Candy Shop Hits Sweet Spot in Germany's New Ringtone Chart

The mass appeal of urban music was further reflected outside the number one slot, with ringtones from tracks by 2Pac, Snoop Dogg and Eminem amongst the top 20 favourites (see below for full chart).

The chart notably featured several German artists such as Nena, Ich & Ich and Sarah Connor, while also highlighting the popularity of characters such as the home-grown Schnappi (the small crocodile) and the ubiquitous Crazy Frog.

Following the resounding success of the first ever dedicated ringtone chart, launched by MEF in the UK during June 2004, the MEF Ringtone Top 20 will reflect all ringtone formats and will be published weekly by MusikWoche and other media. This will appear alongside the official UK ringtone chart. The chart is compiled by Deloitte from data provided by key ringtone distributors representative of the overall German market.

With the highest ringtone sales in Europe, the German ringtone market is a significant revenue generator for the mobile music sector and was estimated to be worth €190 million in 2004, accounting for 17% of total European ringtone sales (figures from Informa Telecoms & Media Mobile Music Report 2004).

Claudia Poepperl, Qpass Marketing Director and head of the MEF German chart initiative commented: "The launch of the first official ringtone chart in the UK created a huge buzz and we expect the same in Germany, further strengthening the bond between the mobile and music industries. As the voice of mobile entertainment, MEF firmly believes that charts are a key tool for tracking developments in this cutting edge industry."

Andreas Gentner, Partner in charge of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry at Deloitte said: "The public loves charts and charts are good for business, so we're delighted to be involved in the MEF Ringtones Top 20 which highlights entertainment content and underlines how it is driving growth in mobile revenues."

Ulrich Scheele, Publisher Entertainment Media Verlag, added: "MusikWoche was the first publication in Germany to dedicate significant coverage to the ringtone sector and the launch of the MEF Ringtone Top 20 in Germany marks a pivotal stage in the rapid evolution of the mobile entertainment industry. MusikWoche recognises that ringtone consumption is an important indicator of people's musical preferences so we feel it's essential to provide this information to our readership." www.musikwoche.de.

MEF Ringtone Top 20, Germany, 9-15 May 2005