German album charts

The German album charts (currently Album Top 100 ) are weekly music charts for Germany that are currently being determined by GfK Entertainment . In addition to the top 100 charts for albums determined by this market research company, so-called repertoire charts are also available, broken down by music style and form of distribution . The survey is carried out on behalf of the Federal Association of the Music Industry (BVMI) (until 2007: Federal Association of the Phonographic Industry ) and is carried out by GfK Entertainment. GfK Entertainment also bears the publication rights and markets them.

History and developments

There have been album charts in Germany since July 15, 1962. The first number one success in the music market hit parade from July 1962 was the album My Fair Lady - German original recording by the two protagonists Karin Hübner and Paul Hubschmid as well as other musicians and singers . The album charts were initially published like the single charts in Musikmarkt magazine . The hit list was consistently published every month on the 15th. On December 15, 1976 there was a change in the period of the chart publication. The album charts, like the single charts, were published twice a month on the 1st and on the 15th. The determination of the German music charts was transferred to Media Control from September 1977 . From September 4, 1978, Media Control switched to a weekly publication of their album Top 50 (every Monday). By January 5, 1980, the album charts had 50 positions. From January 6, 1980, the album charts had at least 65 places, the number of places fluctuated between 65 and 100 in the following years. It was only since August 3, 1992 that the number of places increased to the steady and still valid number of 100 places.

Since January 2001, sales from online providers and since July 2002 also music videos have been included in the calculation of the album Top 100 . In 2003 the Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GfK) got involved in charting, and media control GfK International was created (in 2013 GfK took over the full charter position).

Until September 2005, the sales week from Monday to Sunday was evaluated. Then the date for new releases was brought forward to Friday in order to have new releases on the market at the beginning of the high-turnover weekend. Accordingly, the evaluation period for the charts has been postponed to Friday to Thursday. Since then, the official date of the charts is no longer Monday, but Friday.

Since July 13, 2007, the evaluations have been converted to so-called “value charts”. For chart placement, the number of records sold or downloads is no longer decisive, as was previously the case, but the sales achieved by a product. So the top of the chart is not necessarily the most sold album, but the one that has the most money spent on. This reduces the dependency on special offers and promotions from the large retail chains and online providers. The move away from sales figures to determine the hit parade listing is unique worldwide. To this end, the requirement that singles also had to be published as physical products for inclusion in the charts was removed from the single charts, so so-called “digital-only releases” are also recorded. This change also had an impact on the album charts from 2009 , where from now on downloads were also included in the rating. As with the singles, there were separate download charts for albums from that point on.

After music streaming celebrated its breakthrough in 2013 and was also included in the Billboard charts by Billboard , it was also included in the calculation of the single charts in Germany on January 3, 2014 . Streamings have only been included in the album charts since the chart week on February 5, 2016. In the Top 100 charts - unlike in the streaming charts - only premium streams are rated, i.e. song downloads for which the customer pays individually or directly at a flat rate . Ad-financed platforms like YouTube are not taken into account.

Chart date

Unlike in some other countries, the official date of the German charts until the beginning of May 2015 was not identical to the period in which the sales of the albums and songs were evaluated. Until 2005, the recording period ended on Sunday and the charts were published exactly eight days later on Monday. So there was another complete sales week between the evaluation and the validity date of the charts. In the past, this was due to the fact that data collection by post and telephone and the chart calculation took a correspondingly long time. The development of electronic data processing and transmission made faster and more accurate evaluations possible, to which the official date was not adjusted until 2015. In 2005, the recording period was brought forward to Friday to Thursday, and the official chart date has always been a Friday since then. Since May 2015, the chart determination has already been completed on Friday directly after the end of the recording period. On this day at 4:00 p.m. the first five positions in the charts will be announced on officialcharts.de , on the following Monday another five positions and on Wednesday, five days after the end of the recording, the remaining positions. Furthermore, the payment barrier for the music archive has been removed. The music industry and partners will be provided with all of this data on Friday against payment. For example, the entire Top 100 single can be viewed on the MTV Germany website on Fridays .

