Musical preference changed in the past decade in Brazil -ECAD

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This decade marked the rise of sertanejo, a music genre that in 2011 began to gain space and expand with the “universitário” and “forronejo” styles, a blend of “forró” and “sertanejo.”

That year, among the seven national preferences, the new “sertanejo” music genre was prominent in the ranking. The data are included in the 3rd edition of the What Brazil listens to report, produced by the Central Office for Collection and Distribution (Ecad) and released yesterday, November 8.

Rankings of the most played songs in the Radio and Show segments in 2011 and 2020 show that, of the 20 most played songs in radio stations in 2011, 13 were international. In 2020, in the ranking of this segment, the majority of the 14 Brazilian songs were of the “sertanejo” genre.

According to the study, in 2011, the most played songs in shows were releases and songs of the time, mainly of Brazilian rhythms such as “axé,” “pagode,” “samba,” and “arrocha.” In 2019, the most played songs in shows and events reinforced the preference for Brazilian songs.

Of the top 20 positions, all are national. The ranking of the end of the decade showed that popular classics also had a prominent place and the hits of the moment. The report referred to the year 2019, as the segment suffered a severe impact from the pandemic in 2020.

Ecad highlighted that the study also shows that important and historic achievements for the artistic class occurred in the past 10 years.

The collective management of music in Brazil, comprising seven associations, in addition to Ecad, “actively participates in all the paths that this industry has been taking over the years.” For the office, “there were many advances in the country.”

DISTRIBUTION OF VALUE

In 2020, the collective management distributed R$947.9 (US$170) million to 263,000 composers, artists, and other holders, in addition to associations. In the last decade, the amounts distributed in copyrights grew by more than 130%.

According to Ecad data, more than R$8.2 billion was distributed to 470,000 composers, artists, and other music holders during this period. “The increase in the total amount of holders contemplated in 2020 was significant, representing a growth of 183.9% in the last decade,” it added.

The report also includes information about the development of new forms of music use, with the progress of digital technology, and an assessment of the performance of music associations and Ecad.

PANDEMIC

The research also pointed out that after years of growth and expressive results, the music industry faced a difficult moment at the end of the decade.

“Facing a challenging scenario and an unprecedented global crisis, in 2020 a restructuring with contingency plans, many studies and empathy with the artistic class were necessary for the numbers to remain relevant. The pandemic affected music professionals, one of the most impacted categories and one of the last to resume their activities fully,” it said.

According to Ecad, the actions of collective management were fundamental to mitigate the impact on thousands of authors, performers, and musicians, who saw their incomes decrease after the cancellation of concerts and events and the closure of commercial establishments.

According to the entity, one of the first actions was an emergency financial support plan, which offered an extra advance of R$14 million, distributed between April and June 2020.

The benefit reached almost 22,000 composers, performers, and musicians. In addition, R$170 million was allocated for distribution in 2020.

“The transfer was possible thanks to a joint effort of the music associations for the release of retained credits, positively impacting the total transfer in 2020, which was only 4% less than the previous year,” he said.

For Ecad’s executive superintendent Isabel Amorim, the report identified the trajectory of music in Brazil and the paths taken by the collective management of music to strengthen this market in the past decade, which confirmed the importance of the work that has been done.

“All these data show that we must remain firm in the direction of the fight for the valuation of copyrights of the artistic class. We have achieved much over the years, mainly through the support of composers and artists, and we will pursue this goal in the coming decades,” she said.

According to Ecad, the first edition of the report What Brazil listens to was released in March this year, with information on the share of women in music throughout Brazil. The report was released in September with data on the impact of the pandemic on the concert and event market.