Next Stop for SPOT On Denmark: Cologne

On Wednesday Rangleklods Vinnie Who and Treefight For Sunlight will be in the important Mid-German area, which is the center of media, telecommunication, the music industry, etc.

SPOT On Denmark can put another pin in the map of Europe on Wednesday when Rangleklods, Vinnie Who and Treefight For Sunlight go on stage in the Cologne venue Stadtgarten in front of members of the music business, the press and music fans from the huge Ruhr Rhinen Metropolitan Area. The event is to be seen as yet another element in the attempt to make maximum use of the interest and buzz around Danish music right now in Germany.

So far the SPOT On Denmark effort has focused on Berlin and Hamburg, but Cologne and the Ruhr Rhinen Metropolitan Area is not just the densest area in Europe (12 million inhabitants), Cologne and the neighboring cities also make up the center of both the German media and Tele industry and also have major players in the sync business – and on top of that they have a vibrant music scene which has survived the bleeding that it suffered ten years ago with musicians moving to Berlin.

The most important German collaborator is the international c/o Pop Festival which also had people on the big German jury at SPOT 2011, which included among others national media – radio station 1 Live and the biggest German music magazine Intro – Germany’s biggest college radio Cologne Campus, the local magazine Stadtrevue as well as the venue Stadtgarten. The jury enthusiastically handpicked the three Danish acts at the SPOT Festival in May.   

Something at stake for the three Danish acts
Vinnie Who and Treefight for Sunlight already have booking and distribution deals in Germany. For these two acts it’s all about convincing their German partners, who are all going to be present on Wednesday, that these deals are worth concentrating their efforts on instead of just tossing them onto the heap of practically forgotten contracts. And obviously impressing various festival organizers wouldn’t harm either, would it? In contrast Rangleklods is currently free of all German contracts. However, as Cologne is the German capital of electronic music, the expectations and hopes are quite high. 

Ken Ilsø-support
Impressive press coverage has already been generated in advance of the event – which includes all the big media in not just Cologne, but also the nearby cities Düsseldorf and Bonn, and the radio station 1Live makes a special preview this weekend. Furthermore, there is an additional spotlight on the event due to the efforts of Ken Ilsø – professional Danish footballer and dedicated music fan. He recently used his popularity via his professional career in Düsseldorf to beat the drum for Danish music and told his German fans about the event – click here – in addition to recommending the event on his facebook fan site. Before the event another interview with Ilsø on his passion for Danish music will be published – this time in the big daily paper Rheinische Post.     

Top dogs will be watching and listening

45 media and industry people from Cologne and environs, Denmark and Luxembourg will meet for a networking event in the hours leading up to the showcase before the three bands really set this new Danish campaign in the Rhine Ruhr Metropolitan Area on fire. What is really remarkable is that top dogs such as the editor in chief of Intro, the head of EMI’s digital department as well as high-ranking representatives of the electronic label Kompakt, the booker in chief of the booking agency SCC, etc. will show up for the event. This first-ever SPOT On Denmark event in Cologne is organized by MXD and ROSA together with the partner organization The Rocking Factory and German c/o Pop. Last, but certainly not least, it is important to mention that funding from The Danish Arts Council’s Music Committee’s funds for “International Promotion of Music across all Genres 2011-12” has made it possible to begin the Cologne initiative already this year. Next year there will be additional campaigns in Germany thanks to additional funding for MXD from the Danish Ministry of Culture. The first of these future initiatives was revealed a few days ago. Read more here