Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and was set up to honor musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1991, succeeding the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, which was awarded from 1963 to 2018. Each year's winner was determined by the previous year's sales. In April 2018, following controversy regarding that year's ceremony, the Bundesverband Musikindustrie announced the end of the award.

History

First held with 370 people in the

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

in 1992, the award ceremony in Frankfurt was televised and the classical awards were moved to a separate event, Echo Klassik, in Cologne in 1994. Until 1995, only invited guests could attend the ceremony. It was held in Munich, and in 2001, the venue was moved from Hamburg to Berlin because of subsidies of up to 20 million euros, although a return in 2004 was considered. In 2009, the venue in Berlin was moved to Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Trophy

The trophy was designed by Oliver Renelt when he was a student at the

Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg The , also known as HFBK Hamburg, is an arts university in Hamburg, in northern Germany. It dates to 1767, when it was called the ; later it became known as . The main building, in the Uhlenhorst quarter of Hamburg-Nord borough, was designed by ...

. It is stainless steel, and is tall and weighs . It depicts half a disc with notes flowing into it from a globe, and the design was the winner of a competition held for that purpose.

Controversy

The Echo Award was heavily criticized worldwide when Farid Bang and Kollegah received the award for best hip hop/urban album in April 2018. The nominated album, '' Jung, Brutal, Gutaussehend 3'' (English: "Young, brutal, handsome 3"), contains the track "0815", in which the artists refer to their muscles as being more defined than those of Auschwitz inmates. The duo was even allowed to perform this track during the ceremony, despite heavy protests weeks before the award show. Campino, singer of German punk band

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...

, was the first one to criticize the committee's decision during the ceremony. His remarks received a standing ovation from the audience. Several artists later returned their Echo awards in protest, such as Marius Müller-Westernhagen, who returned all of his seven Echo awards received over the years. Other artists returning their awards were German conductors Christian Thielemann and Enoch zu Guttenberg, Russian-German pianist Igor Levit, record producer Klaus Voormann, and the Notos Quartett. However, criticism did not only come from artists and the German press. Several businesses joined in, with Tom Enders, CEO of

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

, being one of the most recent high-profile commentators, saying that this would hurt "Germany's international reputation". He also asked if "antisemitism asbecoming acceptable in Germany" again. As a consequence, the Echo Award was discontinued.

Ceremony locations

Echo Awards

The Kastelruther Spatzen have won 13 Echo Awards in the category Volksmusik which is more than any other artist; the awards were in 1993, 1996–2003, 2006–2010. Selected pop categories

Best National Rock/Pop Male Artist

*1992: Herbert Grönemeyer *1993: Marius Müller-Westernhagen *1994: Herbert Grönemeyer *1995: Marius Müller-Westernhagen *1996: Mark'Oh *1997: Peter Maffay *1998: Nana *1999: Marius Müller-Westernhagen *2000: Xavier Naidoo *2001: *2002: Peter Maffay *2003: Herbert Grönemeyer *2004: Dick Brave *2005:

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

*2006: Xavier Naidoo *2007: Roger Cicero *2008: Herbert Grönemeyer *2009: Udo Lindenberg *2010: Xavier Naidoo *2011: David Garrett *2012: Udo Lindenberg *2013: David Garrett *2014: Tim Bendzko *2015: Herbert Grönemeyer *2016: Andreas Bourani *2017: Udo Lindenberg *2018: Mark Forster

Best National Rock/Pop Female Artist

*1992: Pe Werner *1993: Sandra *1994: Doro *1995: Marusha *1996: Schwester S. *1997: Blümchen *1998: Sabrina Setlur *1999: Blümchen *2000: Sabrina Setlur *2001: Jeanette *2002: Sarah Connor *2003: Nena *2004: Yvonne Catterfeld *2005: Annett Louisan *2006: Christina Stürmer *2007: LaFee *2008: LaFee *2009: Stefanie Heinzmann *2010: Cassandra Steen *2011: Lena *2012: Ina Müller *2013: Ivy Quainoo *2014: Ina Müller *2015: Oonagh *2016: Sarah Connor *2017: Ina Müller *2018: Alice Merton

Best International Rock/Pop Male Artist

*1992:

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

*1993:

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

*1994: Meat Loaf *1995:

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

*1996:

Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...

*1997: Eros Ramazzotti *1998:

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

*1999: Eros Ramazzotti *2000:

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

*2001:

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

*2002:

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

*2003: Robbie Williams *2004: Robbie Williams *2005: Robbie Williams *2006: Robbie Williams *2007: Robbie Williams *2008: James Blunt *2009: Paul Potts *2010: Robbie Williams *2011: Phil Collins *2012: Bruno Mars *2013: Robbie Williams *2014: Robbie Williams *2015:

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

*2016: Ed Sheeran *2017: Rag'n'Bone Man *2018: Ed Sheeran

Best International Rock/Pop Female Artist

*1992:

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

*1993: Annie Lennox *1994: Bonnie Tyler *1995:

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

*1996:

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

*1997:

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

*1998:

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven ...

