YouTube music dominates in Malta as EU Parliament nears copyright vote

Research carried out by PRS for Music, the performing rights society for songwriters and composers in Malta, shows 85 per cent of people in Malta used YouTube to listen to music in the last three months, and over a quarter (28 per cent) used only YouTube to access music.

By contrast, just 32 per cent of people had used Google Play, while 28 per cent had used Spotify. Only 14 per cent of those surveyed had not used any digital music platform at all in the last three months, demonstrating the dominance of streaming in the Maltese music market.

Online streaming services provide huge opportunities for local music industries but it equally presents significant challenges for creators trying to make a living from their work. Some online platforms, those exhibiting works uploaded by their users, use legal ambiguity to minimise or evade their responsibility and avoid paying royalties, or pay very little to creators.

The proposed changes to copyright law, currently under review by the EU Parliament, seek to redress this imbalance in the online market by clarifying that platforms such as YouTube are liable for the use of copyright protected works on their site and must obtain a licence for the works they make available.

EU Parliament will vote on the future of the proposed legislation on 12 September. PRS for Music is part of the #europeforcreators and #lovemusic campaigns to support the vote, and is calling for music lovers to sign a petition asking European Members of Parliament to secure music’s future online.

John Mottram, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, PRS for Music, said: “The research shows the importance of YouTube to users and to the music industry in Malta. Services like YouTube and Facebook have built massively successfully global business by giving users access to music and other content and it is essential that those who create and perform the music we all love can share in that success.”

Despite being available as a platform in Malta for a decade, it is only this year that YouTube has extended its Partnership Programme (which enables YouTubers to monetise their content through the placement of advertising) to Malta following a 5,000-strong petition, led by Creators Malta founder Fabian Borg. It was signed by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, MEP Francis Zammit Dimech, Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri alongside members of the local creative community. Before this, Maltese YouTubers like Stella Cini were not able monetise the use of their works on the site.