Australian Trade Commission, Germany, Arts Vic funding pulled

Dear Minister Kosky,

my name is Stefan Jedele and I work for the Australian Trade Commission in Frankfurt. In my role I am responsible for music in Germany, Austria and Switzerland - this included organising the Australian national stand and match makings at events like Popkomm over the last four years.

I have known Steve and Renate Iorio from Blind Beatroot for more than four years now and seen them grow their own band tours substantially over this time. For the last two years Steve and Renate have successfully organised showcases for both their own band (The Vagrants) as well as for other Australian - and in most cases Victorian - bands without receiving compensation or grants. Last year's three-night Great Australian Wave at Popkomm was certainly a highlight and very well received by not only the Popkomm organisors but also by the German and international music industry. Popkomm festival organiser Dirk Schade raved about Steve and Renate's professionalism, agents and label people commented on the high quality of the musical acts which they "do not always witness at other country showcases" (Mick Koeppe, A.S.S. Concerts). Blind Beatroot has also organised a number of Australian showcases outside of Popkomm - in other German cities and also in the Netherlands.

While the Popkomm cancellation is a sad thing one must acknowledge that Berlin is not THE music capital of Germany as one may perceive LA or New York to be for the US. Instead labels, publishers, agents etc are spread across five major cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Frankfurt) and also across many other smaller cities, e.g. Stuttgart and Mannheim. While having these few hubs, the German music industry is still rather decentralised - something you can see in almost any industry sector in Germany. One can find many world class companies in small country towns (e.g. the boutique label Bear Family Records or "heavy metal heaven" Nuclear Blast). What I am trying to get to is that it may well be more effective to have one Australian showcase in each of the mentioned five major cities than having three showcase nights at Popkomm.

At Popkomm there are more than 400 bands playing in 32 clubs over three nights - the chance to 'drag' a substantial number of agents or label people to your concert is much smaller than if you have a one-night stand alone showcase in each of the five cities. FYI, over the last years several other countries have successfully organised road shows outside of Popkomm to showcase new talent (e.g. France, Finland, UK and lately Iceland!!). Austrade could also be of assistance and try to arrange meetings on behalf of the participating bands, invite contacts to the showcases and help with promotion.

Personally I think that while the Popkomm cancelation is sad, Steve and Renate's plan to organise an Australia road show is a fantastic idea and I can only admire their positive spirit. They have been preparing for the 2009 Great Australian Wave for more than six months now, investing both money and a substantial amount of time and I think it should be in the interest of everyone to make the event happen in the new format. I believe that if we all combine forces The Great Australian Wave Roadshow will be highly successful.

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the German music industry, previous Popkomms, my work in the music sector, etc.

Best regards,