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Rammstein Germany's Top Music Export - Yahoo 31-Jan-03

Rammstein is Germany’s Top Music Export

Köln (pte) - the German heavy metallers Rammstein are Germany’s most successful Rock- and Popmusic export. As the most well known German-speaking expounders outside of the German linguistic area, the band leads the foreign hit parade of the German music export office. Outside of Germany more than six millions CDs of the group were sold. The six musicians from East Germany celebrate worldwide success with their music, as no other German expounder has since Nena into the 80s.

“At present the largest demand for hard rock ‘made in Germany’ exists in North America, Australia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia", according to Nicole Jacobsen, responsible for the international marketing of Rammstein with the label Universal Music Germany.

In the USA alone, over a million CDs were sold. Yet the first album "Herzeleid" did not develop into a sales hit in Germany. Rammstein were distinguished with a gold disc for the second album "Sehnsucht" in 1998 in the USA and in 1999 nominated for a Grammy. Jacobsen sees the cause of the popularity in the film "Lost Highway"; cult director David Lynch accepted some songs by the German heavy metallers on the soundtrack.

In addition the Song "Du Hast" often ran on the radio chain K-Rock as well as on MTV. Also numerous USA tours by the group have contributed in addition. The foreign hit parade of the music export office, a department of the international medium assistance depend on the degree of recognition abroad, the availability of CDs in foreign record shops as well as how frequently the music is played on foreign radio stations.

The most successful German speaking band abroad after Rammstein are the Die Toten Hosen. In third place Blümchen, followed by Einstürzenden Neubauten and Kraftwerk. Nena, the export hit of past years, however only comes in at sixth place.

© 2005 Sue Lindemann