site.btaFirst Comprehensive Report on Bulgaria’s Music Industry Presented in Sofia

A comprehensive report on the state and development of Bulgaria’s music industry – the first of its kind – was presented in Sofia on Thursday, the Bulgarian Association of Music Producers (BAMP) said.

The study, authored by expert Virgo Sillamaa and titled "The Bulgarian Music Ecosystem: Music Rights Economy," reveals sustained growth in the Bulgarian music market. The data show that revenues have tripled over the past seven years, rising from EUR 9.2 million in 2018 to EUR 25.6 million in 2024.

The report is the first to aggregate data on revenues from copyright and related rights across all players in the Bulgarian music ecosystem, including producers, artists, authors, publishers, and collective management organizations Prophon and Musicautor.

The findings reveal that producers’ direct revenues have increased from EUR 2.2 million in 2018 to EUR 12 million in 2024, accounting for 47% of total industry revenues. The primary driver of this growth is the expansion of digital streaming platforms, whose revenues have surged by 600%, from EUR 1.3 million to EUR 10 million over the same period. Revenues from related rights collected by Prophon reached EUR 4.7 million in 2024, a 50% increase compared to 2018, the BAMP noted. 

Musicautor also reported significant progress, with authors’ and publishers’ remuneration up by 130% and digital usage fees increasing tenfold, from EUR 105,000 in 2018 to EUR 1.2 million in 2024.

In addition to quantitative analysis, the report includes a qualitative analysis of Bulgaria’s music ecosystem, examining the roles of authors, performers, producers, labels, rights management organizations, distributors, and digital aggregators.

The conclusions point to a stable market with significant growth potential. Opportunities for expansion include the wider adoption of music streaming services – with up to 3.8 million potential paying subscribers, compared to around 300,000 at present – and more effective licensing of public music performance.

Digital piracy, a lack of educational initiatives, and insufficient focus on music exports have been identified as key challenges, the BAMP said.

Virgo Sillamaa is a music ecosystem and cultural policy researcher with more than 20 years of experience. He currently serves as research coordinator of the European Music Exporters Exchange and is the founder of the Estonian export office Music Estonia.