“Music doesn’t just appear out of thin air”
Wer steckt eigentlich hinter der Musik, die wir täglich hören? Mit dem neuen Themenportal „Musikwirtschaft“ (Link) will das Deutsche Musikinformationszentrum (miz) die vielfältigen Akteur*innen und Zusammenhänge der Branche abbilden. Warum das gerade jetzt wichtig ist, erklärt miz-Leiter Stephan Schulmeistrat im Interview.
GVL: With its new ‘Music Industry’ thematic portal, miz aims to systematically raise the profile of the sector. Why is there a need for this service right now?
Stephan Schulmeistrat: The music industry is currently undergoing profound change. Platforms, streaming and AI are transforming production and marketing processes, as well as issues relating to remuneration and rights management. At the same time, in the public perception, music is often still understood primarily as a cultural or creative asset – rather than as part of a complex structure supported by many different stakeholders.
Many people are completely unaware of how closely creatives, publishers, labels, collecting societies, event organisers, specialist music retailers and even musical instrument makers are intertwined with one another, as well as with other areas of musical life. It is precisely these interconnections that we aim to highlight.
This is not about reducing art to an economic function, but rather about bringing to light the framework conditions that make musical creation possible in the first place. Music does not emerge in a vacuum. Behind it lie rights chains, value-creation processes and infrastructures that often only become visible when they come under pressure.
The thematic portal addresses key developments such as digitalisation, AI and internationalisation. What guidance can it offer performers, labels and other industry stakeholders amidst this transformation?
Our aim is not to view these developments in isolation, but to place them within a broader context. The portal brings together data, analyses and background information on the various sub-markets of the music industry and demonstrates just how closely they are interconnected.
It is particularly important for performers and labels to be able to better understand economic mechanisms and structural changes, for example regarding issues of visibility on platforms, remuneration from streaming, or the role of collecting societies in the digital environment.
At the same time, the thematic portal brings together knowledge about the music industry that was previously often scattered across numerous studies, industry reports and individual publications. In addition to specialist articles and analyses, the miz also offers a comprehensive infrastructure database featuring industry stakeholders and contacts – ranging from associations, training institutions and companies to the media and other organisations within the music sector.
We are currently seeing that technological developments often outpace public or political debates on the subject. The thematic portal is therefore not intended to provide simple answers, but rather to offer guidance and make developments easier to understand.
In your view, what should people take away from engaging with the portal – within the industry, in politics and amongst the general public?
Above all, the realisation that the music industry is far more than the sum of its individual sub-markets. People often still think in terms of relatively separate sectoral logics. In reality, changes in one area have a direct impact on others. For example, if streaming revenues come under pressure or listening habits change, this affects not only labels and creatives in the long term, but also the live music business, music publishers and the promotion of young talent.
To give an example: if fewer young people play music or learn an instrument, this has a long-term impact not only on individual sectors, but on the entire musical ecosystem – from instrument-making and music publishing right through to the concert industry.
It is precisely these interconnections that are often underestimated. The portal therefore aims to demonstrate how closely economic, cultural and political developments are intertwined. And perhaps also to raise awareness that cultural diversity requires stable framework conditions – fair remuneration, effective rights management and culturally sustainable infrastructures in the long term.