Germany’s BDKV joins Keychange
German live music trade body BDKV has joined gender equality initiative Keychange.
The BDKV says the move shows it is “increasing its commitment to a diverse and socially sustainable event industry”, noting that the proportion of women or non-binary people on and behind the stages of the concert industry is currently less than 20%, the BDKV.
“The BDKV is aware of the social role of the concert and event industry,” says BDKV MD Johannes Everke. “We are proud and right to emphasise that our industry builds bridges like no other and connects people in the shared experience of cultural events. But this role also comes with a responsibility.
“We would like to implement the community spirit that we feel directly at concerts in our everyday work. For us, this includes promoting questions of diversity in the structures of the concert and event industry and taking a mediating position. This is exactly where the Keychange campaign comes in.”
Everke adds that the organisation already implemented its first measures with equal representation on the new board and at management level, in teams and committees, or on panels, at its events.
“However, the most important measure for us is that we want to have an effect on our industry in order to encourage more diversity there and – in addition to those who have already joined – to inspire other of our member companies to join Keychange as well,” adds Everke. “As a first step, we made training content available and provided information on best practices.”
“It is the responsibility of every member of the music industry to bring about urgent change”
Last month, Keychange revealed details of its Pledge Action Plan, outlining the next steps for the scheme. More than 600 music festivals and organisations have taken the Keychange Pledge implementing sustainable structures and practices to provide more space and more opportunities for women and gender expansive creators and professionals throughout the music industry.
“The Keychange Pledge, in which members define their goals for more gender diversity, has proven to be an effective tool over the past five years to drive institutional change,” says Keychange Germany project manager Lea Karwoth. “It is the responsibility of every member of the music industry to bring about urgent change.
“We are very pleased that the BDKV is now part of the Keychange Movement and that members are also being called upon to join Keychange in order to create a diverse, representative and sustainable music industry for everyone.”
The development comes in the midst of controversy in the UK over the all-male headliners for the 2023 Glastonbury festival.
Co-organiser Emily Eavis said the event had originally lined up a female headliner who ultimately had to pull out. However, speaking to the Guardian, Eavis suggested the issue was related to problems with the talent pipeline.
“We’re trying our best so the pipeline needs to be developed,” she said. “This starts way back with the record companies, radio. I can shout as loud as I like but we need to get everyone on board.”
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Germany’s live body appoints sustainability director
Germany’s Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV) has elected Mike Keller as sustainability director.
Keller is managing director at Markthalle Hamburg convention centre, a certified sustainability manager for events and a long-standing member of BDKV.
“Sustainability is now one of the most important social topics and with Mike we have now found the ideal cast for the BDKV,” reads a statement from the association.
“He will enrich us with his specialist knowledge, his connections and his enthusiasm for all aspects of sustainability”
“He will enrich us enormously with his specialist knowledge, his connections and his enthusiasm for all aspects of sustainability and, together with our members, will develop practicable solutions with which we can meet our responsibility and importance and an industry.”
Mike Keller adds: “I’m excited to see how our events will make an important contribution to sustainable development in the interests of the environment, people and the economy. There’s a lot to do!”
At the end of last year, BDKV installed a new board, spearheaded by new president Sonia Simmenauer.
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German business ‘cautiously optimistic’ for 2023
Members of Germany’s Event Management Forum (EMF) have shared their cautious optimism for 2023, despite the series of challenges facing the live business.
A panel at the international trade fair Best of Events (BOE) in Dortmund heard the industry was still dealing with the fallout of the energy crisis, unanswered questions regarding the government’s “culture energy fund” and a “standstill” over the culture pass for 18-year-old’s, plus slow ticket sales and the need for investment or action on sustainability measures.
However, Felix Poulheim of live music association BDKV suggests the sector is over the worst of the crisis.
“After three years in a state of emergency caused by the pandemic, the industry is no longer in the intensive care unit, but is in rehab with legitimate hope of recovery,” says Poulheim.
A coalition of Germany’s event industry associations, including live music bodies BDKV and LiveKomm, the EMF was launched in late 2020, formally recognising months of cooperation during the coronavirus crisis. The organisation’s Ilona Jarabek (EVVC), Stefan Köster (FAMA), Marcus Pohl (isdv), Chris Brosky (LiveKomm) and Linda Residovic (VPLT) also took part in the session.
“Although the outlook for 2023 is optimistic, the problems in the industry are far from over”
“Although the outlook for 2023 is optimistic, the problems in the industry are far from over,” warns Pohl. “The federal government needs to do more here. This is what the Event Management Forum is committed to in 2023 as well.”
