This course covers all the important areas of the music business within five days: marketing, career development, cultural funding, taxes and rights - concentrated knowledge so that you can confidently advance your career even without an agency by your side.
Session 1: Introduction & Historical Context
What is music? Creation – interpretation – communication
Key stakeholders in the music world and their perspectives
Concerts: tradition, repertoire, dramaturgy, and the audience experience
⸻
Session 2: Cultural Policy Stakeholders
Overview: Berlin, Germany, and the international context
Structures and decision-making processes in cultural policy
Cultural policy at the local, national, and international levels
⸻
Session 3: Cultural Funding
Funding opportunities at EU, federal, state, and municipal levels
Fundraising, sponsorship, and foundations
Applications and grant writing
Developing financing plans
Practical case studies
⸻
Session 4: Accounting & Taxation
Fundamentals of accounting and financial reporting
Tax-related issues for musicians and ensembles
Legal structures for projects and ensembles
Artists’ Social Insurance Fund (Künstlersozialkasse)
⸻
Session 5: Rights & Media
Types of contracts and legal relationships
Copyright and collecting societies
Legal forms of presenters, producers, and ensembles
Associations, unions, and collective agreements
Labour law aspects and negotiation strategies
⸻
Session 6: Marketing & Self-Presentation
Website and social media strategies
Building networks and audience development
Writing biographies and creating a professional portfolio
How to present yourself successfully