Basics of chart determination

Chart panel

The portfolio currently comprises around 2,500 providers who can submit a report that is sufficient to determine the chart. In addition to retail or online providers, special forms of distribution ( download , wholesale , streaming or teleshopping ) can also be taken into account if they can statistically record and report direct sales to the end customer. For repertoire charts - such as the jazz or hit charts - “specialty stores” or “genre servers” are also qualified if they represent the relevant segment in a statistically representative manner. Examiners decide on participation in the panel. The following criteria apply to all sales channels :

• It has to be direct sales or the end user pays for music access as with streaming providers. For downloads, the end users must have German postal addresses .
• The provider must be a retailer whose business purpose is sales to end consumers.
• The image and sound carrier offer must be permanent.
• The “breadth of the repertoire” must be representative and introduce innovations.
• A significant amount of sales must be reported in a timely manner. The GfK Entertainment for this establishes appropriate sales values and monitors compliance. Traders can be excluded from the chart panel if they repeatedly fall below the sales values.
• The sales reports must be traceable.

Data acquisition

The data acquisition takes place through IT-supported cash terminals . Conventional video and audio sales are cash reports with receipt number , date and time. In the case of online music services , the email address and the account number or relevant information must also be sent. An album is counted a maximum of once per email address or account number. For each product sold, the POS terminals register the catalog number (usually the so-called EAN or UPC code ), the number of items, the gross sales price and the date and time of purchase. The POS terminals are connected to the workstation of the “PHONONET system” at the providers. PHONONET is a service provider for the German music and film industry founded in 1991, which among other things offers a complete eMedia catalog, including product images, sound and video samples for online research and the exchange of data between trade and industry (order, delivery or also billing data) designs and operates. The data collected by the retailers are encrypted and forwarded to GfK on a daily basis. The encryption is intended to prevent further use of the data. The only exception is the determination of whether two dates are identical. GfK archives the delivery data over a longer period of time and checks multiple orders on the basis of their data in the archive. Reported sales are eliminated by products not qualified for chart determination. Products on the basis of very strong similarities capable of addition are summarized. The IT system can authenticate qualified products by comparing the catalog number as an indicator with an article master database operated by PHONONET . The PHONONET database contains information such as the artist name, album title, music publisher or even the music label . If a sales company does not create a "PHONONET article master", a comparable individual registration must be made with GfK. Individual registrations must be submitted at least one week before publication. During the period in which a product is in the charts, it is not possible to unsubscribe.

Data processing

In the first step of data processing, the GfK IT system takes over the daily sales data of the reporting retailers. The quantity sold is multiplied per transaction by the gross sales price at the sales value. First, non-qualified sales are eliminated and products that can be added together. There is an upper limit of 40 euros per transaction in order not to jeopardize the representativeness due to individual above-average high-priced items.

Music streams are also taken into account when determining the chart. In contrast to the download charts , only so-called “premium streams” are included in the official Top 100 albums (end users pay for music access). Advertising-financed or "non-interactive" music streams, in which the end user does not select or create the song or playlist himself, are not taken into account. In addition, only streams with a playback time of 31 seconds or more are counted. The streaming value results from the following invoice, which is checked every six months: number of premium accounts × average value of a premium subscription ÷ number of streams made by premium users.

The sales values ​​of each sales week are finally added up for each album, from which a per mille share of the total result is calculated. This serves as a criterion for the chart ranking. Sales from the publication date (“Street Date”) stored for the respective title in the PHONONET article master are taken into account. This date must be changed at least one week before the planned publication. If the report is received too late, the original publication date applies to Erste.

control

The chart determination is checked at regular intervals by auditors from the association (BVMI) in Baden-Baden . They share their results with the charting and marketing committee, which may make further decisions. In the event of discrepancies, the solution to which cannot be found in the system description, the examination officers will coordinate their work within 48 hours. The vote takes place after a simple majority, in case of a tie the vote of the BVMI decides. At least three votes must be received for a vote , otherwise it must be repeated. The result of the vote will be announced to GfK, the respective interested parties and the auditor. The BVMI itself distinguishes between three different control procedures.

general control

The sales reports are checked through a multi-stage control process before they are used. In addition to the temporal course of product sales per day and week, this includes multiple sales of a product within one registration process. Large differences in the totals of average sales also lead to reviews. The sales processes are compared by dealer and product and searched for data constellations that could be incorrect, illogical or improbable. Thus, detection errors should be recognized and excluded.

Dealer-related control

The sales of each dealer are compared with the individual upper limit of album sales, these result from the actually reported volume of the respective dealer. As soon as a certain tolerance limit is exceeded, the relevant sales report will be adjusted accordingly.

