x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

feature

The New Bosses 2022: Resi Scheuermann, Konzertbüro Schoneberg

Continuing a series of interviews with the 2022 New Bosses, IQ speaks to Resi Scheuermann, promoter at Konzertbüro Schoneberg (DE)

By IQ on 02 Nov 2022

Resi Scheuermann, Konzertbüro Schoneberg

Resi Scheuermann, Konzertbüro Schoneberg


image © Mona Lechner @monarosadagmar

The 15th edition of IQ Magazine’s New Bosses was published in IQ 114 this month, revealing 20 of the most promising 30-and-unders in the international live music business.

To get to know this year’s cohort a little better, IQ conducted interviews with each one of 2022’s New Bosses, discovering their greatest inspirations and pinpointing the reasons for their success.

Catch up on the previous New Bosess 2022 interview with Maciej Korczak, co-founder at Follow The Step in Poland. The series continues with Resi Scheuermann, promoter and organiser at Konzertbüro Schoneberg in Germany.

Born and raised in the countryside near Würzburg in Bavaria, Scheuermann spent her youth either in dance studios and concert halls/clubs, or reading everywhere possible. After school, she spent one year in Australia and New Zealand, working as an au pair, learning English and travelling.

Back in Germany, she moved to Berlin and studied literature and cultural studies with a focus on cultural management and marketing and – more importantly – got to know the Berlin nightlife of live music.

After graduating she undertook some internships and helped electronic music collective O Mato to organise a festival in the Brazilian Amazon, as well as some parties in Berlin. She then landed a marketing and communications job at Konzertbüro Schoneberg but quickly moved back to her strengths of booking and organising concerts, thus kickstarting her promoter career.

Today, she leads Konzertbüro Schoneberg’s Berlin office where she promotes her own growing roster, booking tours for Germany and organising most of Konzertbüro Schoneberg’s shows at all capacities in Berlin.

Scheuermann is also a co-founder of the feminist association fæmm, which aims to bring more female power and support to the male-dominated music business.

 


Did you deliberately go to Australia to improve your English, knowing that you wanted to work in the music business, or was that just a happy coincidence?
Mainly I went to Australia to experience new adventures (and improve my English). In Australia, I was surrounded by so many musicians and singer-songwriters, as the country has such a big and great (street) music culture. This experience had a big influence on me: it made me listen to new kinds of music and I got interested in new genres. But to be honest, I didn’t know yet that I would be part of the music scene in my future, but this trip definitely shaped the idea.

Fæmm sounds like a fantastic initiative. Can you tell us more about it?
In the beginning of 2020, four inspiring women and I, all of us working in the German music business, founded the queer-feministic initiative fæmm. We strive to give FLINTA (female, lesbian, intersex, trans, and agender) persons who work behind, on, and in front of the stage a platform to be seen and heard. We want to create a network for FLINTA persons in the cis-male-dominated music scene. That’s why we offer networking events in cities and during festivals (Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg and c/o Pop in Cologne).

We also have different social media formats such as interviews, we curate playlists, have (party) cooperations, podcasts, and panels (e.g. I spoke at Reeperbahn Festival 2021 at ARTE stage on the panel Sex, Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll). We have our own radio show fæmm.fm, a newsletter with FLINTA event tips for Berlin, and an electronic music channel on Soundcloud called “anders.” where FLINTA sets are promoted. We want to create awareness, solidarity, and equity in the music business and help other FLINTAs to get connected.

“I can only be a good promoter if I am 150% into the music and into the artists who I work with”

Can you give us an idea of what acts you already have on your roster and how you have helped develop their careers in Germany?
I only have acts in my roster that I personally really love. I can only be a good promoter if I am 150% into the music and into the artists who I work with. My roster shows my love for different genres: I have some lovely acoustic artists (Ocie Elliott and Penny & Sparrow) as well as some very cool (female-fronted) indie rock/pop/synth acts like Mattiel, and and Jasmyn.

To develop these artists in Germany, I use my growing and very diverse network. As I belong to the “younger” generation, I try to work with them as well as with very experienced colleagues. I also push my artists beyond the mainstream media and try to work with independent (social) media and partners to reach a high range and variety of audience.

What has been your biggest career highlight to date?
The biggest highlight was when I became a promoter as I [originally] started with marketing at Konzertbüro Schoneberg. Next to my job, I also do some freelance work in my “leisure time” and this year I had the honour of booking the RAW+ Festival in Berlin with my friend and fæmm colleague Marie. We managed to book a very cool and diverse 90% FLINTA line-up, which made us very proud and happy. I also worked for The Rolling Stones show in Berlin as a backstage manager.

As a new boss, what one thing would you change to make the live entertainment industry a better place?
We need equality in all aspects, not only in gender. The entertainment industry is still led by white cis men, but we need to include humans in all positions – not only as interns – with different/all gender, origin, religions, believes and looks, to make the industry equal and safe for everyone.

“We all need to make proactive efforts in our thinking and work to change the gender imbalance”

If you could offer the 18-year-old Resi one piece of advice, what would it be?
You can work in the music business. When I was a teenage girl and went to concerts, I didn’t really know what efforts and work lie behind the shows. I could only see a stage with an artist who I loved to see. I didn’t know how the industry works and that I could be part of it – it seemed like a completely different planet. I could never imagine the variety of jobs behind the stage. That has to change – we need to tell the youth what they can become besides the classic dream jobs like teacher, doctor, or firefighter.

Gender imbalance (mostly at festivals) has been an issue again this year. Are there any proactive efforts that promoters can make to help address these problems?
Yes, it is a question of will, money, and attitude. Give them chances, stages, and believe in them. But not only promoters need to change their attitudes, even the media like [radio stations] and artists themselves do. (FLINTA) artists need to build up their core teams [to be] more diverse. Media needs to give FLINTA and other marginalised groups the opportunity to get heard and seen. We all need to make proactive efforts in our thinking and work to change the gender imbalance.

As a young promoter, are there any particular events or forums that you visit to try to discover the next big act, or where you can grow your network of business contacts?
Yes, I am travelling to several festivals with work and/or [voluntarily] to participate actively in networking events, workshops and to visit lots of concerts. I am also in touch with several other initiatives, associations, and agencies, trying to visit their networking events, showcases, and concerts. I read lots of music blogs and magazines and listen to podcasts, playlists and lots of music on several platforms. And, of course, I use social media.

Berlin has some unique venues. Which one is your favourite and why?
That’s difficult. I think my favourites are Lido, Privatclub, silent green and Tempodrom. They are all very different and very unique and that is exactly the taste of Berlin – you never love one thing – you love the whole package.

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.