A second panel focused on questions of social sustainability for young professionals, workers and skilled workers.
“As an industry, we have many tasks ahead of us this year,” adds Residovic. “In addition to the current topics related to sustainability, the energy crisis and the effects of Corona, a major focus will be on the further professionalisation of our industry. This is the only way we can remain attractive to new and existing employees, also in view of the current shortage of skilled workers and workers. After all, the people in our industry are our most important resource.
“One challenge in the near future will be to respond to the new wishes and requirements of Generation Z, but on the other hand not to lose sight of long-standing employees, for whom the current ‘New Work’ trend is sometimes too goes fast.
“Taking the different needs of the generations equally into account is the art for the companies and us associations. We are currently working on this in various areas and are providing assistance with various projects on how the generational balancing act can succeed.”
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Bid to extend German events restart fund rejected
German live trade body BDKV has hit out after MPs rejected its request to extend the special fund for cultural events.
The organisation had called for the existing Neustart Kultur II (Restart Culture 2) fund to be continued at least until the end of 2023, which it says would minimise the risk of insolvency for companies and ensure consumer protection.
Outgoing BDKV executive president Jens Michow expressed the group’s frustration with the government’s decision, saying the industry is dependent on state aid given the insurance industry no longer insures pandemic-related event cancellations.
“Should a concert or tour have to be cancelled because an artist is suffering from corona, not only is the existence of the event company at stake, but there is also the risk that consumers will not be reimbursed for their tickets due to corporate insolvency received,” says BDKV Michow.
“The lack of awareness of this problem… and the arguments with which this application was rejected by the governing parties are shocking. I find it irresponsible that the explosive nature of the problem is being ignored in this way.”
The government rubber-stamped the appointment of parliamentary state secretary Michael Kellner as official contact for the cultural and creative industries, with Dr Andreas Görgen, head of office for the culture and media commissioner, named as deputy.
“The economic consequences of the pandemic, which are still affecting us, cannot be cured by treating new wounds alone”
However, the BDKV is indignant about federal parliament member Dr Joe Weingarten’s claim that the previous government’s special fund for cultural events had “proved largely ineffective”.
“Anyone who describes the most important state funding, which made the economic survival of the cultural events industry possible in the first place, as ‘ineffective’ shows that they obviously lack any knowledge of the reality of the industry,” says Michow.
“Without the profitability aid and the failure protection, numerous companies would not have survived the crisis, despite all the considerable aid.”
Michow says the sector is grateful for the government’s intervention on the energy crisis, with event companies set to benefit as part of a €1 billion funding plan for cultural institutions. But he adds that the economic consequences of the pandemic “cannot be cured by treating new wounds alone”.
“It is not enough to just focus on dealing with the consequences of the energy crisis, while the industry has not even absorbed the effects of the corona pandemic,” he says. “Anyone who really wants the variety of cultural events to be maintained must finally analyse the current overall situation in the industry with us and work out an overall concept in dialogue with us, which will actually finally enable us to make a real new start.”
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Germany’s BDKV welcomes culture pass for teenagers
Germany’s live music trade body the BDKV has backed the introduction of a nationwide culture pass for young people.
The scheme, which will see those who turn 18 next year receive €200 to spend on concert or theatre tickets – as well as books and audio media – was unveiled last week by government ministers Claudia Roth and Christian Lindner.
Similar initiatives were rolled out in Spain, France and Italy earlier this year with the aim of generating new habits of cultural consumption for teenagers, post-pandemic. Jens Michow, outgoing president of the BDKV, applauds the move, which is designed to give young people easier access to cultural offerings..
“The project is now of particular importance for our industry, as the increased costs in all areas naturally also have an impact on ticket prices,” he says. “If this access threshold is lowered with the pass, at least for younger people, this is also a contribution to stabilising the still problematic economic situation of the cultural events industry.”
Michow also took the opportunity to stress the importance of additional targeted assistance for cultural events.
“If we are forced to cancel well-financed concerts or even tours due to the illness of an artist, unfortunately even a culture pass will no longer help us”
“If, from January 2023, we lack any rescue package in the event of event cancellations due to the pandemic – for example, tour cancellations that become necessary due to an artist being infected with corona – that will have an existential impact on the event companies concerned,” he says.
“Of course, the industry currently welcomes any measure that leads to an increase in the currently sluggish demand for concerts and other cultural events. However, if we are forced to cancel well-financed concerts or even tours due to the illness of an artist, unfortunately even a culture pass will no longer help us.”
Michow adds that the continued struggles of event companies mean that a new cultural start-up programme developed for live event organisers should be extended at least until the end of 2023.
