Concerts, conferences and club nights: the German capital is celebrating the international music industry with the first “Berlin Music Week” (September 6 - 12). The Music Week premiere, which is Berlin’s largest music event of the year, is heralding the return of Popkomm, Germany’s most important international music business market. The international market was cancelled last year, but is back again now with more than 400 exhibitors from 20 countries at an unusual venue: Berlin’s famous Tempelhof Airport which is now free of air traffic.
The Tempelhof complex is the centre of the Berlin Music Week and the venue of its musical climax. On September 10/11 the “Berlin Festival” will be transforming the airport into a gigantic club. Performances are being staged in hangars 4 and 5 and on the roofed apron. Some 20,000 visitors are expected, plus more than 70 bands performing everything from indie to electro music on the three stages. And on September 11, the Berlin Club Night will be celebrating the diversity of club culture at more than 40 different clubs.
Berlin’s creative atmosphere and rich club landscape, including Berghain which was named as the world’s best techno club in 2009 by the British “DJ Mag”, have generated the city’s great musical charisma that attracts fans, up-and-coming musicians and international stars. Bands producing albums here include the French indie pop band “Phoenix”, the American group R.E.M with recordings at the legendary Hansa-Studio, while singers such as Fran Healy, frontman of the Scottish band “Travis”, are outing themselves as Berlin fans.
Prior to Popkomm, Germany’s Federal Association of the Music Industry announced some more good news for the music sector: the digital market in Germany is experiencing strong growth tendencies. In the first six months of 2010 the turnover of music downloads increased by almost 40 per cent against the previous year. A total of 4.7 million albums sold in the first six months – eight times the total registered five years ago. Whereas the digital growth curve is slowing down in many countries, in 2010 the world’s fifth largest music market in Germany is expected to maintain stable growth in music turnovers, says the Federal Association of the Music Industry.
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