Live culture is the future

Berlin, 30 June 2026 – Summer is the season for open-air concerts, festivals, town fairs, theatre evenings and live events. Everywhere, people come together not just to consume culture, but to experience it together. It is precisely this special moment that *Politik & Kultur*, the newspaper of the German Cultural Council, in collaboration with the BDKV – the Federal Association of the Concert and Events Industry – is dedicating its new issue 7–8/2026 to, with the special focus ‘The main thing is live! Concerts, festivals, shows on and off stage’.

Live culture is more than just entertaining: it fosters encounters and a sense of community. It is at once an artistic event, a social space, an economic factor and a locational advantage. Whether in a club, a concert hall, on a festival site, in a theatre, an arena or a socio-cultural centre: live culture thrives on closeness, presence and the irreplaceable moment.

At the same time, the live entertainment sector is under considerable pressure: Rising production, staffing and energy costs, changing audience behaviour, high ticket prices, security requirements, the promotion of young talent, fraud and profiteering on the secondary ticket market, as well as the future of small and medium-sized event companies and venues, are central themes of this special focus.

Olaf Zimmermann, editor of *Politik & Kultur* and managing director of the German Cultural Council: “No recording, however good, no streaming and no digital platform can replace the live experience. The direct contact between artists and the audience is the essence of live culture. Particularly in an increasingly digitalised world shaped by artificial intelligence, the need for genuine shared experiences will continue to grow. Live culture is the future.”

Johannes Everke, Managing Director of the BDKV – Federal Association of the Concert and Events Industry: “The stages of clubs and festivals, concert halls and venues have long been more than just showcases for music and other live culture. They are its economic backbone and, at the same time, places where artistic diversity, entrepreneurial risk and social interaction come together.”

This special feature showcases the full spectrum of live culture: from classical music through pop, rock, jazz and comedy to festivals, musical productions, club culture and major events. Authors, artists, event organisers and experts reflect on the magic of the live moment, but also on the work involved, the risks, the economic significance and the cultural-policy challenges.

The authors and interviewees include, amongst others:

• Christopher Annen, musician, founding member of AnnenMayKantereit and co-chair of Pro Musik

• Bernd Dicks, founder and director of Parookaville

• Dennis Eichenbrenner, Chair of the Federal Association for Event Safety

• Sophie G. Einwächter, media studies scholar

• Johannes Everke, Managing Director of the BDKV – Federal Association of the Concert and Events Industry

• Mario Graute, co-managing director of Pro Musik

• Daniel Hope, violinist

• Phillip Jacob-Pahl, Founder and Director of Live at Budde Talent Agency

• Verena Krämer, Board Member of the BDKV and Founder of Female Voice

• Martina Marschalk, Awareness Project Manager at Kopf & Steine

• Gabriele Maurer, jazz singer and Deputy Chair of the German Jazz Union

• Christian Ordon, Managing Director of the LiveMusikKommission

• Michael Roslon, Professor of Event Management and Communication at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences

• Rilana Sandelmann and Michael Schacke, managing directors of Undercover

• Heinrich Schafmeister, actor

• Ulrike Schirrmacher, owner of the Rampensau agency

• Berthold Seliger, concert agent, tour organiser and journalist

• Arnold Simmenauer, Simmenauer Impresariat, and Sonia Simmenauer, founder of the same and President of the BDKV

• Olaf Zimmermann, Managing Director of the German Cultural Council and editor of Politik & Kultur

About the German Cultural Council:

The German Cultural Council (Deutscher Kulturrat e.V.) is the umbrella organisation for federal cultural associations. It acts as the point of contact for politicians and administrators at federal, state and European Union level on all cultural policy matters that cut across the individual sectors represented by the German Cultural Council. The aim of the German Cultural Council is to stimulate discussion on cultural policy at all political levels and to advocate for freedom of the arts, freedom of publication and freedom of information.

About the BDKV:

As an industry association, the BDKV champions a diverse concert and events sector. It brings together and represents the interests of concert, tour and festival organisers, artists’ agencies, venues and touring companies in dealings with the public and policymakers, both nationwide and beyond. With 300,000 events and more than 115 million tickets sold, the sector generates a total annual turnover of over six billion euros.

Yours faithfully,

Johannes Everke, Managing Director

and

Felix Poulheim, Communications and Media Relations Officer