Title related control

After all sales reports have been received, the sales totals for each album are determined and the average sales of all products per retailer are calculated. Deviations in sales from the mean value are shown individually in a test report for each dealer. If the deviations exceed a certain limit, the respective message is checked and adjusted if necessary. Recognizable irregularities lead to further checks. Music albums, the distribution of which is based on unfair influence , do not qualify for chart determination. This applies to mass purchases and uses using technical aids, among other things.

sample

The reports submitted by the dealers are weighted so that the dealers' sales data reflect a representative business image. The providers who are eligible for charting are recorded by GfK on the basis of their structure and volume. The chart panel now covers more than 75% of the relevant music market and is thus approaching a full survey . The use of a multi-stage sampling procedure is no longer associated with this, but disproportionate reports must be excluded. For this reason, the trading structure is currently divided into seven “dealer groups”. These dealer groups are made up of major customers and an association of structurally similar providers and dealers. A weighting factor is assigned to each grouping ; this is based on the respective market potential and is checked at regular intervals and adjusted if necessary. The weighting factor is applied to the reported sales values ​​of the respective dealer grouping by product. A representative composition of the samples should be guaranteed by a recursive calculation method.

Qualification and addition rules

Article master information

With the exception of indexed products by the Federal Testing Office for Media Harmful to Young People (BPjM), all products whose article master data is available to GfK are evaluated.

Dealer breadth

Only those products that have demonstrably received sales reports from at least three dealer groups qualify for the charts. A dealer grouping is not only the report of a single trading company or a single point of sale, but also major customers or retail chains or groups of trading companies. This is to avoid that high sales revenues are achieved with a small number of providers and unjustified placements due to insufficient representativeness .

Addition rules

The chart placements are usually determined individually for each product. In the case of music albums, the technical configurations of the same product are added up , be it due to differences in the form of distribution (CD, download, stream, etc.) or on the product (extended version, live version, remix, etc.). This applies to products whose variations largely match in terms of content. The so-called "title identity" is given if the main components match at least 70%. For this reason, the sales of many live albums or new editions are added to those of the previous studio album (basic product). This is what happened with Unheilig's Große Freiheit in 2010. The album was at the top of the album charts for a total of 23 weeks , which is due to the fact that the album stormed to number one again after the release of a live version and a "winter edition". Due to the addition rule, Unheilig only celebrated one chart success with the base product (version with the fewest titles) Große Freiheit instead of charting three times. There are exceptions to the addition rule if the sales companies concerned advocate separate recording. The addition rule is also lifted if the distribution of a product has been prohibited by a court order. A new edition must withstand the renewed qualification for chart investigations. Products, the appearance and content of which, although the title is identical, represent a separate album, are also excluded from the ability to add. The decisive factor for this is that no more than 50% of the titles have already been published on other music albums. Best-of albums and live albums are excluded from this rule. During the product life cycle , the appearance of a basic product is allowed to change without the additive ability being increased.

Bonus content and extras

The products can be supplemented with bonus content (posters, stickers, t-shirts, etc.). No new product is initially generated from this; this additional content is only used to expand the offer, provided that it takes certain points into account. The bonus content may only serve to upgrade / supplement the actual content and may not represent an independent music product. The aim here is to control the chart qualification in a non-discriminatory manner and to exclude that non-musical main components allow entry into the chart qualification. Bonus content does not affect the chartability of a product. Bonus materials are added and must be checked to see whether the "value component" is justifiable. The additions must not violate the following regulations:

1. It must be a physical music album.
2. The additional items ( merchandise ) must be related to the album or the artist ( branding ).
3. The additions must be haptic perception . Contests, vouchers and tickets, among others, are not qualified to determine the chart. On the other hand, activities that cannot be bought, such as Meet & Greets or preferential concert admission , are qualified .

In the case of so-called "media bundles", which are made up of various "entertainment groups" (film, literature, music, etc.), the music labels or distributors must decide on an allocation.

Left

Digital products can also be sold with links to web offers that only allow the respective owners to access content via specific addresses and passwords . These are currently the following variants:

• Audio content (download / stream)
• Video content (download / stream)
• Other content (download / stream)

Definition and assignment of different formats

Artist albums

Music albums can be placed in the album Top 100 or the Top 30 compilation charts. Products are generally considered albums with a minimum total playing time of 23 minutes. Products with shorter maturities are in the single top 100 . Music albums that contain no more than two artists or soundtracks qualify for the top 100 charts . Soundtrack albums must consist of at least 50% titles that can be heard in films. If more than three artists participate, music albums usually qualify for the top 30 compilation charts . Exceptions to this are publications with a “project character” such as label samplers ( Sampler 4 ) or a public concert ( Live 8 ). However, this must be an initial exploitation, i.e. at least 75% of the content must have been newly produced for the specific project, new recordings or remixes are not included.

