IFPI

What IFPI does

IFPI, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, is a not-for-profit international trade association founded in 1933 that represents the global recorded music industry. Headquartered in London (with its registered principal office in Zurich under Swiss association law), IFPI represents over 8,000 record company members across approximately 70 markets through a federated network of National Groups, local associations, and eight regional offices spanning Asia (Singapore), Europe (Brussels, Zurich), Greater China (Beijing), Latin America (Miami), MENA (Abu Dhabi), and Sub-Saharan Africa (Nairobi). Its membership base includes the three major record labels — Sony Music, Universal Music, and Warner Music — alongside thousands of independent labels worldwide.

IFPI's core product portfolio centers on global identifier standards and industry intelligence. The ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) and GRid (Global Release Identifier) systems provide unique identification for recordings and releases, with GRid embedded in DDEX communications standards. In June 2026, IFPI partnered with SoundExchange to launch automatic ISRC assignment, reducing friction for small labels and self-publishing artists. The Global Music Report is the authoritative annual industry publication, offered in a free State of the Industry edition and a paid Premium Edition with granular data on 50+ markets; supplemental publications include Music in the EU, Engaging With Music consumer research, the Pro-Music directory of licensed digital services, and the IFPI Global Charts.

IFPI's revenue model is built on tiered annual membership subscriptions — Category A (major producers) at £2,800/year, Category B (medium) at £1,400/year, Category C (small) at £350/year, and Category D (early-stage) at £175/year — supplemented by premium report and publication sales. The organization does not sell to consumers; its customers are record companies and the broader music industry ecosystem. Beyond commercial revenue, IFPI generates substantial value through coordinated anti-piracy enforcement (blockings in Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy, and Brazil), regulatory advocacy, and policy leadership, most recently exemplified by the July 2026 coalition proposal with RIAA, A2IM, WIN, IMPALA, Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, and Human Artistry Campaign for a two-tier AI labeling system across streaming platforms.

Name

IFPI

Legal name

IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

Website

https://ifpi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IFPI is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1933 representing over 8,000 record companies across approximately 70 markets. It operates the ISRC and GRid identifier standards, publishes the Global Music Report, coordinates anti-piracy enforcement, and leads industry advocacy worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Trade Association Services

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Identification & Matching (Fingerprinting, ID Resolution) (MPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Performance/Neighboring Rights for AV Uses (Cue Sheet & Reporting Services) (MPAIALAK)

Keywords

• Music industry advocacy
• Recorded music association
• Music industry research
• Copyright enforcement
• Music identifier standards

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: IFPI generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions from record companies. Membership categories range from £175 to £2,800 per year depending on company size (Category A major producers: £2,800; Category B medium: £1,400; Category C small: £350; Category D early stage: £175)
2. Report sales and publications: IFPI produces and sells reports including the Global Music Report Premium Edition, Music in the EU analysis, and other industry resources

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IFPI is a non-profit trade association that represents the recording industry worldwide, promoting the value of recorded music, campaigning for record producers' rights, and expanding commercial uses of recorded music on behalf of 8,000+ member record companies. It delivers this through (a) global advocacy and rights-protection services coordinated across ~70 National Groups in 70+ markets, (b) industry identifier standards — the ISRC for recordings and the GRid for releases — including a new automatic ISRC assignment capability launched with SoundExchange in June 2026, and (c) authoritative research and chart products such as the Global Music Report, Music in the EU, Engaging With Music, and IFPI Global Charts.

Product overview

IFPI's primary offerings consist of industry standards and identifier systems, research reports, and advocacy resources. The core identifier products are ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) for uniquely identifying recordings and GRid (Global Release Identifier) for identifying releases of music. In June 2026, IFPI and SoundExchange launched automatic ISRC assignment capabilities. The research portfolio includes the Global Music Report (free State of Industry overview and premium Data and Analysis edition), Music in the EU report, and Engaging With Music consumer research. Additional resources include Pro-Music (directory of licensed digital music services) and Reservations of Rights listings. IFPI represents over 8,000 record company members across approximately 70 markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Music Report: Annual industry report on global recorded music revenues and trends
• ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)
• IFPI Global Charts