“Unfortunately, the goal originally set with this program of mitigating the effects of the corona pandemic in the cultural sector and maintaining live music events as an essential part of Germany’s cultural infrastructure has not yet been achieved,” he adds.
The BDKV now represents the interests of more than 420 companies in the German event industry.
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Germany’s live music body BDKV reveals new board
Germany’s Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV) has elected a new board, spearheaded by new president Sonia Simmenauer.
Promoter, publicist and impresaria Simmenauer will work alongside managing director Johannes Everke, who has been in office since 1 November and will take over the management from 1 January, 2023.
The newly designed and downsized board of directors also includes deputy president Christian Doll (C² Concerts), Daniel Domdey (d2mberlin, Die Wühlmäuse), Christian Gerlach (Neuland Concerts), Verena Krämer (wahn. witty bramer.krämer GbR, kulturkraemer), Michaela Russ (SKS Erwin Russ) and Stephan Thanscheidt (FKP Scorpio Konzertproduktionen).
BDKV’s 400+ members have thanked outgoing president Prof. Jens Michow for the work he has done for the events industry in recent years and for the successes he has achieved.
Since 1985, Michow has been the executive president of the IDK and later the BDV (Federal Association of the Event Industry). In 2018 he also took over the management of the BDKV, which merged with Pascal Funke’s VDKD (Association of Concert Management).
“[Jens Michow’s] legacy encourages and inspires me”
Michow says: “I sincerely wish the new board team and managing director all the best for their future work. They are taking office in a difficult time of crisis and will therefore have to master very special challenges. To do this, they must quickly develop good contacts with political Berlin, the parties and members of the Bundestag as well as the technical level of the ministries, but also with the state governments and the numerous bodies in which the BDKV is represented.”
Michow’s successor, Simmenauer, was already a member of the board of the VDKD and, since the merger, also of the BDKV. The concert agent founded her company Impresariat Simmenauer in Hamburg in 1989.
The agency has been based in Berlin since 2009 and represents a number of the world’s most important chamber music ensembles and soloists. After numerous teaching activities, she became an honorary professor at the Hamburg University of Music in the field of music education in 2010.
Simmenauer adds: “I am very grateful to the members for their trust and I am now full of energy to set new trends together with the board team and to build on the success of the outgoing executive president Prof. Jens Michow. His legacy encourages and inspires me.”
BDKV now represents the interests of more than 420 companies in the German event industry and thus represents a market turnover of around €5 billion annually.
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German government to help venues with energy bills
Germany’s federal government has announced plans to repurpose the remainder of its €2.5 billion event cancellation fund to help cultural institutions weather the energy crisis.
The decision comes after a government hearing last Wednesday (12 October), in which the country’s live music association BDKV said the industry would not survive the crisis without further financial aid.
Claudia Roth, minister of state for culture, says there is at least €1bn left over from the cancellation fund, which was designed to allow event organisers to plan events without the financial risk posed by a potential Covid outbreak.
Details on how the fund will now be distributed are yet to be announced but Roth says the energy aid should take effect from 1 January 2023, “retrospectively to October”.
In return for the energy fund, the minister expects “that the cultural institutions act in solidarity and do everything they can to save energy”. According to Roth, the target for federally funded facilities is 20% energy savings, which she believes a lot of venues are achieving already.
“We cannot afford it, and we do not want to afford it, for cultural institutions to be closed”
However, BDKV president Jens Michow says it is a major problem for the industry that from 2023 there would no longer be any cover for event cancellations caused by the pandemic.
“[The €2.5 billion government-backed insurance pot] is expected to have remaining funds of €1.5–1.8 billion by the end of the year. We demand that all remaining funds from 2022 remain unrestricted in the economic sector for which they were originally made available,” he said.
Speaking to concerns about fresh Covid restrictions this autumn and winter, Roth said she doesn’t want cultural institutions to have to close. “We cannot afford it, and we do not want to afford it, for cultural institutions to be closed, as was the case in the first two years of the pandemic, because then our democracy will no longer have a voice.”
Last month, IQ heard from a number of European arenas who also said that skyrocketing energy costs are emerging as the sector’s biggest challenge since the Covid-19 pandemic.
AEG-owned Barclays Arena (formerly the Barclaycard Arena) in Hamburg, Germany, was among the venues that reported a “huge” increase in energy costs.
The UK government was the first to address the crisis with its Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will see energy bills for UK businesses cut by around half of their expected level this winter.
The news followed the revelation that some UK live music venues are seeing their energy bills increase by an average of 300% –in some cases as much as 740% – adding tens of thousands of pounds to their running costs.