Commercial downloads / music streaming

Digital forms of music distribution such as downloads and streams are integrated into the determination of the charts, provided that their distribution is comparable to the physical one. This applies above all to so-called "commercial downloads" insofar as these are purchased individually. Music streams that qualify for chart determination are included in the determination with a certain value. However, only music streams that are delivered to GfK with a European Article Number (EAN) for the respective product are counted. At least six tracks per album must be streamed, with a maximum of the twelve most played tracks. The two titles with the most streaming views are not taken into account with their actual value because they already have a strong influence on the single top 100 . Due to this fact, the two are included in the evaluation with the average value of the following ten titles. The turnover for chart determination is also made up of the following calculation: ((Stream total title 3–12 × 12) ÷ 10) × value per title in €

Compilations

All music albums that do not meet the requirements of the Album Top 100 are included in the evaluation; these are usually so-called compilations or samplers . These are characterized, among other things, by the fact that they contain titles by more than three artists or are productions for TV series. "DJ projects", music albums that contain remixes with flowing transitions, also fall under the compilations .

Data storage media

Due to the fact that the German music charts are independent in their format of publication, rewritable data carriers ( SD cards , USB sticks , etc.) are also permitted for chart determination, provided their storage capacity is not greater than two gigabytes . Data carriers that can be rewritten are assessed as additions according to their material utility from the consumer's point of view. If it is ensured through technical measures that a data carrier cannot be rewritten, it will not be counted as an accessory.

Video formats

The Top 100 charts are based on musical content, which can be offered in audio format on the one hand and in video format on the other . That is why pure audio recordings, music videos and so-called "combination products" (products in which image / recordings of different formats / content are offered together) are brought together for the top 100 charts . In the case of a "feature film video music" combination product, the playing time of the film video content or music content decides on the chart allocation. If the playing time of the musical product amounts to more than 50% of the total playing time, it qualifies for the music charts, otherwise it qualifies for the feature film charts . In addition, separate music video charts are also published as genre charts.

Chart manipulation

2005 albums were the Estonian pop-rock - girl group Vanilla Ninja excluded from the charts, because the BVMI-test committee had recognized to attempted manipulation. In April 2005, the suspicion of chart manipulation by their producer David Brandes , who, according to a report on the Sat.1 broadcasting Act 05/12 , is said to have specifically commissioned buyers to purchase large quantities of his products from a well-known electronics wholesale chain, was initially confirmed . An artificially good chart placement should be achieved through the massive buy-ups. The Federation of the Phonographic Industry (BPW) and the market research company Media Control decided for this reason, on 11 April 2005, the album Blue Tattoo and Traces of Sadness and the Single Blue Tattoo and I Know ruled for three months from the charts. In addition to Vanilla Ninja, other singles from Gracia Baur ( Run & Hide ) and Virus Incorporation ( Heaven Is a Place on Earth ) were also affected. David Brandes admitted in the Johannes B. Kerner talk show on April 19, 2005 that Run & Hide, among others, had bought over 2,000 copies. Brandes claims that this is common practice in the industry and that he would put his artist at a competitive disadvantage if he hadn't. However, he rejected the number from Media Control, according to which he is said to have purchased 31,000 CDs. Immediately after this broadcast, Media Control decided to ban the Brandes titles from the charts for another three months. One month after the manipulation attempt became known, Vanilla Ninja nevertheless took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with a title written by Brandes ( Cool Vibes ). A short time later the band ended their collaboration with Brandes.

Further album chart evaluations

Top 10 comedy charts

The comedy charts are determined like the album top 100 . All products that can be assigned to the Comedy program type are rated. These include: program type 124 “comedy word” (word share over 50%), program type 127 “comedy music” (music content at least 50%), program type 117 “cabaret” and program type 651 “humor, satire, cabaret, comedy”. The allocation of products for these repertoire charts is essentially carried out using the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. A placement in the comedy charts is completely independent of a listing in the Top 100 charts . A product with a musical content of more than 50% can place in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts .

Top 15 German-language albums

The top 15 German-language albums are determined like the album Top 100 . All music albums with German-language lyrics will be rated.

