IFPI Greece
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece, or simply IFPI Greece, is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. The association compiles and publishes a Top 75 album sales chart. The chart is sponsored by Cyta Hellas.
IFPI Greece charts[edit]
History[edit]
IFPI Greece founded the first official music charts in Greece in 1989.[3] There were two top 20 albums charts, one for domestic and the other for foreign repertoire. The broadcast rights of the charts were acquired by ANT1 radio. Prior to the introduction of industry charts by IFPI Greece, unreliable charts were being published by various magazines which lacked credibility and authority over the monitoring of record sales.[3] By May 1991, the charts were discontinued after it was discovered that they were easily manipulated.[4] Executives blamed artists who made themselves appear more popular by buying hundreds of copies of their own albums in an attempt to gain more bargaining power for shows and appearances.[4] Also cited was the large number of small shops which lacked detailed sales data required as a basis toward an accurate tracking system. In response to the discontinuation, Viko Antypas, managing director of PolyGram Greece, referred to the charts as "an experiment that failed".[4] The IFPI Greece charts were published in Pop & Rock magazine.[5]
Realizing the importance of having a national chart, which "helped bring the Greek music industry back into the public eye", IFPI sought to employ a system where albums would be tracked based upon actual sales to the public, as opposed to the number of retail shipments as was previously used.[4] It was planned for these reformed charts to be operable by early 1992.[4] The Greek charts were then compiled by Virgin after Virgin was sold to EMI in March 1992.[6][7] However, by mid-September 1992, the Greek charts were compiled by Pop & Rock magazine.[8] The last Greek singles and albums charts to be published in Music & Media magazine was on July 3, 1993 and it was provided by Pop & Rock magazine.[9]
In March 2009 IFPI Greece announced that they would close their charts for a period of time in order to renew their charting system. There will be a shift from wholesale (manufacturer to retailer) to point of sale (retailer to consumer) sales,[10] as well as the integration of legal digital downloads. The implementation of a point of sale tracking method will solve the longstanding issue of accurate consumer sales tracking, a pending issue identified since 1991 with the first discontinuation of the charts. Inclusion of digital downloads will also prompt the revival of the singles chart, as the decrease in sales and releases of CD singles had led to the discontinuation of the physical singles chart. Nielsen Soundscan is already engaged in the monitoring of digital downloads sold in Greece, which is compiled into a chart currently published under the international charts section of Billboard.
In January 2010, IFPI Greece announced that they would start providing the Top 50 Foreign Albums chart on their website again, although the reformed charting system is not yet functional. Thus the Top 50 Foreign Albums chart continues to utilize the old charting system, while it is the only chart they currently provide.[11] IFPI debuted its new chart in early October 2010. The new chart, Top 75 Combined Repertoire, is now the sole chart by IFPI Greece and lists the top 75 domestic and foreign albums in the country.
Certifications[edit]
Current certifications[edit]
As of 2021, IFPI Greece provides certifications, or "awards", only for digital singles. Awards are based on the number of streams, where iTunes downloads are transformed to streams at some undisclosed ratio.[15] The award levels are 1,000,000 streams for Gold, 2,000,000 streams for Platinum and 10,000,000 streams for Diamond.[15] These awards started being listed on week 4, 2021.[18]
Charts of Cyprus[edit]
The music industry of Cyprus closely mirrors that of Greece. Virtually all Greek and most of the foreign music releases are provided by the record companies in Greece. Certifications for sales of albums in Cyprus are different from that of Greece, with albums being certified Gold with sales (instead of shipments) of 3,000 copies and Platinum with sales of 6,000. (1,500 for Gold singles/DVDs and 3,000 for Platinum)
Award ceremonies[edit]
Arion Music Awards (2002–2007)[edit]
The Arion Music Awards were the official industry awards organized by Greece's charting authority, IFPI Greece. The awards are named after the Ancient Greek poet Arion as an expression of the diversity in Greek music.[41] The awards debuted in 2002 following the discontinuation of the "Pop Corn Music Awards", which were organized by the defunct Greek magazine "Pop Corn" from the early 1990s until 2001. The Arions were broadcast by Mega Channel in their first five years before moving to ANT1 channel later. In the first years, the awards were praised by industry and viewers alike,[42] helping to demonstrate to audiences the industry behind the music and by raising awareness on issues of bootlegged and counterfeit CDs.[43] They also effectively balanced the majority of genres present in the local market. The awards have been put on hiatus since 2007 for various reasons ranging from falling TV ratings, low artist attendance, and to a general crisis in Greek discography attributed to falling sales and heavy infringement. MAD Video Music Awards presented by music television station MAD TV, which primarily awards music videos, is currently the only mainstream music award in Greece.