.@BookNet_Canada shares insights into buying and borrowing of Non-Fiction / Music titles during the third quarter of 2022.
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Music, like books, can take us on unexpected journeys. It can make us feel happy, energized, and even emotional. It can attach itself to memories and bring us together. Proof of how important music is to Canadians is how often they listen to it. According to data collected for the Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2021, 32% of Canadians listen to music once a day, with an additional 32% listening to music more than once a day.

This past October 1, the world celebrated International Music Day which inspired us to make music books the star of this instalment of our Subject spotlight series, featuring quarterly data-driven insights into a specific corner of the Canadian book market.

Let’s get the show started!

Buying Non-Fiction / Music

Just by glancing at the graph below, we can see that September was the best month for Non-Fiction / Music titles during the third quarter of 2021 and 2022. In 2021, for example, sales increased by 54% from July to September. In 2022, sales increased by 138% during the third quarter.

One reason why the sales of this subject might see an uptick in September is likely due to the impact of schools resuming classes around this time of the year.

Looking at the year-over-year differences, we see that in July 2022 sales decreased by 26% compared to the previous year, but even after that drop, August and September saw increases in sales of 9% and 14% respectively compared to 2021.

Line graph comparing book sales between July, August, and September 2021 and 2022 in the Non-Fiction / Music BISAC category.

These are the BISAC subcategories with the highest year-over-year increase in sales :

Non-Fiction / Music / Lyrics — up 216%
Non-Fiction / Music / Reference — up 129%
Non-Fiction / Music / Religious — up 178%

From July to September, the most purchased Non-Fiction / Music subcategories were:

Non-Fiction / Music / Instruction & Study — 52% of all Non-Fiction / Music sales
Non-Fiction / Music / Genres & Styles — 20% of all Non-Fiction / Music sales
Non-Fiction / Music / Individual Composer & Musician — 10% of all Non-Fiction / Music sales

Borrowing Non-Fiction / Music

At Canadian libraries, there were more loans of Non-Fiction / Music titles in 2022 than in 2021. In fact, despite a small decrease of 2% in July, year-over-year loans increased by 10% in both August and September. When comparing the overall increases in loans during the third quarter, we see that loans increased by 14% from July to September 2022 whereas the increase in loans during the third quarter of 2021 was only by 1%.

Renewals were also higher in 2022. The quarter started with July having a year-over-year increase in renewals of 8%. August and September had increases of 32% and 20% in renewals respectively. Overall, the renewals of Non-Fiction / Music increased by 34% during the third quarter of 2022. The increase in renewals during the third quarter of 2021 was 22%.

Line graph comparing book loans and renewals between July, August, and September 2021 and 2022 in the Non-Fiction / Music BISAC category.

Which Non-Fiction / Music BISAC subcategories were the most popular in Canadian libraries? From July to September 2022, these subcategories saw the greatest increases in library circulation compared to 2021:

Non-Fiction / Music / Lyrics — loans up 1,286% and renewals up 367%
Non-Fiction / Music / Individual Composer & Musician — loans up 62% and renewals up 50%
Non-Fiction / Music / Essays — loans up 29% and renewals up 223%

The most circulated Non-Fiction / Music subcategories at Canadian libraries during the third quarter of 2022 were: