Music Business News: Germany

Sony Music and YouTube launch global competition challenging creators to produce music videos for original compositions by Hans Zimmer

Winning videos will be released as official music videos for compositions from The World of Hans Zimmer album

BMG revenues up 4.8% to $308m in first six months of 2020

The company's operating EBITDA reached €49m ($54m) in H1 2020, which was flat year-on-year

5 ‘fake stream’ sites forced to cease manipulation by court injunctions in Germany

News follows closure of fake stream site Followerschmiede.de in March

Despite pandemic, Germany’s recorded music revenues grew 4.8% to $856m in the first half of 2020

Audio streaming now claims more than two thirds of Germany's revenues

Kleopatra Sofroniou promoted to General Manager Classics at Deutsche Grammophon

Exec has worked with Universal Music Group over the past 15 years

BMG and TV production company Fremantle extend global partnership

Extended deal includes a global music publishing and administration agreement for Fremantle’s catalog

Germany’s Budde Music inks JV with UK publisher Karma Songs

First signing to the JV is singer/songwriter Nick Bradley

BMG to make diversity of exec hires a key objective for company’s managers

BMG's Hartwig Masuch has outlined action to be taken by the company to address racial inequality