Dutch music increasingly exported; €216 million in 2018

Dutch music is still going strong as an export product. In 2018, a total of 216 million euros were made by exporting music abroad, up from 201 million the year before, according to figures from Buma Cultuur, which annually charts the export value of Dutch music, NOS reports.

The amount of 216 million euros comes from 174 million euros from performances abroad, 29 million euros from rights, and 13 million euros from recordings. Buma Cultuur investigated 1,319 artists. 963 of them were active abroad, in 82 countries. 

Electronic dance music, or EDM, is the biggest exporter among Dutch music. Almost 75 percent of the foreign income comes from dance music made by DJs like Afrojack, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, and Marting Garrix. "Dutch hip hop is also becoming increasingly popular," Frank Helmink, director of Buma Cultuur, said to NOS. "Especially in Belgium it is catching on. There we see a doubling in the number of gigs."

North America is an important market for Dutch music, especially EDM. But Dutch artists are also becoming increasingly popular in Asia, with China in particular being a country with opportunities for DJs.