Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 11, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The market for legal music downloads in Germany again achieved a record result in 2007. According to current figures from media control GfK International https://www.media-control.com, almost 38 million digital music products were downloaded last year. This represents growth of 33.6 percent compared with the previous year. Around 28 million music files were sold in 2006. The physical market, however, continued to decline in both revenue and sales volume.
The positive development in the digital segment could not carry the physical market with it. The recorded-music market lost 5.1 percent in revenue and sales volume fell by 6.4 percent. German Schlager music was apparently a small exception: the quantity of sound carriers sold there rose by 40.3 percent. In Germany, the decline in the physical segment had generally slowed somewhat the previous autumn. Compared with earlier years, the two-percent decrease in revenue was relatively limited (pressetext reported: https://www.pte.at/pte.mc?pte=071012003).
Individual tracks accounted for the largest share of downloads sold last year. Around 34.5 million titles were downloaded in this category, an increase of 32.7 percent. So-called bundles (packages containing more than one song) grew even faster: sales rose by 38.7 percent to a total of 2.9 million. “We expect more albums to be downloaded in 2008. Broadband connections and the expansion of catalogues are contributing to this development. The entire download market will continue to grow,” Sven Birgmeier, media control’s press spokesperson, told pressetext.de.
The planned move away from copy protection could also have a positive effect on the development of legal downloads in future. “If the abandonment of DRM announced by music companies also comes to Germany, it will further stimulate the internet business,” predicted Ulrike Altig, Managing Director of media control GfK International. It may take some time before the digital market can offset the losses in the physical segment. According to media control, legal downloads would have to grow strongly over the long term before this becomes possible. The CD will not disappear despite the download boom, Birgmeier said: “It will always exist and certainly will not become a niche product. In future, more special and premium editions will come onto the market.”
Among individual artists, Nelly Furtado was the clear winner of the German download charts in 2007. Her songs “Say It Right” and “All Good Things” took first and second place among individual tracks. Third place went to DJ Ötzi and Nik P. with the Schlager song “Ein Stern (der deinen Namen trägt).” The most successful album download was secured by Die Fantastischen Vier with “Fornika.”
