Landeguides og markedsrapporter / Viden

A Brief MXD Overview Of The German Music Industry (2015)

Udgivet
23.04.2015

Flag-germany3

GERMAN MARKET – Macro facts (1/6)

  • Population: 81 Million
  • Federal state system
  • One of the most important music markets (third largest in the world according to some surveys)
  • Physical music market
  • Not everybody is using a credit card
  • Strong public support for classical music
  • No rock/pop export office
  • The German press, consumers and industry do not care where the music is from

GERMAN MARKET – Macro facts (2/6)

RECORDED MUSIC – still a physcial market:

ifpi

Source: Ifpi.

GERMAN MARKET – Macro facts (3/6)

Live:

  • Most concert venues are supported by their city of origin
  • Most of these venues are thus in a good state
  • The big cities on average host 800-1000 professional shows per year
  • Huge competition in the German live industry!
  • Tough to make money on your first German tours
  • During the summer there are big local open air shows like Wuhlheide Berlin, Stadtpark Hamburg, Kutlursommer Hamburg, etc.
  • There is a festival for every target group

GERMAN MARKET – Macro facts (4/6)

Fragmentation!

Unlike in France with Paris or in the UK with London the important German media & music actors are fragmented across several cities:

  • Berlin -> RBB, Intro, Musikexpress, Rolling Stone, DR Kultur, Metal Hammer, Spex, Universal, City Slang, Morr Music, Grönland, MCT, etc…
  • Hamburg -> NDR, Byte FM, Spiegel, Warner Music, Edel, Freibank, FKP Scorpio, Karsten Jahnke, Selective Artist, Believe Digital, etc…
  • Munich -> BR, piranha, Classic Rock, Sony Music, Target, GEMA, etc…
  • Cologne (& Ruhrdistict) -> WDR, Intro, Visions, Kompakt, Cargo, Schoneberg, etc…
  • „B“ Cities -> Frankfurt, Leipzig, Dortmund, Stuttgart, etc…

GERMAN MARKET – Macro facts (5/6)

Import market – but domestic pop is on the rise:

  • During the 2nd world war lot of artists left Germany
  • After the war US and UK music played an important role due to the army
  • In the 60‘s American songs were translated into German
  • US/UK stars recorded songs in German (like Elvis, Cash, Temptations, etc…)
  • German fear of nationalism = less export = more import
  • However 2014 saw strong growth in the German pop‘s domestic market share – too early to say whether its a real trend though

Niche export:

  • Important niche music was made in Germany like Krautrock or Techno
  • Influential bands like Kraftwerk or Rammstein

GERMAN MARKET – Macro facts (6/6)

…. and some further facts:

  • Big (and bigger) cities still have a record store culture
  • Big multimedia shoppingchain Saturn is one of the most important CD retailers
  • Strong mailorder culture in Germany (HHV.de, Flight13, Glitterhouse, etc…)

GERMAN MEDIA (1/3)

German public media fragmentation:

medier

GERMAN MEDIA (2/3)

Radio:

  • Fragmentation! No nationwide public or private music radio stations
  • Only two info channels are broadcasted nationwide (DLF & DR Kultur) … both operate without music playlists
  • All key public & private music radio stations are regional. For example RBB‘s Radio Eins for Berlin
  • Germany has 9 public radio broadcasters that cover the different parts of the country (with their own subchannels). You can add +200 private and college radio stations to this equation

Print:

  • Over 15 music magazines
  • Newspapers are not that important for music

GERMAN MEDIA (3/3)

Online:

  • Most Important music websites belong to the print music magazines

Online video services:

  • Getting stronger in Germany / smart TV solutions for the future
  • … but in 2014 the impact still remained limited

TV:

  • Music channels play less music / MTV is „pay TV“
  • Most important TV show for Bands is Circus Halligalli (only playing 3 minutes of music under bad conditions)
  • Culture shows play less music. For example ARTE TRACKS is now focusing more on computer geeks, fashion etc.
  • There are also some regional TV shows like talkshows on the 3rd programs (=all 9 public radio stations have their own regional TV channels)

GERMAN CHARTSYSTEM

Sales charts:

  • Sales charts are made by MEDIA CONTROL
  • The new charts are released every Monday around 5 pm

Airplay charts:

  • Different radio airplay charts for different target groups -> Youth, maintream, domestic & college (Youth + mainstream = Main airplay charts)
  • Different valuation of plays depends on media analysts numbers of listeners for the airplay charts (except college radios)
  • The valuation of the media analyst numbers are only done by landine phone calls (to get people at right local area)

THE ROADMAP – ARTIST EXPORT (1/4)

Your German set-up needs to cover

Live:

  • It is important to have live shows around the release

Label/Distribution:

  • You need to market the album physically (CD and vinyl). Digital alone is a no go.

PR:

  • If you dont have a German label with in-house PR…. Find the right PR Company to support you in the right way(How many people will work on my band, How many acts are they working per month? Do I know the bands they worked with? Did they have success?)

