Popkomm

The world is changing, the music industry even faster

Once again Europes most important musicfair – Popkomm – opened the doors in Berlin. The trade show was combined with a congress and showcase-festival. More than 840 exhibitors from about 50 countries and 400 acts from 32 countries celebrated the music scene. It seemed like a big party, but as it doesn´t look very well for some parts of the music industry you could listen to long discussions about the future everywhere.

Record labels already lost a lot of money during the last ten years. The golden times are over. Illegal copies and downloads are still a problem. Offers like Nokia´s all inclusive special for unlimited music downloads are hated by musicians and labels as well. It remains to be seen, how the lawyers will decide.

The live entertainment sector is the growing one. But even the bookers have to find ways to get money for the festivals as well. Sponsoring is the magic word. Only ten years ago, the festival and concert sponsors just had some banners and maybe promoters. Nowadays the brand must fit to the festival, it must be integrated in the festival, not only seen as advertisement. It´s a part of the festival which helps to make it more comfortable for everyone with recharge stations for handys for example. The positive effect and sustainability is a big reason for sponsoring a festival. In some cases brands are organizing own festivals. With a big risk, as the fans normally doesn´t wanna pay the same price like for a normal festival and some musicians wanna get more money playing at such events. And what about the fans? Do they really recognize all this? Where is the point of too many sponsors?
Even the Popkomm has contracts with YoumeU or New Yorker for example. In times of smaller budgets the sponsoring will get a more and more important instrument for both sides, hopefully with a positive effect for the fans.

Of course new and innovative stuff was to be seen at the fair as well like the Live Flash USB Technology. You can record your own concert with the soundboard and a USB replication and take it home just minutes after the show. Of course a great possibility to sell the sticks or cd´s directly after the show like Kiss did this summer. A new musictelevision in the world wide web was started in a beta version at the Popkomm called Putpat.tv by no one less than Tobias Trosse and Rainer Schütz (ex-Viva), Dieter Gorny (founder member of Viva) and Ray Cokes (ex-MTV). Soon it will be possible that everybody can watch music videos 24h a day like on MTV and VIVA fifteen years ago. The finnish metal band Lordi was there to present their new costumes while Saxon invited the journalists for a listening session in Berlin. It was once again like a who is who in the music biz. They were celebrating themselves, but they all know about the critical position and it will be exciting to see the upcoming changes in the scene.

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