The holiday season in #romanianmusicindustry begins November 15 and ends with the #NYE gigs. Here’s how the musicians make money.

💰💰💰The primary source of revenue for artists continues to be concerts, whether through ticketed tours or performances at public events in open-air squares sponsored by local municipalities.

💰💰For a select few musicians, TV appearances on New Year’s Eve shows, broadcast by major national networks, serve as a significant source of revenue.

💰Performing rights, including streaming and other broadcasting media, as well as songwriting royalties, benefit from the exposure gained through concerts and TV appearances. While these income sources are smaller compared to the others mentioned, they are still highly appreciated by the hardworking Romanian music artists.

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▶️Using data from Viberate and widely accepted streaming rates for platforms like Spotify and YouTube, I estimated the streaming revenues for nine Romanian artists who are well-known on the holiday music circuit.

• Four of the top five earners on the list are from the “Romanian folklore” music genre, which serves as the foundation for the traditional holiday music repertoire.
• Despite a minor fanbase (500k compared to 9.2M of second placed Andra) and being relatively quiet during the rest of the year, first placed Cipri Popescu does a fantastic job during the holiday season.
• Three of the nine individuals on the list come from the Maramureș region. Twins Suzana and Daciana Vlad, Ștefan Hrușcă, and Paula Seling share ties to one of Romania’s most picturesque areas.
• Arguably Romania’s biggest pop star at the moment, Andra had another successful holiday season, featuring well-produced live performances and prime television exposure.
• At 67 years old, Ștefan Hrușcă continues to be a key figure in Romania’s holiday music scene. Now based in Toronto since the early 1990s, he embarks on an annual tour every year starting around November 15. This year, his tour kicked off with 20 concerts across the UK and Europe, where he has a particularly large following outside Romania. He then began the Romanian leg of the tour on December 9. Hrușcă serves as an inspiring example for independent artists, with his successful approach to touring, his engaging website (where fans can even download ringtones featuring his music!), and his active presence on social media.

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