Budget:

  • Be realistic with your budgetting

THE ROADMAP – ARTIST EXPORT (2/4)

  • @ Bands & professionals: Be pragmatic when exporting -> Don‘t dream and get blinded by national feelings
  • @ Bands & professionals: Play ball while you can -> The markets have opened up with many new investing players…. but they will settle down again, and the competition is on the case
  • @ Bands: Export is a must if you want a full-time career -> Be careful with your international rights

THE ROADMAP – ARTIST EXPORT (3/4)

The tools you need to have ready when releasing in DE:

  • A good record (check with your German team, which single makes sense to push)
  • Video + an alternative video link to youtube (GEMA!)
  • Info sheet
    -Band biography
    -Discography (if it makes sense)
    -Album info
  • Pictures (min. 300 dpi quality)
    -It is good to have a picture in both B/W and Colour
  • Cover (1200×1200 pix)
    -Album & single cover
  • Press quotes
  • Physical albums for promotion / radio single can be only digital (German public radio is using the digital sendout system called MPN)

THE ROADMAP – ARTIST EXPORT (4/4)

Timing for new artists:

  • Campaign start should be at least 3 months before album release
  • Promotion day (Berlin is the best place) should be 1.5-2 months before the album release
  • Single campaign for the radio should start 6-7 weeks before album release
  • Optimal timing for a headline tour is 4-6 weeks after album release
  • Support tours before the relase are very welcome
  • Free mp3 can be used for starting album campaign
  • Single can be released for digital sales once the single radio campaign has been started
  • 2nd single timing depends on tour dates, hype, etc…

OVERVIEW OF KEY COMPANIES (1/5)

Labels:

  • Warner
  • Sony
  • Universal -> Four Music, Virgin
  • Edel (Scooter, New Model Army, etc…)
  • Grönland (Boy, William Fitzsimmons, Neu!, etc…)
  • Chimperator (Cro, Orsons, etc…)
  • City Slang (Notwist, Sylvan Esso, Tindersticks, Hauschka, etc…)
  • Staatsakt (Die Sterne, Dieter Meier, etc…)
  • Morr Music (Seabear, Lali Puna, Soley, etc…)
  • Adp (Eclectic Moniker, I am Not A Band, etc…)
  • Nettwerk (Nneka, etc…)
  • Hafen ( Trentemöller, etc…)
  • Kompakt (Gus Gus, etc…)
  • PIAS Germany
  • Indies: Sinbus, Haldernpop, Tapete, Trikont, Audiolith….
  • Etc.

OVERVIEW OF KEY COMPANIES (2/5)

Distributors

Physical: Digital:
  • Universal/Warner/Sony
  • Rough Trade / Groove Attack
  • Cargo
  • Soulfood
  • Indigo
  • Broken Silence
  • Hart
  • Membran
  • Edel
  • Etc.
  • Universal/Warner/Sony
  • Believe digial
  • Kontor
  • Zebralution
  • Finetunes
  • Etc.

 

 

 

Publishers

  • Universal/Warner Chappel /Sony ATV
  • BMG RIGHTS
  • Freibank
  • Wintrup
  • Budde Music
  • Etc.

OVERVIEW OF KEY COMPANIES (3/5)

Promoters/Agents

  • FKP Scorpio
  • MLK (Lieberberg)
  • Karsten Jahnke
  • Melt Booking
  • Selective Artist / A.S.S. / Dragon Production
  • X Why Z
  • MCT
  • Landstreicher
  • KKT
  • Sparta
  • Powerline
  • Neuland (Warner)
  • Four Artist
  • Burning Eagle
  • Target
  • DEAG / Wizzard
  • ICS
  • Gastespielreisen
  • Buback
  • Bomber der Herzen
  • Etc.

OVERVIEW OF KEY COMPANIES (4/5)

PR agencies

  • Oktober Print PR
  • Verstärker
  • Beats International
  • Funkfaktor Radio PR
  • Welthit Radio PR
  • Wagmüller PR
  • Uta Bretsch Communication
  • AD On Online PR
  • Beck to Music Print PR
  • Rewika Print PR
  • Starkult PR
  • Elena Nehrmann Print PR
  • Off the Record Online PR
  • FACTORY 92
  • Etc…

OVERVIEW OF KEY COMPANIES (5/5)

Festivals

Consumer festivals:

  • Hurricane/Southside
  • Rock Am Ring / Rock im Park
  • Taubertal
  • Melt
  • Splash
  • Wacken
  • Rolling Stone Weekender/ Metal Hammer Paradise
  • Tollwood
  • M‘era Luna
  • Haldern pop
  • Apple Tree Garden
  • Fusion
  • Elbjazz
  • Berlin Festival
  • Frequency
  • Etc.

Showcase festivals:

  • Reeperbahn Festvial (Hamburg)
  • c/o pop (Cologne)
  • Pop-Kultur (Berlin)
  • Jazzahead
  • SWR NewPop Festival
  • Etc.
Redigeret
23.04.2015