube and Amazon. Streaming has transformed ERA, just as it has the whole entertainment business. I look forward to championing the voice of the services and retailers who are driving the growth of entertainment.”

ERA executive board members signaled their strong support for the new Chair.

ERA Treasurer and Managing Director of Proper Distribution Drew Hill said, “The board unanimously approved Ben’s appointment as Chair. His deep knowledge and experience and his strong entrepreneurial track record make him the ideal ambassador for digital entertainment and retailing.”

Alan Jordan, the owner of Newcastle’s Reflex Records and executive board representative for independents, said, “Ben has always shown a strong appreciation of the role of physical formats in the digital age, not least in the way his new company combines a physical product with digital entertainment. I look forward to working with him to develop ERA’s services for independents.”

Spotify Managing Director UK & Ireland Tom Connaughton said, “Ben Drury’s career encompasses the history of music’s digital reinvention. He was there from the beginning. We look forward to drawing on his perspective and advocacy for the entire entertainment sector.”

For more information, contact Steve Redmond – steve@eraltd.org – 07770 924720

ERA CONFERENCE GOES IN TO THE METAVERSE

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 17:51:11 GMT

Julia Killer, Head of Music Label Partnerships, EMEA at Meta to deliver keynote

ERA, the digital entertainment and retailers association, has announced that Julia Killer, Head of Music Label Partnerships, EMEA at Meta will deliver the keynote address at its annual conference taking place on Tuesday September 13 in London’s Kings Cross.

The focus of Killer’s session will be the road to the metaverse and the potential for virtual worlds which combine entertainment, work and social spaces.

Killer’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on which she will be joined by representatives of Spotify, Epic Games and NFT collectibles specialist Serenade.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, ”From talking pictures and the vinyl LP to Blu-ray, technology has always driven the entertainment industry. In the latest chapter of that growth over the past decade streaming companies have delivered significant growth across the board, so it is only natural that ERA and its members should embrace the next great innovation, the metaverse. We are very much looking forward to hearing from Julia and other pioneers in the field.”

Julia Killer has spent the past three years at Meta, following a career at some of the music industry’s most ground-breaking digital companies. She joined Meta from Soundcloud where she was Director, Artist & Label Services. Previously she spent four years at 7digital, latterly as Head of Labels & Promotions following five years at Kobalt Music.

Julia Killer said, “I am delighted to be able to share with the ERA Conference Meta’s vision of the metaverse. It is still early days, but already we can see how it will be as transformative of all our lives as the advent of the internet itself.”

The ERA Conference will also include a helicopter view of the entertainment industry from entertainment data compiler Luminate, giving insights into consumer behaviours, preferences and attitudes to music, video and games and a series of presentations on the video industry in association with video industry trade body BASE.

Kim Bayley said, “The ERA Conference really is one of the highlights of our year. Nowhere else in the world is it possible to hear such a wide range of senior voices from right across the entertainment industry, bringing together digital entertainment and retail professionals with suppliers from right across the music, video and games sectors.”

The in-person event, takes place at the Everyman Cinema, Handyside Street, London N1, on Tuesday September 13.

ERA Blog - ERA

BIGGEST EVER RECORD STORE DAY CELEBRATION BOOSTS UK HIGH STREETS

Support Record Shops - Mini Manifesto

ERA PUBLISHES 26TH ANNUAL YEARBOOK

RETAILERS WELCOME RATES CONCESSION FOR MUSIC VENUES BUT ASK “WHAT ABOUT US”?

STREAMED AND RETAIL ENTERTAINMENT SALES GREW FOUR TIMES FASTER THAN UK ECONOMY IN 2025

UK MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES FUND MORE THAN 60 SEPARATE INITIATIVES SUPPORTING MUSIC

FOCALDATA TO POWER ERA’S INDUSTRY-STANDARD ENTERTAINMENT TRACKING STUDY

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: MORGAN COATES

Morgan Coates, 29 – Head of Music Partnerships, IYK

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: LAURA WAINWRIGHT

Laura Wainwright, 30 – Vendor Manager & Nordics Country Lead, Amazon Prime Video

ERA NAMES ITS 2025 RISING STARS

ENTERTAINMENT’S CHAMPIONS TAKE A BOW AT ERA’S SUMMER PARTY

RECORD SHOPS TO STAGE OVER 4,000 GIGS THIS YEAR

In-store and out-store performances now account for one in 40 live gigs in the UK

ERA EXTENDS MEMBERSHIP TO WIDER ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: GEORGIA BUTLER

Georgia Butler, 24 – Events Manager at Brighton independent store Resident Music

NOMINATE YOUR ENTERTAINMENT CHAMPIONS NOW

The ERA Summer Party & Entertainment Champion Awards are back!

MEET ENTERTAINMENT'S FUTURE LEADERS: JOSH HOLLAND

Meet Entertainment's Future Leaders: Melanie Davis

Meet Entertainment's Future Leaders: Esme Pitts

Esme Pitts, 29 – Commercial Manager, Sky Store

Meet Entertainment's Future Leaders: Mitch Page

Mitch Page, 29 – Head of Indies Label Relations, Amazon Music UK

﻿ Everything about Mitch Page’s CV speaks music .

