That dollar amount results from a 5.3% upturn starting from $81.1 million 5 years earlier in 2020.
Year over year, the value of globally exported sheet music slowed to a 0.9% increase compared to $84.6 million during 2023.
The 5 biggest exporters of sheet music by value are the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America and Japan. Combined, that quintet of exported sheet music leaders accounted for 89.6% of global revenues for sheet music sold on international markets during 2024. Such a high percentage indicates a strongly concentrated cohort of leading sheet music exporters.
Among continents, providers based in Europe sold the most exported sheet music on international markets during 2024 with shipments valued at $68.6 million or about four-fifths (80.3%) of the worldwide total. In second place were exporters located in North America at 13.8% while another 5.5% of international sheet music sales originated from Asia.
Tinier percentages came from suppliers in Oceania’s Australia (0.17%), Africa’s South Africa and Togo (0.16%) and Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for sheet music is 4904. For HTS classification purposes, sheet music includes song books and other manuscripts.
Sheet Music Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of sheet music during 2024.
- Netherlands: US$25.5 million (29.9% of total sheet music exports)
- Germany: $18.6 million (21.8%)
- United Kingdom: $18.5 million (21.7%)
- United States: $11.6 million (13.6%)
- Japan: $2.2 million (2.6%)
- France: $1.5 million (1.8%)
- Austria: $1.16 million (1.4%)
- South Korea: $1.15 million (1.4%)
- Switzerland: $1.14 million (1.3%)
- Malaysia: $537,000 (0.6%)
- Poland: $446,000 (0.5%)
- mainland China: $399,000 (0.5%)
- Ireland: $320,000 (0.37%)
- Italy: $317,000 (0.37%)
- Slovenia: $185,000 (0.22%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 98% of globally exported sheet music in 2024.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of sheet music since 2023 were: Ireland (up 255.6%), United Kingdom (up 57.5%), Switzerland (up 20.2%) and mainland China (up 19.8%).
Major suppliers that posted declines in their exported sheet music sales were led by: Malaysia (down -23.5% from 2023), Italy (down -22.5%), South Korea (down -16.4%), Slovenia (down -9.3%) and the United States of America (down -8.2%).
Countries Enjoying Best Trade Surpluses from Sheet Music
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for sheet music during 2024. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported sheet music and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Netherlands: US$21.1 million (net export surplus down -7.1% from 2023)
- Germany: $9.9 million (down -3.9%)
- United Kingdom: $6.1 million (up 18.2%)
- United States: $5.9 million (down -12.9%)
- Russia: $120,000 (down -14.9%)
- Hungary: $68,000 (down -35.8%)
- Colombia: $12,000 (reversing a -$49,000 deficit)
- Bosnia/Herzegovina: $8,000 (reversing a -$1,000 deficit)
- Bulgaria: $5,000 (reversing a -$26,000 deficit)
- Panama: $4,000 (down -89.2%)
- Togo: $1,000 (reversing a -$1,000 deficit)
World-leading sheet music exporter Netherlands generated the highest surplus in the international trade of sheet music. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms that country’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Worst Trade Deficits from Sheet Music
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for sheet music during 2024. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported sheet music purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- France: -US$7.2 million (net export deficit down -5.7% from 2023)
- Canada: -$4.9 million (up 9.3%)
- Hong Kong: -$3.1 million (up 22.4%)
- Austria: -$2 million (down -33.5%)
- Norway: -$1.9 million (reversing a $3 million surplus)
- Singapore: -$1.3 million (down -8.2%)
- Australia: -$1.19 million (down -7.9%)
- mainland China: -$1.13 million (up 4.4%)
- Switzerland: -$1.10 million (down -17.1%)
- Denmark: -$847,000 (down -2.8%)
- Malaysia: -$829,000 (down -0.1%)
- Spain: -$763,000 (down -22.4%)
- Thailand: -$570,000 (down -14.8%)
- Ireland: -$510,000 (down -29.3%)
- Italy: -$487,000 (down -13.5%)
France incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of sheet music. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights France’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for sheet music-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Sheet Music Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following are sheet music publishers. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
- Alfred Music (United States)
- Bärenreiter (Germany)
- Casa Ricordi (Italy)
- Doberman-Yppan (Canada)
- Edition Wilhelm Hansen (Denmark)
- Faber Music (United Kingdom)
- Hal Leonard Corporation (United States)
- International Music Publications (United Kingdom)
- LearnToPlayMusic.com (Australia)
- Polish Music Publishing House (Poland)
Among the companies listed above, Milwaukee-headquartered firm Hal Leonard Corporation is the world’s largest sheet music publisher.
See also Top Piano Exporters by Country, Top Headphones Exporters and Top Video Games Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on February 9, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on February 9, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 9, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 9, 2026
Wikipedia, Sheet music. Accessed on February 9, 2026
Wikipedia, Category:Sheet music publishing companies. Accessed on February 9, 2026