Top 20 hip hop charts

The hip-hop charts are determined like the album top 100 . All hip-hop music albums are rated . The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially carried out using the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET (program type 114). A placement in the hip-hop charts is completely independent of a listing in the Top 100 charts . A product can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. In contrast to the album Top 100, there is a minimum dealer width of two and not three dealer groups as in the Top 100 charts .

Top 20 vinyl charts

The vinyl charts are determined like the album Top 100 . All music albums that are published in the form of a vinyl record are rated . A placement in the vinyl charts is completely independent of a listing in the Top 100 charts . A product can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts.

Top 30 compilation charts

In contrast to many album chart evaluations in other countries, the compilation charts are evaluated anti-cyclically and in a separate list. All music albums that do not meet the requirements of the Album Top 100 are included in the evaluation; these are usually so-called compilations or samplers . These are characterized, among other things, by the fact that they contain titles by more than three artists or are productions for TV series. “DJ projects”, music albums that contain remixes with smooth transitions, also fall under the compilations .

Top 20 jazz charts

The jazz charts are determined like the album Top 100 . All music albums in the jazz genre are rated . The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially based on the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. A placement in the jazz charts is completely independent of a listing in the Top 100 charts . A product can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts .

Top 20 classical music charts

The classical charts are determined like the album top 100 . All music albums in the classical genre are rated . The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially based on the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. A placement in the classic charts is completely independent of a listing in the Top 100 charts . A product can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts . In this hit parade, a so-called “adjustment rule” is used in a unique way. This means that the classic charts are adjusted for those products that are worse than position 15 after at least three positions, but at the earliest after the second and third positions in a row. After a classic album has placed itself in the hit parade six times, the adjustment limit falls to the extent that albums are eliminated that were placed below position ten at the earliest on the fifth and sixth listing in a row. If an album has dropped out of the classical charts , they can start again from the following month if they have reached at least sixth place, otherwise a return is denied. For those returning to work, the calculation of the number of weeks begins again within the framework of the adjustment regulations.

Top 20 music video charts

The music video charts are determined like the album top 100 . All video albums that are marked as "original music videos" in formats such as Blu-Ray, DVD or VHS are rated. The allocation of products for these repertoire charts is essentially carried out using the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. A placement in the music video charts is completely independent of a listing in the Top 100 charts . A product with a musical content of more than 50% can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts .

Top 20 hits album charts

The top 20 hits are determined like the top 100 albums . The hit parade appears weekly. All music albums of the Schlager genre are rated . The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially based on the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. A placement in the hit charts is completely independent of a listing in the top 100 charts . A product can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially based on the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts .

Top 50 Daily Trend Charts (Compilations)

The Daily trend charts , with the exception of Sunday as the compilation top 50 daily basis. Due to the fact that traders deliver their reports late, the database can differ slightly from that of the Top 100 charts . The investigations are carried out daily for the previous day. Since streaming providers are currently still late in delivering their reports, they are included in the daily trend charts with a delay of one day .

Top 50 hits album charts

The top 50 hits are determined like the top 100 albums . The hit parade appears monthly. All music albums of the Schlager genre are rated. The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially based on the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. A placement in the hit charts is completely independent of a listing in the top 100 charts . A product can therefore place itself in the album top 100 as well as in the repertoire charts. The allocation of products to the various repertoire charts is essentially based on the repertoire markings of the companies at PHONONET. In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts .

Top 100 annual album charts

The annual charts are determined annually like the single top 100 . At the end of each year, an overall evaluation is made from the sales (and for several years also the download and streaming equivalents) over the past twelve months. The charter broker publishes these annual charts at the beginning of the new year. These chart lists have been available for albums since 1978. Since 2018, publication is no longer based on the calendar year. The annual charts have been published since the beginning of December.

Top 100 download album charts

The download charts are determined like the album top 100 . In contrast to the album top 100, there is a minimum retailer width of two and not three retailer groups as in the top 100 charts . It is not possible to cancel individual titles.

Top 100 midweek album charts

The Midweekcharts how the album Top 100 determined from Friday to Monday. Due to the fact that traders deliver their reports late, the database can differ slightly from that of the Top 100 charts .