Record Store Day UK Reaches Historic High

ERA PROMOTES MEGAN OGLEBY-PAGE TO HEAD OF OPERATIONS

ERA RECOGNISES ENTERTAINMENT’S FUTURE LEADERS

ERA PUBLISHES 25TH ANNUAL YEARBOOK

STREAMING AND VINYL DRIVE MUSIC TO TWENTY YEAR HIGH

- Best result for music since the CD era

- Overall entertainment sales exceed £12bn for the first time

- Growth for video, but games declines 4.4%

MUSIC

VIDEO

GAMES

ERA statement on the Government Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

ERA STATEMENT ON GLOBAL VALUE OF MUSIC COPYRIGHT EXCEEDING $45BN IN 2023

Respected music industry economist Will Page this morning released his estimate for the global value of music copyright in 2023

ERA’S WORK FOR RECORD STORE DAY HONOURED WITH TOP AWARD

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has been honoured for its work organising Record Store Day, the annual celebration of indie record stores.

MUSIC RETAILERS SAY CARMAKERS' CD BAN IS LETTING DOWN 7m MUSIC FANS AS TAYLOR SWIFT’S LATEST CD OUTSELLS UK’S THREE BIGGEST-SELLING CARS COMBINED

ERA HONOURS ENTERTAINMENT CHAMPIONS

ERA APPOINTS FORMER WARNER MUSIC COMMERCIAL CHIEF LINDA WALKER AS CHAIR

Music Metadata Survey

Music Metadata Survey

Statement on the Voluntary Music Streaming Transparency Code

MUSIC OUTPACES VIDEO AND GAMES IN FIRST HALF OF 2024 WITH SALES REVENUES UP 7.9%

ERA pays tribute to Graham Lambdon

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has paid tribute to long-time board member and former treasurer Graham Lambdon whose death has been announced.

RECORD STORE DAY X TAYLOR SWIFT – UK VINYL SALES HAVE THEIR BEST WEEK IN 30 YEARS

UK VINYL SALES HAVE THEIR BEST WEEK IN 30 YEARS

RECORD STORE DAY SET TO DELIVER £10M BOOST TO INDIE RECORD SHOPS

Annual celebration takes place this Saturday April 20th

ERA STATEMENT ON ONS DECISION TO ADD VINYL RECORDS TO UK CONSUMER ‘SHOPPING BASKET’

ERA CEO KIM BAYLEY NAMED TO WOMEN’S POWERLIST

INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOP NUMBERS REACH 10 YEAR HIGH AS TOTAL NUMBER OF STORES SELLING MUSIC HITS NEW LOW

INDIE RECORD SHOPS HIT A NEW HIGH SINCE 2014 HIGH OF 461

DSPS AND RETAILERS TURN TO AI, ROBOTS AND FOOTBALL TO INNOVATE FOR ENTERTAINMENT FANS

MUSIC’S NEXT MILESTONE AND HOW WE GET THERE

STREAMING AND VINYL PROPELS UK MUSIC BUSINESS TO NEW ALL TIME HIGH

IPO PUBLISH TRANSPARENCY CODE

Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, comments on the publication of the Music Streaming Transparency Code

UK ENTERTAINMENT SALES GROW 7% TO £11.9bn

The value of the UK music, video and games markets increased for the eleventh successive year in 2023, rising 7% to another all-time record of £11.9bn, according to preliminary figures released today by digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

MUSIC REVENUES HIGHEST IN OVER TWO DECADES THANKS TO STREAMING

VIDEO EXCEEDS GAMES FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2012

﻿ ENTERTAINMENT SALES UP OVER 50% IN 4 YEARS

KIM BAYLEY NOMINATED FOR OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AWARD

Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, has been highlighted for her outstanding leadership by the Trade Association Forum (TAF), the trade association for UK trade associations.

ERA APPOINTS LUCIE CASWELL AS CHIEF INNOVATION & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICER

Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) has appointed Lucie Caswell as Chief Innovation & Government Affairs Officer to help drive consensus around evolving entertainment technologies.

HARD-PRESSED CONSUMERS TWICE AS LIKELY TO CUT BACK ON FOOD AS ENTERTAINMENT

RETAIL CHAMPIONS SHINE AT FIRST ERA AWARDS

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA has presented its first Retail Champions Awards, dubbed the “Ivors of music retail” in an event already set to become a fixture in the music industry calendar.

DRAFT MEDIA BILL THREATENS RADIO’S VOICE CONTROL REVOLUTION

Digital entertainment and retail association ERA today suggested that proposals to regulate voice-controlled devices are disproportionate and could undermine consumer choice as to where and how they access radio and podcasts.

Everything about Mitch Page’s CV speaks music .

ENTERTAINMENT SALES UP OVER 50% IN 4 YEARS