The LGBTIQ+ List 2023 – IQ Magazine’s third annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.

The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s third Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Check out yesterday’s profile with Katherine Koranteng, marketing & campaigns manager at Festival Republic in London, UK.

The series continues with Stefan Lehmkuhl (he/him/his), freelance curator & live entertainment consultant at BMG/Ruined My Rainbow in Berlin, Germany.

Stefan Lehmkuhl grew up in Münster thinking he was the only gay boy in the village. I never learned anything proper after school other than live entertainment and a bit of music journalism. At least, I didn’t get any certificates or degrees, until today.

I worked as stagehand, security, cup collector, paramedic, music journalist, then festival booker (Melt, Lollapalooza Berlin), tour promoter (Robyn, Fever Ray, The xx), co-founder & CEO (Goodlive), curator (Theater des Westens), you name it. Actually, I always got the feeling I was the only gay boy in the village in my career [as well]. It’s been a ride.

Around the age of 40, I got sober, took a break after corona, and sold my company shares [in order] to reflect on what it is that I wanted to do in the future.

Right now, I programme a beautiful theatre (Theater des Westens) in Berlin on behalf of BMG, working with a wonderful queer team, and am in the process of starting a queer-owned company called Ruined My Rainbow with some amazing people.

Tell us about the professional feat you’re most PROUD of in 2023 so far.
To have managed to set up a truly diverse team for the running of a new concert project at Theater des Westens. We didn’t manage to present a diverse enough lineup so far, but I’m proud to say that behind the scenes, from programming to production to stagehands to securities, we didn’t only go with the straight dudes that we all knew best. I wouldn’t say we excluded them, but they are certainly the minority on our payroll.

Name one queer act you’re itching to see live this year.
Cormac b2b fka.4ma.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Probably the same as non-queer young professionals: set boundaries, don’t do anything you’re not feeling comfortable with; practice self-care; [give] your opinion and leave when you get bullied for [it]; connect with other queer and young professionals and support each other; ask your queer elders [Feel free to get in contact!]. I only say all this because I didn’t do any of it. I only recently started and see [now] what I missed out on.

“From programming to production to stagehands to securities, we didn’t only go with the straight dudes that we all knew best”

What’s the best mistake you’ve ever made?
After 20 years of working my ass off, I kind of earned my seat at the table of the top promoters in Europe, just to leave the industry when I got there. I would have seen that as a mistake if you would have told me ten years ago, but it was one of the healthiest decisions I ever made for myself. The job can be pretty toxic, and if I want to help and change things in the future, I needed to refill my batteries and reflect on my experiences.

In terms of challenges in the industry, what’s currently keeping you up at night?
In the face of the Rammstein ‘row zero’ [controversy], bubbling ‘Me Too’ stories of industry legends, gender-balanced lineup debates, and ongoing white cis-male dominance in the business, I wonder when the time of the next generation in the industry will finally come and when the outburst within the industry will finally be louder.

How do you see the live music business developing in the next few years?
Sometimes I worry that we see the same phenomenon in the industry that we see in society: first there is a glimpse of hope that things will change, and then the alliance of gatekeepers gains momentum again. I’m terrified of what’s happening in Europe politically; it feels like America’s ‘Gilead’ tendencies post-Trump are undermining the progress of the last [few] years. It is crucial for the industry to forge ahead, refusing to succumb to regression and instead embracing genuine progress. To achieve this, the industry must cultivate a greater sense of courage and boldness.

“After 20 years of working my ass off, I earned my seat at the table of the top promoters in Europe, just to leave the industry”

Name one thing you’d like to see the live music business change.
I’d love for it to become a truly diverse and gender-balanced environment, especially at management level. It will automatically turn into a less toxic and safer workspace that’s more attractive to work in for people.

Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
Quotas in all fields of the industry: lineup, staff, security, management… all fields! (I know ‘equitable’ isn’t the same as ‘equal’ but both go hand in hand for me.)

Shout out to your biggest ally in the live music industry.
Melvin Benn.

