Industry News

The U.S. copyright industries, including music, television, film, book, radio, and newspaper and magazine industries employed more than 10.6 million workers and contributed more than $1.6 trillion, to the U.S. economy in 2010, or 11.1% of GDP,  according to a new report commissioned by the National Music Publishers' Association and the Recording Industry Assn. of American other major copyright trade organizations as part of the International Intellectual Property Alliance.

Within those totals, the core copyright industries employed 5.1  million workers, or nearly 4% of the U.S. workforce, and produced  $931.8 billion  in value, or 6.4% of the U.S. economy, according to the study "Copyright Industries in the U.S. Economy."

Beyond that, the core copyright industries contribute significantly to the trade balance for America, with $124 billion in exports. According to the study, it generates more to the economy than other industry sectors like aircraft, automobiles and agricultural products. The only industry sector tracked by the study that produced more in exp-orts was the chemicals industries, including pharmaceuticals and medicines, with $143.1 billion.

"America's copyright industries continue to be a key economic driver, but that productivity and creativity is threatened more and more by digital theft," noted NMPA president and CEO David Israelite in a statement. "As the marketplace moves online, making sure copyrights are enforced in the digital world as they are in the physical world will mean the difference between sustaining these jobs and seeing them dwindle and disappear."  

In other study results, it points out that the average annual compensation paid to employees in the core copyright industry is about $78,000, which is 27% greater than the annual average compensation of about $61,000 paid to all U.S. employees.

The study, presented today at an event on Capital Hill, defines core is those industries whose primary purpose is to create, produce, distribute and exhibit copyright material while the total copyright industries stats includes those sectors dependent on the core copyright industries.

Besides NMPA and RIAA, the other organizations that commissioned the study include the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the Entertainment Software Assn. and the Assn. of American Publishers.