Twenty years after conducting the very first study into country music in Australia, the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA) has found that the sector has doubled in value since.
The CMAA's new 'Economic and Cultural Value of Country Music in Australia 2018’ study, the result of nine months industry research, features responses from over 4,000 country music fans and 582 artists.
The study found that the value of country music in Australia has risen to $574 million since 1997, with increased live events, radio audiences and streaming growths the key to increasing revenue.
Other findings from the study include:
- Country music’s major festivals reported attendance of 202,000 generating box office and patron spending of $281.5 million. In 1997 the figure was $114.6 million
- Spotify reporting Australia as the third largest country music territory after the US and Canada, and the world’s fastest-growing country market
- CDs still play an important role in country music. 82% of fans bought at least one in 2018
- 14% of APRA’s registered Australian songwriters identified as writing country in 2018 compared to 6% recorded in 1997
“It was a fascinating and productive exercise, with fans and artists responding to surveys in numbers that make this the most comprehensive sampling of a single genre ever undertaken in Australia," CMAA President Dobe Newton said.
"Their willingness to be involved, matched by that of major businesses and organisations in our sector, is indicative of the passion we all have for country music."
Check out the CMAA website to see the full report.
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