IMIS stands for...

The IMIS (International Music Industry Statistics) constitutes an important collection of data for the music industry. The IMIS enables us to follow trends in a month-for-month fashion as well as in annual cycles, and provides valuable insights and current information for distributors and manufacturers alike.

 IMIS is unique in the music industry. No other regular data collection on the total revenues (based on distributor figures) for the music instrument and components business in Germany exists. We are working toward an exchange of similar statistics with our European partner organizations.

IMIS - Development

This data, which was originally based on the industry figures of NAMM, served primarily to show the sales volume of the music instrument branch in general. The Federal Office for Statistics in Germany worked with statistics based partially on out-dated product categories and was thus unable to provide reliable data for some of the individual categories of our industry.

Manufacturers and distributors alike desperately required more reliable sales figures to enable a more accurate estimation of their positions within the market.  IMIS is now able to collect accurate supplier-based data Germany-wide. Right from the start, the major German market actors took part in the statistics. 

The SOMM established its own expert committee for IMIS to support its development and adaption to market conditions.  A completely revised version has been available since January 2007. Instead of 18 inflexible product categories, we now offer 16 that are subdivided where complexity demands. This allows even small music segments to be accurtely traced. At the same time, the statistical base can be expanded whenever the requirements of the participants demand an adjustment

Together with the IMIS expert committee, we are continually working on the optimization of the statistics. For the mid-term, we have envisioned the following targets:

• To convince new participants from wholesale and manufacturing of the quality and meaningfulness of IMIS.
• To completely implement the IMIS product group code within the inventory management systems of  the distributors.
• Provision of the IMIS product group code - with the corresponding article master data-  to the retailers for implementation into their inventory management system .
• Real time and close to the market data collection on the development of sales in the retail market.
• Optimization of the product group segmentation and evaluations together with an extention of the collection base.

IMIS-Requirements for Paraticipation

Anmeldung zur Teilnahme an der IMIS (188 KB)

IMIS Data Collection

The collection of data is carried out through a SOMM-appointed custodian who ensures that the collected data is not accessible by third parties including the executive management and board of SOMM.

Participants receive a data collection form via e-mail. The net business volume and the report for the same month of the previous year for the corresponding categories, is collected. Since the sales volume is registered on the basis of "sales volume to the trade partner", a comparison is possible at all times.

Vertraulichkeitserklärung der Reisinger Unternehmensberatung (307 KB)

IMIS- Evaluation and Reporting

• The total amount of the monthly sales volume of all particants.
• The total amount in the individual product categories and sub-groups. 
• The total amount per quarter, half-year and calendar year together with the corresponding figures from the previous years.

To guarantee you anonymity, we refrain from reporting on product categories where fewer than three participants are registered.

Click here for a listing of the IMIS product categories including relevant components:

IMIS-Warengruppen ab 2010 (532 KB)

Additional services regarding industry figures are available exclusively for members of SOMM in a closed a limited access area.

Go to the overview  on the benefits that members of SOMM receive and apply for membership now!