ECHO 2013: Who won what?

Every year since 1992, the movers and shakers of the German music industry have attended the ECHO Music Awards. Held for the fifth year at Berlin's Palais am Funkturm on Thursday (21.03.2013) and hosted by Schlager singer Helene Fischer (pictured), the glittering event is an important annual meet on the music industry calendar. Click on to find out who took home trophies this time.

German-American violinist David Garrett is one of the most successful musicians in his field. His crossover approach to music - mixing classical sonatas with covers of pop/rock hits - aims to draw more young people into classical music. The 32-year-old gave a lively performance of the Coldplay track "Viva la Vida" together with a spectacular lightshow and white-clad, ribbon-twirling gymnasts.

Afro-German singer Ivy Quainoo first rose to prominence in February 2012 when she finished in first place at the end of the inaugural series of The Voice of Germany. Debut single "Do You Like What You See" soared into the Top 100 at Number 2 followed by first album "Ivy," which has sold in excess of 100,000 units. Her first ECHO is confirmation that her career seems headed in the right direction.

Robbie Williams, former member of sensationally popular boy band Take That, is an ECHO record-setter; he has 10 awards, more than any other artist in the history of the ceremony. This year saw him scoop the prize for Best International Male Artist in the category of Rock/Pop for last year's "Take the Crown," his ninth studio album.

The cinematic qualities of Lana Del Rey's music coupled with her wry references to 50s Americana have made her a firm fixture in pop a mere three years after the release of her self-titled debut album. Last year's release, "Born to Die", her second album, topped the album charts, and sales peaked at around 350,000, making her one of the most popular artists with German record buyers.

Nominated for seven ECHOs this year, punk-rock band Die Toten Hosen, who just last year celebrated 30 years in the business, were expected to sweep the board. While they didn't bag all seven, they did leave the Palais am Funkturm with a more than respectable four trophies for Best National Rock Group, Album of the Year, Hit of the Year and Best National Producer.

Lead by vocalis Marcus Mumford, English folk rock band Mumford & Sons have been making waves in Germany since the release of second album "Babel" in 2012, which peaked at Number 2 on the German charts. Currently on tour, the guys couldn't attend the ceremony and instead recorded their thank you speech backstage in Madrid where Robbie Williams presented them with their trophies.

Unheilig had been in the music business for almost a decade before scoring their breakthrough hit with their seventh album, "Große Freiheit" (Great Freedom), released in 2010. Needless to say, they dominated the following year's ECHO awards, walking off with three including Album of the Year. This year's haul was also impressive; two trophies for Best National Group and Best German Act Abroad.

Californian rap-rock band Linkin Park have been around since 1996. The release of last year's "Living Things", their fifth album, saw the disc top the charts in some sixteen countries, including Germany, where it was certified platinum for sales in excess of 200,000 units. The group went home with this year's prize for Best International Alternative Group.

While no one knows what he looks like (except perhaps for his parents), nearly everyone in Germany knows the name and the music. In a short space of time, Cro has established himself as the new face of German hip-hop, combining the tougher elements of the genre with a pop sensibility, ensuring a wide, cross-over appeal. He also won the Best Newcomer ECHO this year.

An inevitable win for one of Germany's most successful club/dance outfits, Deichkind. The Hamburg-based crew have an extremely popular line in rowdy, infectious club tracks. Their biggest commercial success so far is last year's album "Befehl von ganz unten" (Order from Below). More surprising than their win was the band's bizarre acceptance "speech," where the guys refused to speak.

In a ceremony dominated by commercial, mainstream music, the Critics' Prize is generally seen as honoring slightly more offbeat music. Previous nominees and winners include Pantha du Prince, Modeselektor, BOY and Apparat. But this year's ceremony took a different turn with well-established chart stars Kraftklub from Saxony taking the prize.