There were no German language titles in Top 100 Radio play charts in 2022 according to the BVMI in a recent blog post. The result of this is that various section of both the music industry and the general public are likely to demand cultural mandates as part of the debate about the future of public broadcasting.
People in Germany listened to a lot of music via streaming services last year. Recently published figures showed that around 178 billion audio streams were measured in 2022, more than ever before. The figures also highlighted that German language music was widespread across all genres of music in both digital (streaming) and physical formats (CD and vinyl).
However, this is not reflected in the music offered by radio stations. Dr. Florian Drücke, BVMI CEO was critical of this saying that there is not a single German-language title Top 100 of the Official German Airplay Charts 2022 and that this is a trend that the industry has been pointing to for years reaching a new low.
Dr. Drücke said, “It’s good that we’re currently having a lot of discussions about our industry and digital business with opportunities and challenges, and that the anecdotal is slowly taking a back seat – and the factual basis for discussion is improving. But the bigger picture must not be lost! There is no German-language song among the 100 most frequently played titles on German radio, as shown by the Official German Airplay Charts 2022, determined by MusicTrace on behalf of the BVMI. This is a new low after five in 2021 and six in 2020. The fact that songs in German do not play a particularly important role on the radio is not a new phenomenon and the industry has repeatedly addressed and criticized this over the years. We are convinced that stations with a local repertoire could identify themselves and also distinguish themselves among listeners. On the other hand, it must also be clear that we are taking a very close look at the current debate about the future of public broadcasting and that we will demand a cultural mandate that is not fulfilled by the heavy rotation of international repertoire. It is enough to take a look at the official German album and single charts, which show that German-speaking artists are very much appreciated and in demand in this country and should also be found on the radio accordingly. I’m sure that the sub-sectors of the music industry will unite and precisely name this grievance and jointly show ways out of the misery. In any case, the BVMI will work with the various actors in this regard: seek dialogue within. Politically, too, we must not ignore this problem.”
