Spotlight on ... C/O pop !

Since 2004, c/o pop in Cologne, Germany has increasingly become an essential festival not only for the international and German music industry, but also the creative sector at large. Emerging from the move of Popkomm from Cologne to Berlin, c/o pop has distinguished itself as a key stop in the festival season in a short amount of time. The festival includes both the music portion, the C’n’B Convention, OFF c/o pop, Der Super Markt and c/o pänz. In 2012, artists from 15 countries will converge to perform more than 50 concerts spanning over 20 music venues including artists like La Femme, Nicolas Jaar, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Kakkmaddafakka, Katzenjammer, and Soap & Skin. 2011 attendance topped 35,000.

From June 20^th to 24^th, music will spread throughout Cologne in open air stadiums like Tanzbrunnen and Jugendpark as well as the city’s Philharmonic Hall, Gloria Theatre and Kammermusiksaal. The focal point of c/o pop is on Stadtgarten, an innovative concert hall and studio that normally serves to present developing and innovative music in hosting over 400 events throughout the year. Based on the success of adding the Zum Scheuen Reh bar and Gewölbe club, the 2012 edition of c/o pop will see the addition of the Millowitsch Theatre. The music doesn’t stop with just the festival, but branches into Off c/o pop. Off c/o pop is the official series of parties and concerts in clubs and bars throughout Cologne.

Aside from the music performances that draw professionals from throughout the world, c/o pop’s own C’n’B Convention successfully attracted industry representatives from 70 festivals and 25 countries in 2011. The C’n’B Convention not only encompasses music, but the entertainment and creative sectors in a broader sense in order to achieve the goal of creating new exchanges in cultural and digital industries. Participating industries include music, film, media, books, games, advertising and design. The focus has been monetization of content, economic models linked to digital as well as financing strategies in cultural industries. This year, the focus will be on China and Taiwan for the three day conference with events such as ‘Spot on China: Market Entry,’ ‘Spot on China: Touring’ and ‘Spot on Taiwan: Accessing the Mandarin Pop Music Scene.’ Conference speakers in 2012 will include such industry leading professionals as Vincent Carry, director of Les Nuits Sonores Lyon and founder of European Lab for Festivals, Jacob Bilabel, founder of Green Music Initiative, and Peter Kerckhoff, the VP of Content at Deutsche Telekom. A complete list of speakers can be found here.

Europareise is also targeted to international industry professionals, particularly festivals and institutions throughout the world. The networking platform began in 2006 and has grown into a global network that involves festivals in Asia, North and South America. Through panels, networking meetings, and matchmaking events, Europareise has become an essential component of c/o pop and the C’n’B Convention to link and do business in one location with global professionals in music and creative industries. A list of 2012 festivals represented at Europareise can be found here.

c/o pop continues to evolve and develop outside of music performances and networking opportunities with such aspects as Der Super Markt and c/o pänz. Der Super Markt is large market in Stadtgarten where people can browse and purchase music, art, fashion articles and much more. c/o pänz attracts families and children, providing an alternative for the younger attendees to experiment, learn instruments and develop their own creativity in the middle of c/o pop. Aside from this market and play space, children are encouraged to participate and perform to show off their burgeoning talent.

Since 2004, Bureau Export in Berlin has participated to help French and French-produced music to find a special place in this key international festival. Working alongside c/o pop festival’s programmers, Bureau Export assists the programmers on the latest French artist who then make their choice from the selection. Previous French artists have included Jamaica, The Popopopops and Hocus Pocus. Through the festival, Jamaica and The Popopopops were able to find local agents while Hocus Pocus obtained additional tour dates in Germany. In 2010 and 2003, France received a special focus at c/o pop when over 10 artists were chosen and performed. Thanks to the support from Bureau Export in Berlin, Institut Français and SACEM, France will have a great presence this year with La Femme, Nicolas Jaar, Hufschlag&Braun, Siler & Dima, and David Shaw and the Beat.