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German biz cannot survive without aid, says alliance
Germany’s live industry says it will not be able to cope with new challenges such as skyrocketing energy prices if the government does not provide further financial aid.
Jens Michow, president of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV), was invited to a government hearing, held on Wednesday (12 October), to discuss the consequences of the energy crisis on the cultural sector.
He told the committee for culture and media that the crisis is presenting the industry with another existential threat and that it has not been able to properly restart after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among other things, Michow called for the existing Neustart Kultur II (Restart Culture 2) fund to be continued at least until the end of 2023 and for the organisers to be relieved of the burden of absorbing increases in energy costs at the venues.
In addition, he urged the government to create a fund for cultural events that can be used if events are no longer economical due to excessively increased energy costs, and also to strengthen the energy self-sufficiency of venues.
“We demand that all remaining funds from 2022 remain unrestricted in the economic sector”
Michow also told the committee that it was a major problem for the industry that from 2023 there would no longer be any cover for event cancellations caused by the pandemic.
“[The €2.5 billion government-backed insurance pot] is expected to have remaining funds of €1.5–1.8 billion by the end of the year. We demand that all remaining funds from 2022 remain unrestricted in the economic sector for which they were originally made available,” he said.
Last month, IQ heard from a number of European arenas who also said that skyrocketing energy costs are emerging as the sector’s biggest challenge since the Covid-19 pandemic.
AEG-owned Barclays Arena (formerly the Barclaycard Arena) in Hamburg, Germany, was among the venues that reported a “huge” increase in energy costs.
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German government appoints live events contact
German live music association BDKV has expressed its relief after its plea for an official government contact for the live events industry was answered.
Michael Kellner, the parliamentary state secretary to the federal minister for economic affairs and climate protection, has been confirmed as a permanent contact person for the cultural and creative industries, with Dr Andreas Görgen, head of office for the culture and media commissioner, named as deputy.
Welcoming the news, the BDKV says the decision is a step in the right direction given the industry’s sluggish return from the pandemic and additional complications created by the energy crisis.
“For the German cultural event companies, which are still suffering significantly from the economic consequences of the pandemic and are now also facing the major challenges of the energy crisis, a contact person at ministerial level in both the economic and cultural sectors is of fundamental importance,” says BDKV president Jens Michow.
“We hope to be able to work out ways in regular personal talks that will enable the industry to survive economically”
Germany’s Event Management Forum (EMF) – which includes the BDKV (Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry) and venue association LiveKomm (LiveMusikKommission) – has previously called for clarity on the government’s Covid containment plans for the winter period.
The body had repeatedly expressed its frustration at the authorities’ apparent reluctance to engage directly with the industry, as well as the lack of aid measures planned for the sector should a worse-case scenario emerge in the coming months.
“Today, the live performances financed and organised by the cultural events industry are the main source of income not only for all performing artists and authors, but also for numerous downstream economic sectors as well as the large number of independent service providers and self-employed people,” adds Michow.
“In recent months, the organisers’ associations have repeatedly explained to both ministries the particular problems facing the industry and hope to be able to work out ways in regular personal talks that will enable the industry to survive economically.”
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European trade bodies rally governments for energy aid
European live music trade bodies are lobbying for government-backed support packages to mitigate rocketing energy bills and prevent the sector from collapsing.
Last month, IQ heard from a number of European arenas who say that skyrocketing energy costs are emerging as the sector’s biggest challenge since the Covid-19 pandemic. ASM Global’s Marie Lindqvist said the prices for electricity and gas at the company’s venues have quadrupled since the beginning of the year, with the UK being hit the hardest.
UK live music trade bodies today (21 September) welcomed the government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses but have called for further clarification of the details.
The scheme, revealed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industry, will see energy bills for UK businesses cut by around half of their expected level this winter.
The news comes after it was revealed that some UK live music venues are seeing their energy bills increase by an average of 300% –in some cases as much as 740% – adding tens of thousands of pounds to their running costs.
Under the new scheme, wholesale prices are expected to be fixed for all non-domestic energy customers at £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas for six months between 1 October and 31 March 2023.
The support is equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households and applies to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts.
UK live music trade bodies today welcomed the government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses
This scheme will apply to England, Scotland, and Wales, with a parallel scheme will be established in Northern Ireland, and will be reviewed after three months with an option to extend support for “vulnerable businesses”. However, it is not yet clear whether the live music sector falls into this category.
LIVE CEO Jon Collins welcomes the support but says the government must sustain it past the next six months. “Spiralling energy prices have already forced music venues up and down the country to close or curtail their programming and this will begin again as soon as this support is removed – it is plainly obvious that live music must be on the list of sectors considered ‘vulnerable’ by government.
