DJ Tiësto from Breda has had the most performances abroad of all Dutch artists in 2023. He was on stage in another country no fewer than 121 times. This is evident from an annual survey by Buma Cultuur. The DJ is therefore our country’s largest export product.
Buma Cultuur is a foundation that supports and promotes Dutch music. Every year, the foundation conducts research into the yield of Dutch music abroad.
That research shows that Dutch musicians earned 198.1 million euros abroad last year. That is fifteen percent more than in 2022. Dance music has an increasing share in the figures. Performances by dance artists such as Tiësto generated the most money abroad in 2023, namely 125.6 million euros. Other performances earned 26.7 million euros. The rest of the total money earned abroad comes from music rights and recordings.
The record year of revenues abroad for Dutch artists was 2018, when a total of 216 million euros was earned.
Frank Helmink, director of Buma Cultuur, calls last year’s figures ‘downright fantastic’. He even expects that 2024 will be the new record year. “By continuing to invest in export support, we can become one of the largest music exporting countries in the EU,” he says.
All my life is the most recent song by Tiësto, whose real name is Tijs Michiel Verwest.