Products and services

• ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) The ISRC is the international identifier system that uniquely and permanently identifies individual sound recordings, enabling rights management, royalty tracking, and metadata accuracy across the global music industry. A new automatic ISRC assignment capability was launched in June 2026 in partnership with SoundExchange to allow recordings to be registered immediately online.
• GRid (Global Release Identifier) GRid is the IFPI-operated standard that uniquely identifies a Release of music or other digital resource distributed over electronic networks. The GRid specification is used in DDEX communications standards and is administered by the IFPI GRid Registration Authority.
• Global Music Report – State of Industry Free-to-download overview of the global recording industry for the year, including topline revenue data, sector developments, and artist case studies. The 2026 edition reported 6.4% YoY growth to $31.7 billion in 2025, the eleventh consecutive year of growth.
• Global Music Report – Premium Edition The paid Premium Edition of the Global Music Report including the Data and Analysis section with granular revenue, format, and market-share data covering over 50 markets, plus in-depth regional and format analysis. Distributed via gmr.ifpi.org.
• Music in the EU 2025 An IFPI research report analyzing the social, cultural, and economic value of music in the European Union, with policy recommendations, EU market data, and measurements of recorded music's contribution to the European economy.
• Engaging With Music IFPI consumer research exploring music listeners' habits across 26 markets, covering when and how people listen to music, attitudes toward AI, music's well-being benefits, purchasing habits, and genre engagement.
• IFPI Global Charts Official global music charts operated by IFPI tracking global album and single consumption and sales, including the IFPI Global Album Sales Chart, IFPI Global Artist Chart, and IFPI Global Album and Single of the Year.
• Pro-Music An online directory of licensed digital music services across the world, organized by country and service type, providing a trusted resource to identify legitimate music-streaming and download platforms.
• Reservations of Rights Online resource providing an inexhaustive list of links to declarations of reservations of rights made by holders of copyright in protected content, supporting enforcement of record-producer rights.
• IFPI Membership (Category A / B / C / D) Annual membership subscription for record production companies, structured by company size at four tiers — Category A (Major producer, £2,800/year), Category B (Medium, £1,400/year), Category C (Small, £350/year), Category D (Early-stage, £175/year) — granting access to IFPI representation, advocacy, identifier systems, and industry data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global recorded music revenues reached $31.7 billion in 2025 with 11 consecutive years of growth
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and regional.

• RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2026IFPI and RIAA are leading a music industry coalition proposing a two-tier AI labeling system for streaming platforms, distinguishing between fully 'AI-generated' tracks and 'AI-assisted' tracks. The initiative includes eight organizations and aims for broad adoption across digital music services including Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer.
• Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, Human Artistry CampaignflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2026Coalition of eight music industry organizations including IFPI, RIAA, A2IM, WIN, IMPALA, Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, and Human Artistry Campaign announced a voluntary two-tier labeling system to identify AI usage in music creation. The system distinguishes between 'AI Generated' (where AI created majority of creative elements) and 'AI Assisted' (primarily human-created with some AI components).
• SoundExchangecoreTechnology or Integration · 2 June 2026SoundExchange and IFPI announced new automatic ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) assignment capability that allows recordings to be registered immediately online. The system, operated by SoundExchange on its existing ISRC database, checks against existing records before assignment to avoid duplicates and registers the code for public access. This reduces manual steps and administrative burdens for small labels and self-publishing artists while improving data accuracy.
• EMRA (Emirates Arts & Music Rights Association)regionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026SACEM (French collective management organization) signed a landmark representation agreement with EMRA, the first CMO in the UAE, establishing a collective rights management system for creators. The agreement was developed in partnership with IFPI and PPL, enabling fair collection and distribution of royalties locally and internationally for authors' rights and neighboring rights. The partnership aims to strengthen the UAE's position as a regional hub for culture and entertainment.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America): The US national equivalent of IFPI; RIAA represents American record labels and partners with IFPI on initiatives such as the AI labeling coalition and global music data reporting. Highly comparable as a music industry trade association focused on recorded-music rights and advocacy.
• BPI (British Phonographic Industry): The UK national group affiliated with IFPI; BPI represents British record companies and coordinates with IFPI on UK-specific chart certification, anti-piracy enforcement, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable as a national recorded-music trade body.
• IMPALA (Independent Music Companies Association): European trade body representing independent music companies; IMPALA is a co-signatory on IFPI's AI labeling coalition and shares overlapping advocacy, market data, and anti-piracy objectives focused on the recorded music industry.
• WIN (Worldwide Independent Network): Global trade body for the independent music sector; WIN collaborates with IFPI on cross-border advocacy and was a co-signatory on the July 2026 AI labeling initiative. Comparable as a global recorded-music trade association focused on indie labels.
• A2IM (American Association of Independent Music): US trade group representing independent record labels; A2IM was a co-signatory alongside IFPI and RIAA on the AI labeling coalition and shares IFPI's advocacy and data-reporting orientation for the recorded music industry.
• PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited): UK music licensing company collecting neighboring rights for performers and record companies; PPL co-developed the UAE EMRA representation agreement alongside IFPI and SACEM. Comparable as a recorded-music rights collection and licensing organization.

Broad incumbents

• SoundExchange: US nonprofit performing rights organization for sound recordings that operates the ISRC database; SoundExchange partnered with IFPI in June 2026 to launch automatic ISRC assignment. Comparable as a music rights infrastructure operator with adjacent scope.
• CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers): Global umbrella for authors' rights societies (composers and songwriters, rather than record labels); CISAC operates at the same supranational level as IFPI and frequently partners on rights administration and policy initiatives.

Regional players

• ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association): Australian national recorded-music trade association and IFPI national group affiliate; ARIA runs charts, certifications, and advocacy for Australian labels. Comparable as a regional peer operating IFPI-aligned functions in a specific geography.
• JIM (Japan Phonograph Record Association): Japanese national trade association representing record companies; operates as an IFPI national group with chart, certification, and advocacy functions. Comparable as a regional peer serving the Japanese recorded-music market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IFPI_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/163754220342395
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifpi_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/555862

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFPI