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The New Bosses 2020: Artur Kasper, Der Bomber Der Herzen

Kicking off a series of interviews with IQ's 2020 New Bosses, we speak to Artur Kasper, a booking agent at Der Bomber Der Herzen in Germany

By IQ on 09 Oct 2020

Artur Kasper, Der Bomber Der Herzen

Artur Kasper, Der Bomber Der Herzen


The New Bosses 2020 – the latest edition of IQ’s annual celebration of the brightest young talent in the live business today, as voted for by their peers – was published in IQ 93 this month revealing the twelve promising promoters, bookers, agents, A&R and production experts that make up this year’s list.

To get to know this year’s cream of the crop a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2020’s New Bosses, to discover their greatest inspirations and proudest achievements, pinpoint the reasons for their success and obtain advice for those hoping to be a future New Boss. Snippets of the interviews can be found in the latest IQ Magazine, with all interviews being reproduced in full online and on IQ Index over the coming weeks.

The first New Boss is Artur Kasper (28), a booking agent at Der Bomber Der Herzen in Germany. Despite wanting to be a journalist when he was younger, Kasper joined Melt! Booking as a booking assistant in 2016 and was responsible for looking after urban domestic and international acts, while his remit also saw him take on the role of booking assistant at the company’s splash! Festival.

Last year, Kasper’s hard work saw him promoted to booking agent at Der Bomber Der Herzen, where he mostly takes care of domestic urban talent.

 


What are you working on right now?
Mostly on postponing touring dates due to Covid, but also booking my acts onto festival line-ups for 2021. This summer I had a few seated, open-air gigs and live streams.

What are some of the highlights of your career to date?
During my time as a festival booker, seeing the result of my work at the festival was a highlight. Also selling out the first tour of a newcomer act, who I believe in, is always a highlight.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt working in live music?
You really need a passion for music because it becomes a big part of your life. You become emotionally involved and you may lose the separation between private and professional life. This can be very unhealthy sometimes, but I love my job.

Did you always want to be a promoter?
I wanted to be a music journalist and made the first steps in that career but I just didn’t know that I actually wanted to be a promoter the whole time.

“The first aim of the job should be to help talented newcomer acts to grow and to respect the culture, not just exploit it”

What impact has Covid-19 has on your job?
A big impact, as the live industry is suffering a lot and many dates have to be postponed. Under regular circumstances, this would have been a successful year for me. We can only hope that we will be able to go back to regular work soon.

Do you have a mentor in the industry?
My Der Bomber Der Herzen colleague, Ilke Ulusoy.

What does the live music industry do well, and what can we do better?
There are many great and talented people in this industry who are very passionate about their job. As we’re all profiting from the culture, I think as a promoter the first aim of the job should be to help talented newcomer acts to grow and to respect the culture, not just exploit it.

What advice would you give to someone who’s new to the business?
Trust yourself and think about the intentions you have to do this job.

What are the biggest challenges you’re facing currently?
Of course, it’s the lack of clarity due to Covid-19. We still don’t know when we can go back to regular work.

Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?
Hopefully still physically and mentally healthy and happy with my job.

 


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