Quo vadis ars?

The situation in the cultural sector has been described and discussed in numerous interviews, corona diaries, comments and reports in the past few weeks. Our annotated collection of currently 193 sources gathers voices from different sectors and media. This creates a picture of the cultural landscape in crisis, whose temporal transformation can be explored interactively via a dedicated tag cloud.


 

Ein Jahr ohne Werke . Was es für das Musikleben bedeutet, wenn Verlage um ihr Überleben kämpfen
A year without pieces . What it means for musical life when publishing houses fight for their survival

by Merle Krafeld (03 Feb 2021)
Original source: VAN Magazin für klassische Musik

Music publishers play an important role in the cultural ecosystem. Not only do they promote the work of composers, but they also produce well thought-out sheet music in individual parts, ensure good binding quality of the sheet music and produce new editions of historical works. To do this, they conduct study of sources and work with scientific precision. The publishers therefore generate income not only from the sale of sheet music, but above all from the lending of scores of mostly copyrighted works to orchestras and choirs. The rental fees are made up of various facto rs such as the length and instrumentation of the work, the number of performances and seats available for sale. Last year, the turnover from rental fees for music publishers collapsed by up to 80 per cent. In addition to lending fees, publishers and rights holders also lost income from distributions by the German Performing Rights Society (GEMA) and foreign collecting societies as well as the German Music Edition Society (VG Musikedition). Since royalties are usually only paid out in the following year, the loss of income will not be felt until 2021. Publishers who specialise in choral music are also particularly affected, as it is not foreseeable here when rehearsals can be resumed. In the lockdown, only the purchase of individual parts and chamber music with small ensembles boomed. Henle-Verlag, which serves this segment with an app, among other things, is the only publishing house that recorded an increase in turnover in 2020.
As long as there is no planning security in the cultural sector, the sale and rental of sheet music will not increase. The staff of the publishing houses are therefore currently on short-time work and at the same time working flat out to offer works with a small line-up.
Many publishers are currently falling through the cracks of the aid payments because they are either too small or too big. The Neustart Kultur programme can compensate for turnover losses from the rental sector, but only 30 per cent of the lost turnover from April to November 2020, against which aid already received, such as short-time allowance, must be offset. So in the end, the aid is just a drop in the ocean.

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tag Musikverlage GEMA Planungssicherheit Chormusik Leihverkehr Kurzarbeit Neustart Kultur
Music Bericht

Stille mit Vorsatz . Verbale Aufrüstung schlägt nötige Differenzierung: zur Kritik der Kulturbranche am zweiten Shutdown
Silence with intent . Verbal armament beats necessary differentiation: on the culture industry's criticism of the second shutdown

by Hartmut Welscher, Christian Koch (04 Nov 2020)
Original source: VAN Magazin für klassische Musik

The fact that the November lockdown hits art and culture hard, even though excellent hygiene concepts were developed to protect the public, divides the cultural world in Germany. The displeasure was expressed in open letters and articles in newspapers and social media. Only a few balanced voices can be heard at present. Federal and state governments are not innocent of this situation, as they have caused displeasure by failing to provide adequate justification as to which cultural and economic sectors are to be closed and which may remain open. As was already the case in March, many cultural workers feel offended by politics being assigned to professions that are not systemically relevant. So they feel that their function for society is not valued. Many now joined the statement of the trumpeter Tim Brönner, who complained that the cultural industry had no lobby, and tried to make themselves heard. The verbal armament, however, conceals the fact that the pandemic constitutes a twofold threat to artists: in addition to the material threat, many of them increasingly find themselves in a crisis of identity when they are no longer allowed to perform or interact with an audience. And so artists are currently making themselves heard loud and clear, but are still unable to find their way around.This applies not only to culture, but also to politics, which is currently more likely to stumble forward than to steer the processes in a targeted manner.  And so the authors feel uncomfortable when Finance Minister Olaf Scholz keeps granting new aid programs. Public funds are limited, and the first municipalities are already making cuts.
For the cultural industry, the question now is where the development is heading. There will hardly be a return to the status quo-especially since it was not a good one before the crisis. At the beginning of the pandemic, many musicians were happy to have escaped the »hamster wheel of global competition and competitive pressure«. Can't quantity leave the field to quality? In this way, the cultural sector could at the same time make its contribution to solving the ecological question.

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tag Klassik Musikbranche November-Lockdown Lagerbildung Lobby Sinnkrise Existenzkrise Quo vadis ars Stille Hamsterrad
Music Bericht

DOV: In der Klassik fallen viele durch alle Förderraster . Corona-Hilfen für die Musik
DOV: In classical music, many fall through all the funding cracks . Corona aids for music

by Gerald Mertens, Jörg Biesler (02 Aug 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk

Funding conditions for the music sector were extended by the federal government. Living costs can now also be taken into account. Nevertheless, the support is far from sufficient to compensate for the billions lost in the industry - especially since all employment routes for musicians have been cut off at the same time.
Gerald Mertens, Managing Director of the German Orchestra Association (DOV), describes the current situation of artists and orchestras in an interview. He predicts that many musicians will look for other jobs because they cannot cover 12 months of loss of income from reserves. He formulates the demand that the federal and state governments must give more support to classical music, which is currently falling through all the cracks.

