Bundesverband Musikindustrie

The Bundesverband Musikindustrie (English: Federal Music Industry Association), or simply BVMI, represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 280 labels and music industry related enterprises, which comprise 90% of the music industry.[3] It is a member of the London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), consisting of music associations of 70 countries.[3]

Bundesverband Musikindustrie
Formation2007
TypeFederal Music Industry Association
HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
Membership
German Music Companies
Chairman (CEO)
Dieter Gorny[1]
Key people
Managing Director: Florian Drücke[2]
Websitehttp://www.musikindustrie.de

BVMI works closely with GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control GfK International, founded in 1976) which is in charge of publishing the music charts in Germany on weekly bases.[4] BVMI, which is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum certification awards, is led by Dieter Gorny [de], who has been the chairman since 2009.[1]

Certification-awards

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Germany launched its Gold and Platinum award program in 1975, and relies on an independent auditor for the accuracy of the sales required for the awards.[5]

While the BVMI has been the certifying body in Germany for the past few decades, BVMI was not always in charge of certifying the records there. Phono Press also known as ZVEI (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie) was the body in charge of tracking records sales and the certifications.[6] During the 1970s and 1980s, the certification levels for singles in Germany were 500,000 units for Gold and 1,000,000 units for Platinum, while the certification levels for albums were 250,000 and 500,000, respectively.[6][7][8][9]

BVMI instituted Diamond award on 1 June 2014 and applied the award to titles released starting from 1 January 2013.[10]

Starting also from 1 June 2014, BVMI raised its certification-award-levels for the Singles, from the previous 150,000 units for Gold and 300,000 units for Platinum to 200,000 units for Gold and 400,000 units for Platinum. The change in the certification-levels of the Singles was affected by both inclusion of Streaming as well as an increase in sales of downloads that has been seen in recent years.[10] 100 streams with the running time of at least 30 seconds or more, are considered as one single download.[10]

BVMI follows the following pattern to certify records:

  • 1× Gold
  • 1× Platinum
  • 3× Gold
  • 2× Platinum
  • 5× Gold
  • 3× Platinum etc.[5]

The association does not issue awards for 2× Gold or 4× Gold, which overlie the requirements of platinum certification awards.[5] Sales of both physical and digital, whether it is an album or a single, can be included for certification.

Certifications timeline

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Certifications levels are based on the recording release date, using the following thresholds:[11][12]

Certification levels for albums
Certification Before 25 September 1999 After 25 September 1999 After 1 January 2003 After 1 June 2014 After 29 June 2023
Gold 250,000 150,000 100,000 100,000 75,000
Platinum 500,000 300,000 200,000 200,000 150,000
Diamond not awarded not awarded not awarded 750,000 750,000 (Unchanged)
Certification levels for singles
Certification Before 1 January 2003 1 January 2003 to 1 June 2014 1 June 2014 to 29 June 2023 After 29 June 2023
Gold 250,000 150,000 200,000 300,000
Platinum 500,000 300,000 400,000 600,000
Diamond not awarded not awarded 1,000,000 1,500,000
Certification levels for videos
Certification Since January 2002
Gold 25,000
Platinum 50,000
Certification levels Jazz recordings
Certification Since January 1992
Gold 10,000
Platinum 20,000

See also

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Notes

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Notes^

Note that Diamond-award both for the Singles and Albums will be applied to those titles released on/after 1 January 2013.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dieter Gorny als Vorstandsvorsitzender des BVMI bestätigt (Dieter Gorny confirmed as chairman of the BVMI)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindstie. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Der Bundesverband Musikindustrie e. V." Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Über Uns: Aufgaben und Ziele" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Archived from the original on 4 April 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Unternehmen (The Company)" (in German). Media Control Gfk International. Archived from the original on 27 February 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  5. ^ a b c "Richtlinien für die Verleihung von Gold/Platin Schallplatten und Awards (Guidelines for Gold and Platinum awards))" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindstie. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  6. ^ a b Spahr, Wolfgang (22 July 1978). "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  7. ^ Sampson, Jim (28 December 1985). "Ariola Takes German Singles Honors". Billboard. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  8. ^ Spahrn, Wolfgang (11 October 1986). "West German Music Sales Up 5%". Billboard. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Music & Media (26-12-1987)(page-43)" (PDF). Music & Media. 26 December 1987. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "Neuer DIAMOND AWARD für die erfolgreichsten Singles und Alben in Deutschland" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindstie. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Richtlinien für Gold / Platin-meldungen" (PDF). musikindustrie.de. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Richtlinien für Gold / Platin / Diamond-meldungen (Version 2.7)" (PDF). musikindustrie.de. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.