What
We Do

Global Charts and Certifications

IFPI’s Global Charts and Certifications team is tasked with compiling IFPI’s Global Artist, Single and Album charts, the only charts to track recorded music performance globally capturing all recorded music consumption. In addition to managing and developing the global charts, the team also investigates additional ways of providing a global view of music consumption, and facilitates industry efforts to standardise national charts and certifications around the world through:

– Introducing national charts and certifications to new markets.

-Assisting the inclusion of new consumption channels to charts and certifications according to a consistent methodology, to ensure charts and certifications are relevant to how people consume music.

– Working with music platforms (such as streaming services) to ensure they are delivering data that is consistent and in line with global standards.

– Promoting competition between chart compilers, improving standards of chart data delivery and value for money.

– Sharing and developing best practice methods to increase the reach and impact of charts and certifications around the world.

Insight & Analysis

The Insight team designs, constructs, analyses and helps disseminate research relevant to areas within IFPI, our member companies, National Groups, and industry partners. This includes studies of music listeners across the globe, the recorded music market, and developments in both licensed and unlicensed music consumption.

The team is responsible for IFPI’s Music Consumer Study,
the largest music-focused research survey worldwide.

Communications

The Communications team works to promote the role and value of our recording industry members worldwide. It supports the work of IFPI’s other departments, offices and national groups in a wide range of campaigns and activities with ultimate aim of improving the environment for recorded music around the world.

As part of this work, the Communications team produces high quality public information materials to support all the organisation’s key activities, including IFPI’s Global Music Report.

Licensing

The IFPI global licensing team works, in close cooperation with the legal policy team, to grow performance rights revenues for record producers worldwide through improving the operation of the existing music licensing companies (MLCs), through identifying and helping to implement best practices; working with the MLCs to secure fair tariffs for the broadcasting and public performance of sound recordings; and setting up new MLCs to manage and collectively license performance rights, including in emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Legal Policy

The legal policy team coordinates IFPI’s work for effective legal protection in all music markets.

The legal policy team campaigns to secure better rights in those markets worldwide which do not meet international best practice. This includes creating fair digital markets worldwide, recognition of full performance rights, and the minimum 70-year term of protection for recorded music. It also informs IFPI’s voice in debates about copyright, and promotes the role of copyright in supporting investment in music and licensing of digital music services.

Litigation

The litigation team drives a global litigation strategy designed to disrupt and close down services that infringe copyright.

The litigation team supports criminal prosecutions by public authorities, brings civil cases against businesses that facilitate copyright infringement and takes action to ensure that intermediaries, such as access providers and host providers, play their part in tackling unauthorised uses.

Content Protection & Enforcement

The global team supports member companies in all content protection and enforcement activities. Through intelligence-led programmes, IFPI delivers 24/7 monitoring of online infringements whilst providing technical expertise and advice to members.

The Content Protection & Enforcement team has devised pioneering strategies and programmes to deter, disrupt and dismantle illegal online activities. Through partnerships with global, regional and local law enforcement agencies, online intermediaries and regulatory bodies, we ensure that we are able to provide this capability across the globe.

International Trade

IFPI’s international trade team works with governments, international organisations, and cross-sector industry coalitions to help spread best practices in terms of IPR protection, enforcement, and the regulatory environment for investment in music production.

Technology

IFPI’s technology team manages the global implementation of the International Standard Recording Code, the key identifier for recordings, which forms a core piece of the industry’s metadata landscape.

It works with the worldwide industry and technology partners on digital infrastructure such as DDEX, database initiatives and audio recognition and provides technology insight, working with members, national groups and MLCs across all areas of digital music and related technology.

IFPI offices

IFPI’s European office coordinates the industry’s advocacy at EU level on the key issues affecting the business environment its members operate in. These include protection of copyright, enforcement, licensing, online regulatory issues and international trade.

IFPI’s South East Asia Regional Office leads the recording industry’s initiatives across Southeast Asia, supporting IFPI’s core mission at regional level across litigation, policy issues and collation of robust market data amongst other areas.

IFPI’s Greater China Office works across a wide range of IFPI’s priorities, and campaigns to improve the legislative environment in China and open up the world’s second largest economy as a leading recorded music market, while co-ordinating with the Hong Kong and Taiwan National Groups.

IFPI’s Latin American and Caribbean office spearheads the industry’s activities across the region, working closely with IFPI’s National Groups in Latin America on a range of issues such as copyright, litigation and content protection amongst other areas. Its longstanding efforts to improve the operations of music licensing companies have helped deliver a dramatic increase in performance rights revenues over recent years. For more information in Spanish about this region, please visit www.ifpilatina.org

IFPI’s Sub-Saharan Africa regional office works across the region’s 46 countries championing issues affecting the local recording industry and supporting the further development of the music market in those countries. It deals with policy and advocacy issues; strengthening the structure of the region’s recording sector and working with music licensing companies to enhance licensing and distribution in the region, in close cooperation with rightsholders and regulatory bodies. Since 2021 the Sub-Saharan Africa office has been responsible as the official ISRC agency for the entire region.

IFPI’s Middle East & North Africa regional office leads IFPI’s work in the growing MENA region – one of the fastest growing regions – supporting IFPI’s core aims of promoting the value of recorded music, expanding its commercial uses and campaigning for the rights of record producers. The team’s remit covers a wide array of issues from managing government relations to working alongside IFPI’s Charts team who developed the first ever music charts in MENA.