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tag klassische Musik Orchester Berufsverbot Initiative Musik Umsatzeinbruch Kulturförderung
Music Interview

Was möglich ist . Die Münchner Philharmoniker spielen wieder vor Publikum
What's possible . The Munich Philharmonic Orchestra plays again in front of an audience

by Egbert Tholl (25 Jun 2020)
Original source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

In Bavaria the hygiene rules are more restrictive than in any other federal state. Not only maximum distances between visitors in the Munich Philharmonic Hall are adhered to, but it is also not permitted to remove masks during the concert. It remains to be seen whether this is due to the "obviously most useless Minister of Art" who does not have confidence in the discipline of high culture audiences. But the 40 or so musicians under the direction of Valery Gergiev are not letting the restrictions affect them.

tag Klassische Musik Münchner Philharmoniker Hygieneregeln Kulturminister Konzert
Music Kurzkritik

Ein bisschen Event geht immer . Klassik & Corona
A little bit of event always works . Classical music & Corona

by Manuel Brug (20 Jun 2020)
Original source: Welt

The friends of classical music would currently be preparing for an exciting festival summer if Corona did not prevent pretty much everything that inspires the classical world. In his article, Manuel Brug gives an overview of the plans for the summer and the start of the season. While the start of the season has already been postponed to January at the major opera houses in the USA, the Paris Opera is struggling with a 40 million deficit. In Germany, the new season is being celebrated with smaller productions, only the Bavarian State Opera does not want to miss a per formance with Marina Abramovic.

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tag Klassische Musik Oper Konzerthäuser Spielplan Festivals USA Paris Streaming Marina Abramovic
Music Bericht

Elend und Energie . Musik in Corona-Zeiten
Misery and Energy . Music in Times of Corona

by Eva Blaskewitz (02 Jun 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk

Eva Blaskewitz takes the listeners of the  radio broadcast Music Scene at Deutschlandfunk on a journey through the music landscape during the corona crisis. Both individual musicians and orchestras are currently developing diverse new formats in order to keep in touch with their audience. But the costs for events that have not taken place are high, the self-employed musicians fear for their existence.

tag klassische Musik Absagen Honorare Konzerthäuser Konzertagenturen Onlineangebote Balkonkonzerte Idagio
Music Bericht

Wenn der Atem nach Freiheit dürstet . Endlich wieder im Konzert
When the breath thirsts for freedom . Finally in concert again

by Manuel Brug (20 May 2020)
Original source: Welt

For eight weeks and two days, Manuel Brug, the feuilleton contributor to the German newspaper Welt, did not attend any more cultural events. For the first live concert in Corona times he is travelling to Wiesbaden for the slimmed-down May Festival, which opens with the world-class bass and Corona rebel Günther Groissböck. Even though it was painfully experienced during the Corona era that culture is not relevant to the system and that politics is merely settling between gambling and brothel, this field report encourages the belief that the cultural industry can slowly reboot.

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tag Klassische Musik Konzert Systemrelevanz Günther Groissböck Hygieneregeln Wiesbaden
Music Erlebnisbericht

Zeitenwende in der Klassik . Konzertveranstalter in der Coronakrise
The turn of an era in classical music . Concert management in Corona times

by Karsten Witt, Eckhard Roelcke (08 May 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur

The classical music scene is facing a structural change as a result of the Corona crisis. Eckhard Roelcke talks with music manager Karsten Witt about the scenarios and what opportunities the crisis might bring. He is concerned that not only the event management for concerts will change radically after the crisis. He also predicts that all artists, ensembles and orchestras that are not subsidized will hardly be able to hold their own on the market in the future.

tag Klassische Musik Ensembles Konzerthäuser Veranstalter Konzertagenturen
Music Interview

Kultur in der Corona-Krise . Erwacht endlich aus der Schockstarre!
Culture during Corona Crisis . Finally wake up from freeze mode!

by Marco Frei, Christian Wildhagen (01 May 2020)
Original source: Neue Züricher Zeitung

Translation

tag Klassische Musik Konzerthäuser Gleichbehandlung Bundesliga Großveranstaltungen Onlineangebote Hygieneregeln
Music Beitrag

Kreatives Kulturleben in Zeiten von Corona
Creative cultural live in times of Corona

by Torsten Landsberg, Sertan Sanderson (12 Mar 2020)
Original source: Deutsche Welle

With the beginning of the corona crisis, concerts were canceled worldwide and cultural institutions had to close. This does not prevent orchestras and ensembles from playing. Streaming live from concert halls and living rooms worldwide. That doesn't just apply to classical music. For example, the Italian singer Gianna Nannini surprised her fans with a house concert as a measure against corona loneliness.
The situation is unique. Even Geoffry Wharton, who has worked as concertmaster with the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne for 30 years, cannot remember a co mparable wave of concert cancellations. In this situation, he is particularly worried about his freelance colleagues, who cannot survive such a wave of cancellations economically for long.

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tag Konzerte Onlineangebote
Music Bericht

News

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The signet of facing arts joining the faces of STORM.

Facing arts is a non-profi project. Feel free to support it and get in touch with us!

The Team

Facing arts is a projet by STORM.

STORM is an acronym playing with the initials by Miriam Seidler & Tim Otto Roth, who are hit both by the Corona crisis. Dr. Miriam Seidler is a scholar in German literature and currently works as specialist in public relations. Dr. Tim Otto Roth is a scholar in art and science history and works as a conceptual artist and composer. He is known for his huge projects in public space, cooperations with leading scientific institutions and his immersive sound and light installations. Miriam and Tim collaborate regularly for years. With facing arts they reaslize their first common art project.
You find more informatin on both initiators on www.miriamseidler.de and www.imachination.net.

Special thanks to Paco Croket for the tag cloud programming!

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