RECORDED MUSIC INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
Comoros
Africa
Potential of Recorded Music
MEDI aims to highlight music’s potential as a global tool to reduce poverty and drive economic growth by estimating its worldwide value. This includes projecting how that value could increase if every country had supportive institutions in place, such as appropriate legislation, infrastructure, and policies, and if music achieved full market penetration. We are currently collecting data in each country to support this analysis.
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Local Impact
Over time, MEDI will conduct country-level economic and social impact assessments to better understand how to unlock sustainable growth within national music ecosystems.
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Socioeconomic Indicators
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Accessed 24/10/2024. 2024 estimate based on UNFPA World Population Prospects 2022 data.
867,605
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank Development Indicators database. Accessed 24/10/2024.
$2,961
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, using national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. Accessed 02/04/2025.
$1590.31
3.00%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, using national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. Accessed 01/04/2025.
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Accessed 19/09/2024.
45.3%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via IMF World Economic Outlook. Accessed 01/04/2025.
2.2%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via US Census Bureau International Database (IDB). Accessed 01/04/2025.
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, using United Nations Population Division database. Accessed 24/10/2024.
30.13%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via CIA World Factbook. Accessed 04/11/2024.
5.8%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via CIA World Factbook. Accessed 04/11/2024.
10.9%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Poverty rate at $2.15 a day (2017 PPP) (% population). Data via Poverty and Inequality Platform, The World Bank. Accessed 16/04/2025.
18.64%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via International Telecommunication Union (ITU) DataHub. Accessed 31/03/2025.
16.40%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank Global Financial Inclusion Database. Accessed 01/04/2025.
7.73%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank Global Financial Inclusion Database. Accessed 01/04/2025.
1.47%
EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via Cable.co.uk. Accessed 01/10/2024.
$2.18

Industry Infrastructure
Collective Management Organisations
Authors & Publishers
None
Performers
None
Producers
None
Voluntary Joint Ventures & Umbrella entities for licensing users
None
Associations
Music Authors
None
Music Publishers
None
Music Performers
None
Sound Recording Producers/Labels
None
Other
Music Export Office
None
Joint Industry Body
Policies
Culture Policy/Strategy
None
Music Policy/Strategy
None
Legal Framework
Digital and Performance Rights Treaties
Other Treaties
National Copyright Legislation
National Treatment
-
Comoros protects the works of foreign nationals if the work was first published in Comoros, as well as in accordance to the treaties Comoros is a party, and based on reciprocity.
Qualifying foreign authors enjoy protection concerning performance rights and digital exploitation of their works. -
Comoros protects the rights of foreign performers and producers of phonograms in accordance with the treaties Comoros is a party.
Comoros also protects foreign performers whose performances take place in Comoros, are fixed in a protected phonogram or are incorporated in a protected broadcast (i.e. broadcasting organisation's registered office or transmitting station is located in Comoros). Phonograms are protected if the producer is a Comorian national or if the first fixation was made in Comoros.
Qualifying foreign performers and producers of phonograms enjoy protection concerning performance rights and digital exploitation of their fixed performances and phonograms, respectively. -
“National Treatment” refers to the assimilation of the treatment of foreign right holders to that of domestic right holders. It is a basic rule of most international conventions and mandates that foreign rights holders from contracting countries must receive the protection within any other contracting country as that country grants to its own nationals, ensuring equal rights under the scope of the relevant convention.
General national treatment obligations are set out in Article 5 of the Berne Convention and Article 2 of the Rome Convention, providing that the members of respective conventions must grant to each other’s nationals the rights provided in the convention. Berne Convention also extends the national treatment to “the rights which their respective laws do now or may hereafter grant to their nationals,” while Rome Convention members are not obliged to extend national treatment to the rights of performers and producers of phonograms which are accorded under their national law over and above the rights enshrined in the Rome Convention.
The criteria for eligibility for protection are provided in Article 3 of the Berne Convention and Articles 4 and 5 of the Rome Convention. With regards to national treatment of producers of phonograms, members of the Rome Convention may reserve the right not to apply either the criterion of fixation or that of publication of the phonogram.
As per WIPO, the total number of members to the key treaties above is as follows:
Berne Convention: 181 Members
Rome Convention: 98 Members
WIPO Copyright Treaty: 118 Members
WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty: 114 Members
TRIPS Agreement: 166 MembersThis is a high-level overview concerning national treatment of music authors, performers and producers of phonograms; for comprehensive and detailed provisions, refer to the laws of each country. The overview:
1) details only the criteria applicable to foreign rights holders, without including the broader set of qualification rules for domestic protection that do not concern them,
2) is limited to performance rights and digital exploitation of recorded music, including works and other protected objects:
- “Performance rights” include radio and TV broadcasting, public performance, and communication to the public,
- “Digital exploitation” includes reproduction rights, distribution rights, communication to the public and making available rights.
The term "based on reciprocity" used in the overview for some countries means that Country A will protect the works of authors or other right holders who are nationals of Country B that is not a member of treaties Country A is a party to, and whose works or other protected objects were first published outside of Country A, only if Country B offer similar copyright protection to Country A’s authors or other rights holders and works and other protected objects respectively first published in Country A.
The term "treaty" in the overview includes conventions and international agreements.
Music Consumption
Domestic Repertoire Quotas
No domestic repertoire quotas.
Digital Streaming Services
GLOBAL STREAMING SERVICES
REGIONAL STREAMING SERVICES
DOMESTIC STREAMING SERVICES
None
Key Risks and Opportunities
Risks
With a small population, the overall market size is relatively small, limiting the scale of potential revenue, especially in a nascent industry.
Very low internet penetration coupled with high mobile data cost limits access to digital music platforms and services for the majority of the population and forms a barrier to the growth of a digital music business.
The absence of a collective management organization for authors, publishers, performers, and producers is a critical risk, as it leaves no formal system for collecting and distributing music royalties—severely limiting monetization opportunities for artists and producers.
The absence of a national culture or music policy signals a lack of a specific strategic framework for music ecosystem development and may lead to a lack of support and investment.
Opportunities
While small in size, the population is predominantly youthful, which, if economic conditions improve and digital access expands, could drive domestic music consumption.
A strong legal and copyright framework offers a solid foundation, but weak enforcement remains a key challenge. Strengthening enforcement is essential for the music industry’s growth.
The presence of global and regional streaming services indicates an existing, albeit small, digital music consumption habit and a platform for artists to distribute their music.