Where do audiences go when they want to experience live music? How are political tensions in the United States affecting Danish musicians’ touring plans? And what does it mean on stage when the value of a performance fee grant increases? This knowledge is essential for stakeholders in the music industry to act in alignment with reality – benefiting both future musicians and audiences.

For the third consecutive year, the genre organizations Art Music Denmark, Jazz Denmark, ROSA, and Tempi have collected data points from across the Danish music scene. Danish Music in Numbers is an annual report that serves as a compass for the industry and decision-makers. It transforms data from the genre organizations and statistics from sources such as Statistics Denmark, Koda, and MXD into concrete insights about the state and development of music.

From opting out of the U.S. to billion-kroner contributions

This year’s report goes further than ever before, extending beyond the data to include reflections from stakeholders across the music sector. Among other things, the report takes the temperature of the following current issues:

• Will higher performance fee grants result in fewer concerts? We examine the consequences of the increased value of these grants.
• Are smaller venues under pressure? We review the latest figures from Statistics Denmark and analyze audience trends.
• Why are Danish musicians touring less in the U.S.? Visa costs have risen by 5,000% since the 1990s, and political conditions are shifting. We examine the data on Danish musicians’ activity in the U.S.
• What impact does the music sector have on the wider economy? The music industry’s contribution to Denmark’s GDP has been measured for the first time. Danish music generates a total turnover of DKK 12.4 billion.

Read the rapport here. (Unfortunately only available in Danish)

Securing the future of data efforts in the music sector

The publication of Danish Music in Numbers is a cornerstone of the genre organizations’ ongoing work, including systematic research and analysis aimed at mapping opportunities and challenges in Danish music and developing goals and methods for how these organizations can best support the sector.

Since 2021, Art Music Denmark, Jazz Denmark, ROSA, and Tempi have carried out this work on behalf of the Danish Arts Foundation, ensuring that the music sector has an evidence-based voice in dialogue with the media, policymakers, and funders.

As a boost to this effort, the genre organizations have recently received a four-year grant of DKK 5 million from the Augustinus Foundation. Running from 2026, the grant will make it possible to scale up the initiative and develop musicdata.dk into a professional knowledge platform. With this support, the organizations will be able to carry out even more in-depth analyses in the coming years and ensure that knowledge about the music sector becomes more accessible and actionable – for the benefit of the entire industry.