For two years, fans have been eagerly waiting for concerts and festivals to return to the city’s stages. This summer everything finally seems to be possible again. And yet the “Sound of Munich Now” takes place digitally. In an interview, Alessa Patzer from the Feierwerk Pop department explains the advantages of the video format for music creators.
SZ: After two years of pandemic, festivals are finally possible again. The “Sound of Munich Now” will still take place digitally. Why?
Alessa Patzer: On the one hand, we were too unsure what the pandemic situation would say in autumn. On the other hand, we are very enthusiastic about the digital concept. We think it’s more sustainable for the artists because they can access their videos for a long time. For example, you can use them to apply to a festival or concert promoter.
Was that the goal from the start?
Not necessarily, but of course you automatically have that in the back of your mind when you work in this business, that a well-produced video is always a pro argument for the artists. But originally the motivation was that we really wanted to do something for the scene when everything was closed in 2020.
In both years, 30,000 people clicked on the videos. That’s 28,000 more people than at a Sound of Munich Now festival live in the celebrations. Was the reach also a decisive factor in the festival taking place digitally again this year?
Not essential, but desirable. We want our artists to get as much attention as possible. Nevertheless, the live version in front of a sold-out house has a lot of charm and is still the ultimate for many. Ideally, we’ll find a way to combine both in the future.
How did the fans react to the digital “Sound of Munich Now”?
What I heard was very positive, especially because of the quality of the videos. Because it’s not just a live stream that you can watch once, but because it’s short videos that you can watch more often. For many artists, this type of video shoot is a whole new experience. That makes it special. And I think the fans feel that too.
In the early days of “Sound of Munich Now” the goal was to give Munich bands a platform because they hardly ever take place in public. In the meantime, “Sound of Munich Now” has become a brand, and the number of festivals with Munich in their name has risen sharply. How did this change the concept?
It’s still in process. Of course we recognize that, and that’s a great development. But we will certainly see if we can play with other content in the future in order to continuously develop the festival.
What content could that theoretically be?
For example, you could hold small talks with people from the scene. One could emphasize even more the network idea that the people who come then can network within the music industry. Nevertheless, fun should still come first.
Is networking in the Munich music scene difficult?
I actually think that it works very well in Munich. There are also formats that you can use to network if you don’t have access yourself, for example “Cheers” from the Feierwerk Fachstelle Pop.
Should Corona allow it, there will also be a live festival in autumn. Will it be a “Sound of Munich Now” as we know it from the time before Corona?
Not this year. We can’t work with 20 artists again and we don’t want the digital version to take a back seat. The live festival should be a highlight in the middle of the broadcast with maybe four to five new artists. There will also be a pop conference taking place at the same time, Listen to Munich, and we hope the two events will be mutually beneficial.