German music companies against the web

After last week’s somehow calm and static list music business comes back to life again. 8 new entries plus two tracks re-entering the list – that’s not bad. Indeed it is the same level as we’ve witnessed two weeks before. The times when we had 20+ new tracks in the chart seem long ago.

The most impressive rise was made by DiddyDirtyMoney. The trio sees ist single Coming Home vaulting 10 – 4 after its use in a TV commercial for the next Stargate-season which starts in March. Heavy airing could cause much more interest in the single. On February 4th the new album Last Train To Paris came in stores whiche usually gives singles an extra boost. Would be no surprise seeing Coming Home next week within the German top 3. Even without stepping higher Coming Home is the highest rank Diddy made since I Don’t Wanna Know saw him topping the German charts as featured artist in 2004. The last top hit as main artist is way back in 1999 when Satisfy You (feat. R. Kelly made no.2.

Next surprise comes with the look of best selling German productions. DJ duo Milk&Sugar still leading the list rising one place to no.8 with its take on Vaya Con Dios’ Hey (Nah Neh Nah). The track is still catchy and attracts a lot of music consumers. So that’s not the big news. But let’s have a look at best sold track in German. It comes once again from Revolverheld feat. Marta Jandová. Their Halt dich an mir fest (Hold on me) climbs back into the top 10 in its 11th chart week which is the highest position since beginning of December. All the weeks in between the song crept around this position never falling deeper down than no.14 mid-January. I don’t know really what caused the new rising interest. Maybe it’s a result of weak competition?

Weak competition – that’s the word for the CD single start of culcha candela’s Berlin City Girl. The track charted two weeks before on download sales only rising up last week to no.21 and now misses narrowly the top 10 on combined sales. It is a surprise indeed. If one sees the advertising machinery working around the track one should assume that this is the biggest new track of the winter. Versions for Austria and Switzerland were pushed separately – a lot of interviews and video snippets sneaking around but – and maybe that’s the main reason for the relatively low interest – the track itself or the video is available only at the band’s homepage. Additionally embedding function is disabled. Maybe the band and especially the company now have to learn what the culture of embedding, linking and liking really means … btw: If you wanna watch the video visit the band’s homepage

Let’s go back to good news! There is a song cruising around the charts since November last year but never had that big impact. It started at no.44 soon falling out of the upper half of the list down to no.70 in late December. Then it became a hit in more or less whole Europe: no.1 in Austria, Belgium and Ireland, top 5 in France and finally rising up the UK charts as well. Even the U.S. dance charts saw the track passing a no.1. The song I’m talking about is simply called Hello and it’s an offering of Canadian band Dragonette remixed by French Martin Solveig. Slowly the track catches fire in Germany also rising since beginning of the year continously and finally entering the top 20 this week. It’s the 14th week the song spent within the list and I wouldn’t be surprised seeing it climbing further.

11-05: waiting for the new stuff

The chart from 4th February 2011 reflecting sales 21st to 27th January should show a lot of activity. At the top such a change of hits happens. Further down … nothing really exciting. Only four new entries and two re-entries – all together six tracks not listed a fortnight ago. That’s really solid. Last time we saw such a slow chart list was 3rd September 2010. Do you remember the rush of new tracks crashing into the list two ... three ... four years ago?

Times are changing. I wonder why all other charts around the world behave completely different. I guess German music industry somehow denies the final steps for getting into the digital area. They fight against youtube, digital releases are mostly synchronized with physical releases. Campaining for new music via TV is done only for some acts with sure CD release. The whole digital market seems completely unknown. Hot new music from outside of Germany is hardly available – take at least the huge grime invasion in Great Britain. In Germany nobody cares about it. One can inform about new tendencies by surfing the net. But every third track comes with a „Not available in your country“-warning. To me it looks like discriminating a whole generation of music consumers.

Well – let’s not argue bout what should be. Let’s have a look what is in reality. Most popular German track with the highest amount of sales is again Milk&Sugar vs. Vaya Con Dios Hey (Nah Neh Nah) finally reaching top 10 status and giving both acts their first top hit ever. German DJ duo Milk&Sugar took almost exactly 10 years to do so, Belgian Vaya Con Dios had to wait almost 20 years since charting first in Germany.

Most popular song in German is still Revolverheld feat. Marta Jandová Halt dich an mir fest (Hold On Me) sliding down one place to no.13. Upcoming next big German song is the new single from culcha candela Berlin City Girl which is in shops as physical release since 28th February. It is the second new recording from the band’s best of-album released last October. This week Berlin City Girl jumps up the list as an download only track 53 – 21. Take it for guaranted having it inside the top 10 next week. (The video is available on Culcha Candelas site: culchacandela.de – embedding not aloud)

Addition 05th February
Man of the day is more or less Bruno Mars having two simoultaneous hits inside the top 10 plus appearing as the producer of Cee-Lo Green's F**k You which still invading the upper half of the list. The woman with the biggest presence is once again Rihanna. This week her new single What's My Name? (alongside with Canadian rapper DRAKE) is entering the list at no. 12. Who's That Chick? and Only Girl still cling on inside the top 20 and even the duet with EMINEM – the former no.1 Love The Way You Lie is straying through the list. Four tracks in one list – Rihanna itself did two years ago better havong 5 tracks charted at the same time. Having several hits in the list for more than two years – that seems quite spectacular.

04-11: Most popular German tracks - Milk&Sugar + Revolverheld

Most important stories of the German music market are told already. Adele is the new rising star probably catching the no.1 spot next week, Bruno Mars will follow having just now two tracks simultaneously in the top 10. These actions are similar to most countries all over Europe. What’s about productions from the continent? – Well, best sold track from continental Europe is right now David Guetta’s Who’s That Chick?. At least in Germany it is selling since two months copies enough for placing within the top 10. It reached its highest position no.6 when it was first released beginning of December. This week Who’s That Chick? is sliding down two places to no.10. Of course the track is not a full European production as the voice belongs to Rihanna. Best sold completely European production comes from Germany and ranks at no.11. There Hey (Nah Neh Nah) lands after an impressive more than 20 positions jump. Originally the song was offered by Belgian band Vaya Con Dios. It was one of their few hits finding a wide audience in central Europe in the early 90s. Probably Nah Neh Nah (which was the original title) was the most played and most known track of the band but not the commercially most successful reaching only no.16 in Germany and missing the top 20 in Austria and Switzerland. In autumn 2010 the track became more or less popular in clubs – if one is interested in the different versions one could find them here. German DJ duo Milk&Sugar had the luckiest hands on the track, their mix is selling in bigger quantities and entered the German charts just at the end of last year. On 14th January the proper CD single was released causing the abover mentioned jump. It gives the DJ team its highest place ever. And even Vaya Con Dios finally have a second no.11-hit after getting this rank once more than 20 years ago. Both are still waiting for their first German top 10 rank. Will the new mix have the power for rising further? We will see.

Most popular song in German comes from Revolverheld feat. Marta Jandová at no.12. Halt dich an mir fest (Hold on me) is ranking within the German list since beginning of December reaching no.8 in ist very first week but it was always overshadowed by powerful German superstars UNHEILIG who held a strong performing Winter within the list. Finally winter euphoria and romantic memories of peaceful childhood loosing sympathy and the classic love song finds its way into the spotlight.