Lithuanian music industry worth €308.7 million: first comprehensive industry study presented

The economic value of the Lithuanian music industry reached €308.7 million in 2024 and grew by 13% over the year, according to the Lithuanian Music Capital study. The results will be presented on February 26 at AGATA’s “Music Hall” at the Vilnius Book Fair. This is the first systematic study of the economic value of the country’s music ecosystem, conducted by the Lithuanian neighbouring rights association AGATA in cooperation with the Lithuanian Music Business Association and the M.A.M.A. Association. We invite you to ознакомиться with the study: HERE.

In the study, Lithuania’s music sector was evaluated as a single ecosystem – from education and the public sector to commercial activity and exports. The research methodology was based on the model developed by the Finnish organisation Music Finland and adapted to the Lithuanian context.

“Until now, we talked about the music industry in Lithuania based on intuition or isolated figures. This study is the first attempt to systematically look at the entire ecosystem: finances, artists, jobs and audience growth,” says AGATA Director Agnė Begetė.

Lithuanian music worth €308.7 million: the first comprehensive industry study presented

The ecosystem works, exports do not

The study revealed that the internal music ecosystem functions successfully: music education accounts for €91.8 million (29.7%), the public sector €96 million (31.1%), and commercial activities €120.6 million (39.1%). Data from 2023–2024 also show rapid revenue growth: ticket sales revenue increased by 21%, authors’ and neighbouring rights income by 16.4%, and revenue from music platforms by as much as 43%.

The largest gap in the ecosystem remains exports, which amount to only €0.27 million, or 0.09% of the total value of the industry. For comparison, the music export of a similar-sized Finnish industry reaches €138.8 million (9.7% of the industry value), while Denmark’s amounts to €228 million (10.4%). Finland’s music exports are 514 times larger than Lithuania’s.

“The numbers reveal a paradox: we have a functioning ecosystem, growing revenues and talented creators, but we export almost nothing. This is not a talent problem. Finland or Denmark export their artists around the world not because their creators are more talented, but because they have a consistent export strategy. This is a huge opportunity and a serious task for state funding strategists,” says A. Begetė.

The largest group of artists in the country

More than 60,000 people participate in the music ecosystem – 18,000 professionals and 43,000 amateurs. Music is also the largest field of the arts by number of participants – 38% of all artists in the country operate in this field. Therefore, when making any state decisions regarding the taxation, social security or regulation of self-employed individuals, it is very important to clearly understand the scope of their impact and potential risks.

Music professionals create high added value: on average, one employee in the music sector generates €45,400 in added value, which is €7,000 more than the national average.

The study is expected to be conducted annually

The authors of the study emphasise that a one-time overview is not enough – the Lithuanian Music Capital study is planned to be conducted annually.

“The most important thing is that we hope it will encourage both participants of the music ecosystem and state institutions to take action. If we reached even Finland’s level of exports, Lithuania’s music exports could reach €30 million instead of €270,000. This requires not only talented creators – which we have – but also consistent work and targeted state funding,” says A. Begetė.

AGATA inf.