Top 100 Streaming Album Charts

In contrast to the album top 100 , ad-financed streams also flow into the streaming charts . As for determining the album charts, streams with a minimum listening time of 31 seconds are included in the rating. The streaming charts are piece-based, i.e. based on their number and not based on values ​​like the album charts. In contrast to the album Top 100, there is a minimum dealer width of two and not three dealer groups as in the Top 100 charts . It is not possible to cancel individual titles.

Top 150 Daily Trend Charts (Albums)

The Daily trend charts , with the exception of Sunday as the Album Top 100 daily basis. Due to the fact that traders deliver their reports late, the database can differ slightly from that of the Top 100 charts . The investigations are carried out daily for the previous day. Since streaming providers are currently still late in delivering their reports, they are included in the daily trend charts with a delay of one day .

Number 1 award

Following the image of the Official Charts Company , which compiles the British Music Charts , GfK, in cooperation with the Federal Music Industry Association, introduced a so-called number 1 award as a further marketing measure . This has been awarded for the Official German Album Charts since the spring of 2016 and for the Official German Single Charts since the end of 2017 . The performers are only recognized once for the number one success of a published work and not for every multiple weekly placement of the same at the top of the chart. The first album award was Andrea Berg for her number-one success soul quake on April 16, 2016. Its premiere the price during the by Florian Silbereisen moderated ARD show The big hit hard - the surprising show of the best Florian Silbereisen . The award was presented by GfK Managing Director Dr. Mathias Giloth presented. It doesn't matter whether a plant goes straight to number one or climbs up from a lower position. An annual album award has also been presented since 2018 , which goes to the top of the annual album charts each year. The first annual album award went to Helene Fischer and her self-titled studio album Helene Fischer .

Special features and special successes in chart history

Number one successes

→ Main article : List of the number one albums in Germany  and list of the artists who were also number one in the German album and single charts

Top 10 Achievements

→ Main article : List of the top 10 albums in Germany

Chart successes

• James Last was able to place most of the albums in the German album charts. Between 1965 and 2009, a total of 110 of his albums reached the hit list, 13 of which were at the top of the chart .
• Shortly after his death on June 25, 2009, Michael Jackson topped the German album charts with the albums King of Pop and Thriller . Two more Jackson albums followed in the top 10 with Number Ones (# 7) and Bad (# 9). A total of nine albums were initially placed in the top 100 , in the following weeks even fourteen of his albums were represented in the German album charts. In the chart week of July 17, 2009, six albums by Jackson took the first six places, two more albums landed in eighth and ninth place.
• Helene Fischer reached number one in the annual charts with the album Farbenspiel in 2013 and 2014. It is the first album in German chart history to top the annual charts for two years in a row. The singer repeated this record with the studio album named after herself, Helene Fischer , which was number one in the annual charts in 2017 and 2018.
• In the chart week of November 1, 2019, 37 newcomers made it into the album charts, which was a new record. Eight albums entered the top 10 . The previous record was set on October 5, 2018, when 36 newcomers entered the album charts. Before that, the peak was reached in September 2015 with 31 newcomers.
• With 14 million streaming views, the debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish the most streamed album by an artist within a week (March 28 - April 4, 2019). In doing so, she breaks the record of the American singer Ariana Grande , who had 13.3 million streaming views with her album Thank U, Next two months earlier (February 8 - February 14, 2019). This broke her own record, which she set only half a year earlier with the album Sweetener .
• The album Best of Helene Fischer made it into the album charts for the 350th time in the chart week of November 22, 2019. No other album has stayed in the album charts for so long. The singer breaks the record of Andrea Berg , who was able to place in the album charts with her album Best Of 349 weeks.

criticism

In 2009, Edgar Berger , at that time the head of Sony Music in Germany, criticized the understanding and composition of the German music charts. He said the following to the mirror : “Nobody can understand the charts anymore. I call for clearing out and redesign. Otherwise you have to ask yourself the question of meaning. If you pack a T-shirt with it or make a special edition, it increases the sales price and lets the record rise in the ranking. It makes no sense that it is not the number of items actually sold that is of interest, but the price. ”In the same year, Tim Renner , former managing director of Universal Music Germany , criticized the principle:“ Charts are completely irrelevant today. The music industry is chasing a mechanism that no longer corresponds to the market. "

See also

• GfK Entertainment
• List of number one albums in Germany
• List of the top 10 albums in Germany
• List of the best-selling music albums certified by BVMI in Germany
• German single charts

literature

• Moser, Rolf and Scheuermann, Andreas: Handbook of the music industry. Keller, 2003, ISBN 3-7808-0188-4 .