Do you support any LGBTIQ+ causes?
Allout.org – at the moment, especially, [due to] the absolutely terrifying situation for LGBTQIA+ people in Uganda and potentially Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and for putting pressure on governments to issue humanitarian visas.

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Goodlive co-founder Stefan Lehmkuhl has been appointed to the top booker role at BMG’s Theater des Westens in Berlin.

Lehmkuhl is best-known for his two decades of success curating and producing festivals such as Melt Festival, splash!, and Lollapalooza Berlin.

He, along with co-founder Thomas Resch, stepped down from Germany’s Goodlive in July 2021, making way for a new management structure.

After a two-year hiatus from the live industry, Lehmkuhl will now book concerts, residencies and theatre productions for the historic 1,7000-capacity theatre, which BMG recently took a two-year lease on.

Working alongside him at the venue will be event producer Parker Tilghman, known in Berlin and beyond by their alias Pansy. For the last decade, they have created acclaimed underground performance events and club nights in some of the city’s most prominent institutions like SO36, Deutsche Oper, Volksbühne, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, and more.

BMG Chief Content Officer Dominique Casimir says: “Taking a two-year lease on the Theater des Westens was a statement of intent. The appointment of Stefan and Pansy shows the extent of our ambition. Stefan is known for his creative booking and for producing events with visual flair and artistic integrity. With his help we will take the Theater des Westens to an entirely new level and make it a premier entertainment destination in Berlin.”

“Early feedback from artists and managers has been positive, with particular interest in the residency format”

Lehmkuhl adds: “I am excited to join in collaboration with BMG as my first consultant and curation project after a two-year hiatus from the industry. We are offering artists completely new opportunities that have not existed in Berlin before in a truly gorgeous setting.

“We are open to collaborating with agents, managers and event organisers, internationally and nationally, even beyond music, and welcome inquiries. I am grateful for Dominique’s trust and look forward to working with her, Pansy and the team at BMG. Early feedback from artists and managers has been positive, with particular interest in the residency format.”

Pansy comments: “The new format will be of particular interest to established artists who want to present a high-end show at a beautiful venue in the heart of Berlin rather than embarking on a regular tour. We look forward to pairing them with local, underground performers that keep our city so special and unique.”

Michael Schacke, Undercover CEO and responsible for BMG’s live strategy in GSA, said: “With the opening of Berlin’s Theater des Westens for live concerts, residencies and performances, the next piece of the puzzle of BMG’s live strategy falls into place. With Undercover as tour and local promoter in GSA and the Taubertal Festival, TDW now adds one of the most beautiful and exciting live venues in Europe that gives us more opportunities to work with artists and their management in the live segment.”

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Berlin-headquartered music company BMG has booked out the German capital’s 1,600-seat Theater des Westens (TdW) every night until the end of 2024 to provide a home to its growing live events business.

The renowned record label and music publisher entered the live business in 2020 with the acquisition of a majority stake in promoter/event production firm Undercover.

BMG’s shows at TdW will include a series of residencies by domestic and international recording artists, as well as BMG’s growing roster of stage musicals.

“The Theater des Westens is arguably the greatest theatre in the German capital,” says BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch. “As a Berlin-born company, and the only German-owned and managed global player in the music industry, we are proud to make this investment in the musical life of our hometown.”

“We see a particular opportunity for established artists who want to present a high-end show in a beautiful venue rather than embarking on a regular tour”

The TdW is operated by Netherlands-based live entertainment firm Stage Entertainment, while the building is owned by the city of Berlin.

“We are committed to making the Theater des Westens the premier venue for entertainment in Berlin,” says BMG chief content officer Dominique Casimir. “Taking such a long lease on a venue is a first for a music company. We are starting with two great shows – Ku’damm 56 and now Romeo & Julia – but there is a lot more to come.

“Bringing high-end artist residencies to Berlin is a first for Germany. We see a particular opportunity for established artists who want to present a high-end show in a beautiful venue rather than embarking on a regular tour.”

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