In the end, the musician Diana Goldberg had a politician’s business card in her pocket. And an invitation to have coffee. After all. She probably would have preferred answers. In mid-November, 650 people met in the Feierwerk for two days at the “Listen to Munich” pop conference to think about Munich as a music location. People from politics and city administration, musicians, organizers. And in one of the many panel discussions, the electro-pop musician Goldberg asked two important questions: How important is pop music to the city of Munich? And is there a vision of where the city sees itself in the field of popular culture in the future?
Yes, pop music is important, was the answer from the local politicians. But there weren’t any concrete answers apart from the fact that the city of Munich was trying to provide enough rehearsal rooms for bands. But is that enough? And how does it look, the vision of Pop-Munich? An attempt at clarification.
The pop conference was hosted by the Pop Department at the Feierwerk. It is funded by the Department of Culture and is the contact point for promoting, networking and representing the interests of the pop culture scene in Munich. In the run-up to the conference, Julia Viechtl, head of the department, and her team started a survey among female musicians in Munich. You wanted to know if the music scene feels valued enough by the city?
The answers were clear. “The small preliminary survey has confirmed what we have already learned from countless conversations with actors who shape this city: They basically think that the Munich music scene should be supported even more by the city and should therefore be valued,” says maybe The survey was anonymous, one musician explained: “The little funding that the city has provided so far alone makes so much bloom. Imagine what would happen if there was more.” Another respondent said the promotion of pop was “little” compared to other genres of music.
But is that even true? In the welcome address to the pop conference, culture consultant Anton Biebl wrote that “the weightings in our budgets have long been balanced” so that “a broader concept of culture is represented”. Sounds like an approximation, but concrete numbers aren’t that easy to come by. The reason for this, says the culture department, is that conceptual boundaries are fluid and very different sub-budgets can be affected. So there is not “one pot for pop culture”, but numerous funding aspects that are decisive for supporting important projects that cannot be self-supporting. I also support the department for work and economy as well as the youth culture work in the field of pop.
“Depending on how you define pop culture, a significant portion of the budget comes together.”
According to the culture department, the culture budget for 2023 is expected to be around 270 million euros. The largest percentage of this, around 54 million euros (and thus 23 percent of the cultural budget), goes into the promotion of the independent scenes – and thus also into pop culture. “Depending on how you define pop culture, a significant proportion of the budget comes together,” explains Jennifer Becker, spokeswoman for the department. But: Of course, the independent scene is much more than just pop. The rest of the budget – well over 70 percent – is for the city’s cultural institutions such as the city library, the Kammerspiele and the Munich Philharmonic.
Bands like “Kytes” also attract attention outside of Munich. But how many bands manage that?
(Photo: Daniel Nguyen)
The pop department appreciates the appreciation of politics and administration and refers to “tangible progress”. The funds of the independent scene in the cultural department “were not reduced during the pandemic, but actually increased,” explains Viechtl. Most recently, the city’s culture committee decided that the pop department should develop a concept for micro-funding: 50,000 euros will be made available for this, and the department should also be expanded by one position. Pop scholarships are advertised transparently, plus program funding, rehearsal room and event subsidies – it all adds up.
Nevertheless, there is a lack of appreciation on the part of the city, at least say the musicians. When asked about the status of pop culture in the city council, 60 percent ticked “low status” in the survey by the pop department, 30 percent saw no high status.
how come And what could help? A vision, perhaps, as Diana Goldberg had requested? In other cities one is here further. In Zurich, for example, people have thought about what the city should look like in 2035 – it was anchored there: “The city of Zurich appreciates its importance as an attractive cultural nightlife center with a large-scale appeal around the clock.” And in 2012 Berlin set itself the task of developing the capital as a music location and becoming a “music-friendly city” – a year later the nationwide unique “Musicboard” facility was created.
“People no longer dare to set something up.”
And in Munich? “The scene has a vision,” says David Süss, former head of the Harry Klein electro club and now the Greens’ city councillor. “But does politics have a vision? The administration? No.” But at least, he says, people have now understood how to listen to the pop scene in order to be able to develop a vision. “So far, we haven’t known of any politically clearly defined, cross-party vision,” agrees Julia Viechtl. Munich definitely has the potential to “become a pop music metropolis. The Munich music scene is very large, active and diverse”.
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There are probably far more than 1,500 bands in Munich, newcomers, but also some that radiate beyond Munich, the indie band Kytes about. The band has existed for seven years, and since then the musicians have repeatedly been asked in interviews why they live in Munich. “I’ve been defending the city for seven years,” says drummer Timothy Lush. “And now, for the first time, I realize that I’m changing direction.” Why is that? “People no longer dare to set something up,” he says. And after a break: “Munich’s image annoys me.” He asks: How many bands make the leap from Munich into the big pop business? The rate is low. The next contender could be Amadea Ackermann alias dilla be, 2021 pop hope the Süddeutsche Zeitung. In the same year she moved from Munich to Berlin. “Inspiration never runs out here,” she says. There’s nothing going on in Munich, life there is so slow.
Diana Goldberg would also like to polish up the image that Munich should become an independent metropolis of pop music, like Los Angeles, Paris and London. “It’s about getting the best out of the city,” she says. “But is that what the city wants?” Goldberg is on a pop scholarship, she works here in her recording studio. She doesn’t want to leave. Munich is slowly changing, there is a new beginning, she says. “Let’s make it grow together.”