Independents own more than 40% of recorded music. Build the channels you own

MIDiA Research's ownership-based analysis put independent labels and self-releasing artists at 43.1% of global recorded music revenue in 2020. Distribution-based tables showed 33.9% because music distributed by majors was counted under the majors. Measured by who owns the rights, independence was already the largest slice.

The latest MIDiA market report adds an important detail. Non-major labels gained share in 2025 when merch and live income, plus brand work, were counted. Their share of traditional recorded-music revenue slipped. The strongest growth came from the parts of the business built around fans.

The first owned channel is your promo list

Before an owned store or membership pays off, something has to carry the release to the people who move it: the DJs who play it and the press or radio hosts who cover it. That's an owned channel too, and it's the one Promoly is built around.

Your private contact list belongs to you. No platform re-ranks it, no take rate sits on top of it, and every campaign makes it more valuable: who opened, who played, who downloaded, who wrote back. It compounds the way owned things do.

Ownership gets more valuable every cycle

The 43.1% figure is about who controls the rights, not proof that every independent operator is winning. Control pays off when you build channels around it. Every release cycle, the list you own gets stronger while rented audiences can reset.

Grow your list this cycle: open your dashboard.

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