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Radio Demonstrates Its Power

By Wayne Clouten, BPR

The German singles charts are normally dominated by Urban/Dance/Hip Hop acts, however on Friday 3^rd July 2020 Star FM changed that. In early June Star FM, Berlin’s leading rock station and smaller sister station Star FM Nurnberg recognised an opportunity for “Living In A Ghost Town” by the Rolling Stones to score a high position on the charts.  At the time, “Living In A Ghost Town” had stalled at No. 22 with little prospect of improving. The odds of making a rock song No. 1 in a country of around 90 million people, where Urban/Dance/Hip Hop acts command the contemporary music narrative, was low however Star FM took up the challenge.

On 26^th June Star FM commenced their “Chartbuster” promotion of the song, encouraging listeners to buy and stream it (in addition to listening to Star!).  Star FM created a strong sense of fun and community amongst its listeners and they responded in their thousands.  By Friday 3^rd July “Living In A Ghost Town” was No. 1 on the German singles chart.

The promotion was not just a powerful statement about the ability of radio to make a difference, it was also a significant achievement for the Rolling Stones:

• It was the bands first No. 1 hit single in Germany for 52 years the previous No. 1 being “Jumpin Jack Flash“ in 1968.
• 52 years is the longest span of time between No. 1 hits by the same artist in Germany.
• The Rolling Stones are now the oldest act to score a No. 1 hit on the German singles chart.

Congratulations to Star FM Berlin/Nurnberg for demonstrating how radio alone can make a difference.

See the official press release here:

https://email.universal-music.de/4YZ0-13SR-F47BE49E964A0D8DMK8C0497BF9CBF0AED3FF/cr.aspx