Media Control GfK International

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For the German Singles Chart, see Media Control Charts.

Media Control Headquarters in Baden-Baden, Germany

Media Control GfK International located in Baden-Baden, Germany is a leading market-research enterprise as well as an interpreter in media-studies, analysis, and evaluation. The association representing the recording industry in Germany, provides all the information needed in the German music market and is the official presenter of weekly music (single, album, dance), books, films, games charts in the country^[1]. Media Control has existed for almost 30 years and it works closely with Bundesverbandes der phonographischen Wirtschaft (Federal Association of Phonographic Industry), which is responsible for certifying gold, platinum singles/albums in Germany.

Media Control has a subsidiary called Chart-Radio.de through which one could observe the weekly charts, listen to a great variety of music as well as be able to download music.

[edit] Overview

1976 was an important year for the German music market as Karlheinz Kögel then moderator of SWF3-Popshow became aware of the need for charts within the music market and founded the company Media Control^[2]. His company became the first to present a model of charts in Germany.

In 1977, Media Control began the chart-determination for both music and video. Soon it created the Top-50 and began supplying the single independent and official music-chart on behalf of Germany's Federal Association of Phonographic Industry (BVPW). By 1980, the Top-75 was developed. The company kept improving its selection of services and by 1984, it had already expanded its charts into the area of books as well as films. In 1989, for the first time the Top-100 was born and the company's awareness kept increasing even further as it also recognized the trend of computer games and in the following year it began its determination of game-charts.

In 1999, Media Control founded the first licensed internet-radio "www.chart-radio.de". Currently, over 650,000 registered users have an access to listen to music coming from 8 different live-programs regardless of a taste they have in any music-genre. They also have the benefit to monitor the latest single/album and official dance charts as well as the charts of the latest films playing in the country.

In 2003, the entire entertainment-sector of Media Control joined forces with Germany's largest market research organization Gfk with an objective in mind to expand themselves world-wide through a strong European marketing strategy within the entertainment business. Currently, the two going with the name of Media Control Gfk International with a complete European database on web applications as well as a world-wide access to market research data made possible around the clock provide the latest information of sales-charts on books, music, DVD/video and games.

Working closely together with branch-associations such as Federal Association of Book-keeping, Federal Association of Audiovisual Media, Federal Association of Phongraphic Industry they are able to deliver reliable data regardless of one's interest in the entertainment market.

Many corporations from countries like Australia, Belgium, France, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Hungary are already using their products and services. Moreover, the enterprise constantly works towards expanding themselves both Europe-wide and internationally.