Pro-Music website re-launched - an essential global guide to getting digital music

London, 11th October 2012

• A simple guide to the 500 legal music services that offer 26 million tracks to consumers in over 100 countries worldwide.

Today sees the launch of the newly redesigned www.pro-music.org website - a simple information resource for anyone looking to find out more about legitimate digital music services across the world.

First launched in 2003, Pro-Music is created by IFPI in partnership with a coalition of global music industry partners including major and independent record companies, performers, managers, publishers, retailers and musicians' unions. It gives precise and up-to-date information about the world's 500 legal music sites.

The site has two main features:

• A comprehensive directory of links to licensed music services, listed by type of service and by country
• An information portal with simple guidance about copyright law, a guide on how to access music safely and legally (available in nine languages), and links to useful educational resources and reports about the industry.

To reflect the growing choice of digital music services available, the site now breaks down all the services by type (download, subscription, and ad-supported), as well as by territories across the globe.

The site reflects the rapid development of the digital music business over recent years. When launched in 2003, Pro-Music listed just 20 services in the whole of Europe, and iTunes had just launched in the US, selling one million downloads in its first week. Consumers could choose from up to 200,000 tracks.

Today, consumers from over 100 countries worldwide can choose from more than 26 million tracks, across around 500 different services. They have unprecedented choice in how they access music: buying on-demand, streaming, subscription or listening free with ads, on myriad digital music players. Digital music now accounts for one-third of recorded music revenues globally, valued at $5.2 billion in 2011.

Frances Moore, IFPI CEO said:

"Pro-Music is a great illustration of the enormous range of choice that is now available to music fans - from downloads to streaming, from subscription services to music video, and all across myriad devices. The Pro-Music site aims to be an easy-to-use first port of call for anyone wanting to find licensed music sites and learn more about digital music. When Pro-Music first launched in 2003, digital was a small part of our sector and limited to a small handful of countries - today it is the beating heart of our business across the world."

For further information contact:
Adrian Strain or Alex Jacob, IFPI London
Email: alex.jacob@ifpi.org
Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7935 (Press Office)

Notes to editors:

About IFPI

IFPI is the organisation that promotes the interests of the international recording industry worldwide. Its membership comprises some 1,400 major and independent companies in 64 countries. It also has affiliated industry national groups in 45 countries. IFPI's mission is to promote the value of recorded music, safeguard the rights of record producers and expand the commercial uses of recorded music in all markets where its members operate.

About the Pro-Music partners

Pro-Music is a coalition of organisations working across the music sector. The international alliance of musicians, performers, managers, artists, major and independent record companies and retailers across the music industry work together to promote the myriad of different ways in which people can enjoy music safely and legitimately online.

In addition to IFPI, the partners are:

FIM - The International Federation of Musicians - www.fim-musicians.org
GERA-Europe - The Global Entertainment Retail Association (Europe) - www.gera-europe.org
GIART - The International Organisation of Performing Artists - www.giart.org
ICMP - The International Confederation of Music Publishers - www.icmp-ciem.org
IMMF - The International Music Managers Forum - www.immf.com
IMPALA - The Independent Music Companies Association - www.impalamusic.org
IMPA - International Music Publishers Association