“With our industry still hurting from the aftereffects of Covid and rising costs across the supply chain, we continue to make the case that our sector needs action on VAT and business rates if we are to keep all concert halls, arenas, festivals, and grassroots music venues open, bringing joy to millions and showcasing the best UK and international talent.”
Music Venue Trust (MVT) CEO and founder Mark Davyd has also warmly welcomed the package, saying the scheme “appears at face value to comprehensively tackle the immediate short-term energy crisis for grassroots music venues”.
“We await full details of the scheme and the method of implementation by the energy retailers and suppliers, but the base unit rate of 21.1p per kW/h laid out by these plans is sufficient to avert the collapse of the sector if it is fully delivered,” says Davyd.
“We understand that the government plans to bring forward controls to ensure that this target price is delivered and we look forward to reading their plans to implement this rate as a maximum for all music venues in the UK.”
The scheme “appears at face value to comprehensively tackle the immediate short-term energy crisis for GMVs”
However, MVT is also urging the government to clarify which sectors fall into the “vulnerable businesses” category: “The government has indicated that ‘pubs’ will attract support for longer than the six-month initial period based on the special circumstances of the energy crisis in relation to the operation of their business.
“We have asked for urgent clarification that the broad term ‘pub’ includes music venues and other licensed premises essential to the grassroots music ecosystem, and anticipate that this will be the case.”
The trade bodies have pointed out that further support is needed, in addition to the scheme, in order to stabilise the sector after the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector is calling on the Chancellor to reduce VAT on ticket sales to 5% and reform business rates in the mini-budget expected this Friday (23 September).
Elsewhere in Europe, markets including the Netherlands and Germany are still lobbying for critical support to curb “disastrous” energy costs for live music businesses.
In the Netherlands, the Association of Theatre and Concert Hall Directors (VSCD) says a large proportion of its 151 members are in danger of getting into financial trouble due to rising energy costs and inflation.
“For many venues, the rise in energy costs is disastrous. The expectation for next year is that we will be seven times more expensive. Even if we sell out every performance, this cost increase is impossible to absorb,” says Mirjam Radstake, director of Theater Hanzehof and Buitensociëteit in Zutphen.
VSCD is calling on the Dutch government to help local authorities subsidise venues’ energy bills
With only 7% of its members receiving some form of compensation to cover the costs, VSCD is calling on the Dutch government to make an extra contribution to the municipal fund so that local authorities can subsidise venues’ energy bills.
The association argues that, currently, subsidies do not reflect venues’ rising costs, which also include a 9.7% rise in rent and a 10% increase in the minimum wage, and that passing these costs onto the public is not an option.
“If we increase the ticket price, the public will drop out,” says Charles Droste, director of Cultuurbedrijf Amphion in Doetinchem.
“At the moment, 25% fewer tickets have been sold with us in September than in September 2019. The public seems to be waiting for rising energy costs and inflation.”
Earlier this week, the Taskforce Creative Culture and Media also sent a letter to the cabinet, containing a general plea to protect the sector against the current inflation and increased energy costs.
Meanwhile, Germany’s live association, the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV), is calling on the federal government to design a special relief programme for the events industry to put forward to the EU Commission.
Germany’s live association is calling on the federal government to design a special relief programme for the events industry
Earlier this year, the EU Commission adopted a Temporary Crisis Framework which enabled member states to be more flexible with State aid rules in order to support the economy during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Under the framework, member states could grant a limited amount of aid to companies affected by the crisis, or by the subsequent sanctions and countersanctions, up to the increased amount of €62,000 and €75,000 in the agriculture and fisheries and aquaculture sectors respectively, and up to €500,000 in all other sectors.
However, in the plan, the EU Commission does not count the events industry among the “systemically important” sectors eligible for aid. BDKV is now asking for a revision to the framework, to allow businesses in the events industry to receive up to €500,000.
“Without state support, there is a risk of the industry collapsing with bankruptcies, operational closures and further migration of skilled workers and the self-employed,” reads a statement from BDKV. “This special programme is needed now and not in the near future when such help is already too late.”
Timo Feuerbach, MD of the European Association of Event Centers (EVVC), says: “The events industry has not yet recovered from the corona-related restrictions of the past few years. The consequences of the war in Ukraine, high inflation and impending bottlenecks in the energy supply are also hitting us hard. Together with the disastrous communication from the federal government on the subject of Corona, which is unsettling customers and is already costing orders, our industry is in danger of being left behind in international competition.”
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