Between September 19th and 21st, Berlin, Germany will become the centerpiece worldwide for the music industry with the 19th annual popKOMM music conference and festival.
In 2007, popKOMM will once again be the gathering ground for all facets of the music industry from managers, artists, labels, studios and the media.The three day conference will cover various topics from digital marketing, pop and politics, live perspective and artist focal points as well as discussing the industry coming to terms with the digital medium of the 21st Century.
popKOMM director Katja Bittner was in Australia this week to promote the event. For an industry seen to be in a downward spiral at the moment, Katja talked about a positive future for those who can adapt to the new digital world.
"I think we are now in such an interesting state for everybody who works in the industry right now that it has to be the most interesting time ever," she told Undercover News. "Everything is changing and you have to be very smart to see the changes, not while they are taking place but before they take place in order to adapt. This is something some companies have not done which is why they aren't doing so well".
She sees the industry growth is there for those who can see past the old models. "Right now I think there is such a great chance out there for more music to be consumed," she says. "There are more ways to get music out there so there is more music there. A lot of bands take advantage of it and a lot of bands have the chance to start out by themselves without being dependant on the industry in the first phase of their career".
Katja believes the future is the correct adaptation of the digital world. "I do believe there needs to be a lot of work done on the digital sector regarding DRM" she says. "For a consumer right now it is quite a pain to consume music via mobile because you are basically stuck and you can't do anything with your songs. As long as that doesn't change, there will be a lot of CDs to be sold. Music is meant to enrich your life. You are supposed to have fun with it and you don't want to be dealing with technical problems. Maybe a lot of the younger generation can deal with that well because they are used to it. I'm not that old but I'm not a big technical freak. As soon as my phone tells me that I can't do that, then I am stuck. I think there are still a lot of things that need to be changed".
No doubt, the music industry in the 21st century vs the old 20th century models hung onto by some majors will be the hot topic of popKOMM 2007.
Details on the conference can be found at www.popkomm.de
