Coral Gables, FL (Top40 Charts/ Popkomm Official Website) - Popkomm is the nucleus of the Berlin
Music Week - 470 exhibitors from 20 countries - a positive mood in the lounges - around 7,500 visitors to the B2B area over two days - some 10,000 visitors expected on "Public Day" - Popkomm Showcase Festival enthrals audiences - Jazzkomm makes a successful debut - New
Music Award presented at the opening of Popkomm - Popkomm highlights the music industry in the media - Popkomm 2011 from 7 to 9 September.
Berlin, 10 September 2010 - Popkomm was successfully relaunched in 2010 and reclaimed its place as the leading platform for the music and entertainment industry. This was the first time Popkomm took place as part of the Berlin Music Week. Dr. Ralf Kleinhenz, Managing Director of Popkomm GmbH: "This week the city impressively demonstrated its potential as a creative venue. As the nucleus of the Berlin Music Week Popkomm positioned itself as an event that not only provides a forum for artistic creativity and discussing new business models, but also for supply and demand. The positive mood on the stands was proof that the new concept and the new location were very well received." 60 per cent of the 470 exhibitors were from abroad, making Popkomm the leading international meeting place of the music and entertainment industry in Germany.
Overall, over a period of two days around 7,500 visitors came to the B2B area of Popkomm to talk business and agree contracts, to discuss solutions to the challenges facing the industry and to discover good music. Some 10,000 visitors are expected to attend today, on "Public Day".
Popkomm Showcase Festival - a major attraction for the public
At the Popkomm Showcase Festival on 8 and 9 September, 60 artists and bands representing an eclectic range of music performed in front of audiences at 14 venues on the grounds of legendary Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, as well as in the pulsating neighbouring district of Kreuzberg. Over a period of two days Popkomm provided talented musicians from around the world with an ideal platform to showcase their acts in front of industry experts and music fans. In the past, Popkomm has launched the international music career of a number of artists. James Blunt, Mia and Polarkreis 18 are only a few examples of artists who made it from the stage of the Popkomm Showcase Festival into the charts. Some of the bands who performed at the Popkomm Showcase Festival have already made it onto the big festival stage this year too. In addition to performing at Popkomm, Cast of Cheers, De Staat, Jesse, Rich Aucoin, Spleen United, The Megaphonic Thrift, Therese Aune and Yes Cadets are playing on stage at the Berlin Festival on the grounds of the former airport in Berlin Tempelhof. (Attendance figures at the Popkomm Showcase Festival will be published in the final closing report on Monday, 13 September)
Jazzkomm makes a successful debut
Jazzkomm, a showcase and business platform for musicians and jazz entrepreneurs, took place at Popkomm for the first time this year. It hosted 50 showcases for 40 bands from 15 countries, its own conference, and organised a short movie series and a lounge for exhibitors.
Presentation of the New Music Award at the opening of Popkomm
At the opening event of Popkomm the New Music Award 2010 was presented to Kraftklub, a band from Saxony in Germany. The band received a trophy sponsored by eight networks broadcasting ARD radio programmes for young people and a voucher for music equipment worth 10,000 euros. Listeners had previously cast their online votes to decide who would contest the New Music Award. The finalists were Kraftklub (from Chemnitz), The Love B?^(o)low (from Berlin), AndiOliPhilipp (from Heilbronn) and Avery Mile (from Bremen). The New Music Award promotes new music and is presented by eight ARD radio programmes. By supporting the New Music Award, Bremen Vier (Radio Bremen), DASDING (SWR), Fritz (rbb), MDR SPUTNIK, N-JOY (NDR), on3 (BR), YOU FM (hr) and 103.7 UnserDing (SR) are actively engaged in developing a culture of new music. The New Music Award is the successor to the RadioAward for New Music, which was presented by MDR SPUTNIK, YOU FM (hr) and Fritz (rbb) for the first time in 2008.
A world record - Samuel Harfst performs the world's longest street concert
On Wednesday midday, after 24 hours, Samuel Harfst and his eponymous trio concluded the world's longest street concert, thereby setting a record at Popkomm 2010 that is destined for the Guinness Book of Records. Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit struck a gong to officially launch 24 year-old singer-songwriter Samuel Harfst's ambitious attempt. His major debut album, Alles Gute zum Alltag, goes on release today and could now also turn Germany's best known busker into its most successful busker.
Popkomm highlights the music industry in the media
In 2010 Popkomm once again highlighted the music industry in the media, thus providing it with a forum. More than 800 journalists from 21 countries received accreditation at Popkomm and covered the event live. Popkomm's media partners GAFFA, Intro, Musikmarkt, MusikWoche and VIP-Booking.com also provided coverage in the media.
