The German music industry has seen significant growth in recent years and this has largely been due to an improvement in technology. The German music industry grew by as much as 7.9% in the first half of 2019 according to the German Music Industry Association (BVMI) which was the highest growth rate since 1993. This saw a total turnover of €783.21 in sales from audio streams (56.4%), CDs (28.2%) and vinyl (4.4%) amongst other mediums.
Digital & Physical Sales
The impressive growth largely came from audio streaming which grew by 27.7% in H1 of 2019 – this is a pattern that is replicated around the world as more and more people turn to audio streaming services as their primary source for obtaining new music. Digital downloads declined by 16.3%, while physical formats also saw significant change with CDs falling by 11.7% and vinyl growing by 7.4%.
The Rise of Streaming
It is said that the growth in audio streaming can be attributed to the flat rates and ease of use but also the fact that people rely on their smartphones so much. Audio streaming enables people to access enormous libraries of new and old music no matter where they are provided that they have an internet connection so it is easy to see why this is a platform growing in popularity in Germany and around the world.
Music Production
This trend has also changed the way in which music is being made. Streaming services can put a band at the consumer’s fingertips so it is much easier to be discovered but this means that production must be of the highest quality. Many artists now rely on auto-tuning technology and polishing their recorded music to remove any imperfections, plus the technological advances have also seen the birth of a handful of new genres in recent years which rely on synthetic sounds and effects (this type of music is particularly popular in Germany).
This all means that bands going into the studio need to have access to the best and latest gear and technology so that they can create music which will appeal to their target listener. This might include using Banana Plugs which can provide a permanent and high-quality connection between speaker wire and speakers, plus they can also be used to create a neater and more organised look too.
Improvements in technology in recent times have had a huge impact on the German music industry, including the way in which people now choose to listen to music and even how the music is made itself. It will be interesting to see if these trends continue in the coming years as tech continues to improve.