*1999:

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

*2000: Cher *2001: Britney Spears *2002: Dido *2003:

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

*2004: Shania Twain *2005: Anastacia *2006: Madonna *2007: Katie Melua *2008:

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado ( , ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted ...

*2009:

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

*2010:

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

*2011:

Amy Macdonald Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, ''This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album), This Is the Life'', which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This ...

*2012: Adele *2013: Lana Del Rey *2014: Birdy *2015: Zaz *2016: Adele *2017: Sia *2018: P!nk

Best Schlager Female Artist

*1993: Nicole (German singer)

Best National Rock/Pop Group

*1992: Scorpions *1993:

Die Prinzen Die Prinzen ("The Princes") is a German pop rock band, consisting of former members of the Thomanerchor, and a former member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor. Overview Early albums consist of a cappella music. The band's first name was ''Die Herz ...

*1994:

*1995: Pur *1996: Pur *1997: Die Toten Hosen *1998: Tic Tac Toe *1999: Modern Talking *2000: Die Fantastischen Vier *2001: Pur *2002: No Angels *2003: Die Toten Hosen *2004: Pur *2005: Söhne Mannheims *2006: Wir sind Helden *2007: Rosenstolz *2008: Die Fantastischen Vier *2009: Ich + Ich *2010: Silbermond *2011: Ich + Ich *2012: Rosenstolz *2013: Die Toten Hosen *2014: The BossHoss *2015: Revolverheld *2016: Pur *2017: AnnenMayKantereit *2018: Milky Chance

Best International Rock/Pop Group

*1992:

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

*1993: Genesis *1994: Ace of Base *1995:

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

*1996: The Kelly Family *1997: The Fugees *1998: Backstreet Boys *1999: Lighthouse Family *2000: Buena Vista Social Club and Ry Cooder *2001:

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

*2002: Linkin Park *2003: Red Hot Chili Peppers *2004: Evanescence *2005: Green Day *2006: Coldplay *2007: The Pussycat Dolls *2008: Linkin Park *2009: Coldplay *2010: Depeche Mode *2011: Take That *2012: Coldplay *2013: Mumford and Sons *2014: Depeche Mode *2015:

*2016: Coldplay *2017: Metallica *2018: Imagine Dragons

Best International Rock/Alternative

*2001: Limp Bizkit (nominee: Blink-182, Kid Rock, Korn, Papa Roach ) *2002: Linkin Park (nominee: Crazy Town, Gorillaz, HIM (Finnish band), HIM, Limp Bizkit) *2003: P.O.D. (nominee: Coldplay, Korn, Linkin Park, Puddle Of Mudd ) *2004: Evanescence (nominee: Coldplay, Linkin Park, Metallica, The Rasmus ) *2006: System of a Down (nominee: 3 Doors Down, Audioslave, Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand (band), Franz Ferdinand ) *2007: Billy Talent (nominee: Bullet For My Valentine, Evanescence, Placebo (band), Placebo, Tool (band), Tool ) *2008: Nightwish (nominee: Foo Fighters, Kaiser Chiefs, Marilyn Manson, Within Temptation ) *2009: AC/DC (nominee: 3 Doors Down, Metallica, R.E.M., Slipknot (band), Slipknot ) *2010: Green Day (nominee: Billy Talent, Kings Of Leon, Mando Diao, Placebo ) *2011: Linkin Park (nominee: Iron Maiden, Mando Diao, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Volbeat ) *2012: Red Hot Chili Peppers: (nominee: Evanescence, Foo Fighters, Nickelback, Nightwish ) *2013: Linkin Park (nominee: Billy Talent, Green Day, Muse (band), Muse, The Rolling Stones ) *2014: Volbeat (nominee: Black Sabbath, Imagine Dragons, Placebo, Thirty Seconds to Mars ) *2015: AC/DC (nominee: Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Nickelback, Slipknot ) *2016: Iron Maiden (nominee: AC/DC, Motörhead, Nightwish, Placebo )

Single of the Year

*2005: O-Zone: "Dragostea din tei" *2006:

: "Hung Up" *2007: Silbermond: "Das Beste" *2008: DJ Ötzi feat. Nik P.: "Ein Stern (...der deinen Namen trägt)" *2009: Kid Rock: "All Summer Long" *2010:

: "Poker Face (Lady Gaga song), Poker Face" *2011 Israel Kamakawiwoʻole: "Over the Rainbow" *2012: Gotye feat. Kimbra: "Somebody That I Used to Know" *2013:

: "Tage wie diese" *2014: Avicii: "Wake Me Up (Avicii song), Wake Me Up" *2015: Helene Fischer: "Atemlos durch die Nacht" *2016: Lost Frequencies: "Are You with Me" *2017: Drake (musician), Drake: "One Dance" *2018:

: "Shape of You"

Single of the Year (National)

