The copyright society Suisa has published its annual results for 2015. This shows: The concert market in Switzerland is at a high level.

Suisa can look back on a successful year: it increased its copyright income by 1% to CHF 142.7 million. "The main contributors to this result were additional income from concerts and in the broadcasting sector," says the Swiss Society for the Rights of Authors of Musical Works.

Concert market flourishes

Copyright income from concerts amounted to CHF 46 million last year (previous year: CHF 44.1 million). The society attributes this increase to a flourishing concert market and a change in the billing system.

88 percent of income paid out

The authors of the works benefit from this: for every 100 francs collected, 88 go directly to the composers, lyricists and publishers of the music, as Suisa writes. The revenue consists of contributions for the use of music at concerts, on radio and television, by online service providers or for private copies on electronic storage media such as smartphones, tablets and MP3 players. The fee is charged because the composers and lyricists - unlike the performers - are often not directly on stage and do not receive any concert fees.