Why Australia should look at German’s live music opportunities

A contingent of music executives from Germany are at the Face The Music summit in Melbourne this week (November 23 & 24) to talk opportunities.

They include representatives from audiovisual distributor Kantor New Media, Cargo Radio, artist agency International Rescue, the Reeperbahn Festival and Sound Diplmacy.

Silke Westera of tour company FKP Scorpio tells TMN that she is in Australia essentially ”to learn a bit more about the Australian music business, meeting people and watching great bands.”

Both the German live and recorded music markets have been in growth in recent years. In 2016, the recorded music market was up for the fourth consecutive year by 2.4% in 2016 to €1.58 billion (A$2.45 billion).

Are we looking at a German music market that is confident, positive and outward looking?

Explains Westera, “Those figures you quote are for the recording market. I don’t have specific ones for live. But, yes, the overall feeling is positive.

“Our economy is stronger that it has been for a long time. So people have money and us Germans love spending it in music, recordings still as well as live.

“For Australians, the opportunity to be part of it is better than it has been for a long time.

“I don’t have specific statistics but I believe the German live market is the second biggest after the UK in Europe. Looking at the annual Pollstar ranking, there are a lot of German promoters in the top 40 compared to other European countries.

“Live music seems to be strongest in rock/pop as well as classical music. If you have a good hit on our radio, you’ll do fine. For acts of other styles, social media provides the chance for everyone.”

When the German live music market was in a slump five years ago, festival and concert promoters worked actively to break new acts to spark audience interest and attendance.

Now that the scene is in ascent, the stress on new acts is something that has not been forgiven.

What is also important is that the German music industry is collectively working on a number of initiatives. These cover music export, stronger alliances in hubs as Hamburg and Berlin which ate part of the Music Cities Network, and which Australia plays a part.

Would the exit of the UK from the European Union a chance for other countries like Australia to tap the German and European markets?

“The Brexit issue hasn’t discussed fully yet as the process of the UK fulfilling it is very slow.

“No one knows how and if it will affect the actual recording / touring business.

“It will definitely mean more bureaucracy but as us Germans are used to that part, it might be not a massive difference.

“But as said, no one really can tell at this point. If there will be less bands coming in from the UK.

“Yes, it might have a positive chance for other countries to fill in the gap, but I don’t feel it will be a massive difference.”

Today (Thursday, November 23) there are two panels on Germany.

Autobahn: Roadmap To Touring And Performing In Germany (12:30 pm – 1:30 pm at the NGV Theatrette) will impart tips on touring in Germany: who the key players in its concert business are, how the touring industry is structured, and what specific roles artists’ agents, concert promoters, and local organisers actually play.

Aside from Westera, those on the panel are Bjørn Pfarr, music programmer of the Reeperbahn Festival, Ash Sambrooks (Higher Plains / Face the Music) and Millie Millgate (Sounds Australia).

The second panel is Made In Germany: Passport To Releasing Music In Deutschland follows between 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm, also at the NGV Theatrette.

Not only is Germany the fourth largest recorded music market in the world, it is the biggest in Europe. Hence it is seen by music acts and indie labels as the beachhead to access the European marketplace.

Speakers include Michael Pohl (Kontor New Media), Michael Schuster (Cargo Radio) and Glenn Dickie (Sounds Australia).

Both panels are presented by Music Passport (the second is also by AIR) as a part of the $22.2 million Victorian State Government Music Works program.

Music Passport a new three-year program focusing on a new Target Country each year. Germany is the inaugural country.

The initiative is designed to support continued growth in the music industry, help build professional capacity, encourage sustainability and find new markets for Victorian music, at home and overseas.