*1993: Snap!: "Rhythm is a Dancer" *1994: Haddaway: "What is Love" *1995: Lucilectric: "Mädchen (song), Mädchen" *1996: Scatman John: "Scatman" *1997: Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman: "Con te partirò, Time to Say Goodbye" *1998: Tic Tac Toe: "Warum" *1999: Oli.P: "Flugzeuge im Bauch" *2000: Lou Bega: "Mambo No. 5" *2001: Anton feat. DJ Ötzi: Anton aus Tirol *2002: No Angels: Daylight in Your Eyes *2003: Herbert Grönemeyer: "Mensch" *2004: Deutschland sucht den Superstar: "We Have a Dream (Deutschland sucht den Superstar song), We Have a Dream"

Single of the Year (International)

*2001: Rednex: "The Spirit of the Hawk" *2002: Enya: "Only Time" *2003: Las Ketchup: "The Ketchup Song (Aserejé)" *2004: RZA feat. Xavier Naidoo: "Ich kenne nichts"

Album of the Year

*2008: Herbert Grönemeyer: ''12 (Herbert Grönemeyer album), 12'' *2009:

: ''Back to Black'' *2010: Peter Fox (musician), Peter Fox: ''Stadtaffe'' *2011: Unheilig: ''Große Freiheit (album), Große Freiheit'' *2012: Adele: ''21 (Adele album), 21'' *2013:

: ''Ballast der Republik'' *2014: Helene Fischer: ''Farbenspiel'' *2015: Helene Fischer: ''Farbenspiel'' *2016: Helene Fischer: ''Weihnachten (album), Weihnachten'' *2017: Udo Lindenberg: ''Stärker als die Zeit'' *2018:

: ''÷ (album), ÷''

Best National Newcomer

*1991: Pe Werner *1992: Die Fantastischen Vier *1993: *1994: Six Was Nine *1996: Fettes Brot *1997: Fools Garden *1998: Nana *1999: Xavier Naidoo *2000: Sascha Schmitz, Sasha *2001: *2002: Seeed *2003: Wonderwall (band), Wonderwall *2004: Wir sind Helden *2005: Silbermond *2006: Tokio Hotel *2007: LaFee *2008: Mark Medlock *2009: Thomas Godoj *2010: The Baseballs *2011: Lena *2012: Tim Bendzko *2013: Cro (rapper), Cro *2014: Adel Tawil *2015: Oonagh *2016: Joris *2017: AnnenMayKantereit *2018: Wincent Weiss

Best International Newcomer

*1996:

*1997: Spice Girls *1998: Hanson (band), Hanson *1999: Eagle-Eye Cherry *2000: Bloodhound Gang [Nominee: Tarkan, Jennifer Lopez, Everlast, Britney Spears] *2001: Anastacia *2002: Alicia Keys *2003: Avril Lavigne *2004: The Rasmus *2005: Katie Melua *2006: James Blunt *2007: Billy Talent *2008: Mika (singer), Mika *2009:

*2010:

*2011: Hurts (duo), Hurts *2012: Caro Emerald *2013: Lana Del Rey (Nominee: Alex Clare, Emile Sande, Luca Hanni, Of Monsters And Men) *2014: Beatrice Egli *2015: The Common Linnets *2016: James Bay (singer), James Bay *2017: Rag'n'Bone Man *2018: Luis Fonsi

Honorary Award

*1991: Udo Lindenberg *1992: Reinhard Mey *1993: Udo Jürgens *1994: James Last *1996: Klaus Doldinger *1997: Frank Farian *1998: Comedian Harmonists *1999: Falco (musician), Falco *2000: Hildegard Knef *2001: Fritz Rau *2002: Caterina Valente *2003: Can (band), Can *2004: Howard Carpendale *2005: Michael Kunze *2006: Peter Kraus *2007: Ralph Siegel *2008: Rolf Zuckowski *2009: Scorpions *2010: Peter Maffay *2011: Annette Humpe *2012: Wolfgang Niedecken *2013: Hannes Wader *2014: Yello *2015: Nana Mouskouri *2016: Puhdys *2017: Marius Müller-Westernhagen

Echo Klassik

Following its first edition as a separate event in Cologne in 1994, the Echo Klassik has been held in the Semperoper in Dresden in 1996 and 2009, in Dortmund in 2003, in Gasteig in Munich from 2004 to 2008 and in 2014. In 2010 it was held in Essen. From 2011 until 2016 the award show was held in Berlin's Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus - only shortly intermitted in 2014. In 2017, the Echo Klassik took place in Hamburg's newly opened Elbphilharmonie.

Echo Jazz

After 2010, the Echo Jazz awards were given in thirty categories, including ensemble of the year, male and female singer of the year, record label, and lifetime achievement. In 2012 the criteria for entry included album release date and "two outstanding reviews from music journalists." Conductor Claus Ogermann was given the ECHO Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Awards are decided by a twelve-member jury based on critical and commercial appeal.

References

External links

Echo Deutscher Musikpreis
{{Authority control Echo (music award) winners, 1992 establishments in Germany Awards established in 1992 Awards disestablished in 2018 2018 disestablishments in Germany German awards German music awards Jazz awards Lists of award winners