Web links

• BVMI website
• GfK Entertainment website
• PHONONET website

Individual evidence

1. ^ Albumcharts 1962 ( Memento from June 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) musikmarkt.de, accessed on April 11, 2019.
2. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: August 28, 1978. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
3. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: September 4, 1978.officialcharts.de , accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
4. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: December 31, 1979.officialcharts.de , accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
5. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: January 7, 1980. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
6. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: July 27, 1992. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
7. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: August 3, 1992.officialcharts.de , accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
8. ↑ Andreas Wilkens: Pure music downloads will soon appear in the charts. heise.de, June 26, 2007, accessed on March 24, 2019 . 
9. ↑ ^{a b} Streaming becomes part of the Official German Charts ( Memento from January 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), musikindustrie.de, January 7, 2014, accessed on March 24, 2019.
10. ↑ Andreas Potzel: German album charts integrate premium streaming ( memento from February 1, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) musikmarkt.de, February 1, 2016, accessed on April 11, 2019.
11. ↑ Martina Gabric: Charts Renewal: Official German Charts one week earlier in future ( Memento from May 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), musikmarkt.de, May 7, 2015, accessed on March 24, 2019.
12. ↑ We have rebuilt! - New logo, new design, new website! ( Memento from May 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), officialcharts.de, accessed on March 24, 2019.
13. ↑ Official single Top 100.mtv.de, accessed on March 24, 2019 . 
14. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac} GfK Entertainment: System Description of the Official German Charts. musikindustrie.de, January 4, 2019, accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
15. ↑ Jonas Kiß: Phononet presents a new app on the Reeperbahn. beta.musikwoche.de, September 8, 2016, accessed on April 2, 2019 . 
16. ↑ PHONONET eMedia Catalog. media-cat.de, accessed on April 2, 2019 . 
17. ↑ Frank Patalong: Music download count: gateway for chart manipulation? spiegel.de, February 29, 2008, accessed on March 24, 2019 . 
18. ↑ The chart scandal 2005: Brandes cheats media control. (No longer available online.) Musiknews.de formerly in the original  
19. ↑ David Brandes: “The true scandal” ( Memento of April 28, 2005 in the Internet Archive ), bros-ftp.com, April 22, 2005, accessed on March 24, 2019.
20. ↑ Suspected fraud: Investigation against Gracia producer. spiegel.de, April 15, 2005, accessed on April 12, 2019 . 
21. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 annual album charts: 1979.officialcharts.de , accessed on April 11, 2019 . 
22. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Annual Charts 2018: Helene Fischer and “In My Mind” clear away; German music continues to be popular. officialcharts.de, December 7, 2018, accessed on March 24, 2019 . 
23. ↑ gfk Entertainment: New award for outstanding musical success. officialcharts.de, April 20, 2016, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
24. ↑ gfk Entertainment: Official German Charts: First Album Annual Award awarded to Helene Fischer. officialcharts.de, December 10, 2018, accessed April 10, 2019 . 
25. ↑ GfK Entertainment: James Last: Record holder in the charts with 110 albums. officialcharts.de, June 10, 2015, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
26. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: July 10, 2009. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
27. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Album Charts: July 17, 2009. officialcharts.de, accessed April 10, 2019 . 
28. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Helene Fischer with a double victory in the annual music charts. officialcharts.de, January 7, 2015, accessed April 10, 2019 . 
29. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Annual Album Charts 2017. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
30. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Top 100 Annual Album Charts 2018. officialcharts.de, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
31. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Die Toten Hosen win in a record week. officielecharts.de, October 31, 2019, accessed on November 5, 2019 . 
32. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Record week with Bushido and Babylon Berlin. officialcharts.de, October 5, 2018, accessed April 10, 2019 . 
33. ↑ GfK Entertainment: New streaming record: Billie Eilish depends on Ariana Grande himself. officialcharts.de, April 10, 2019, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
34. ↑ GfK Entertainment: New streaming record: Ariana Grande outdoes itself. Officialcharts.de, February 18, 2019, accessed on April 10, 2019 . 
35. ↑ GfK Entertainment: Helene Fischer with double chart record. officialcharts.de, November 22, 2019, accessed on November 22, 2019 . 
36. Jump up ↑ music charts: “Completely irrelevant”. spiegel.de, October 12, 2009, accessed on May 11, 2020 .