#144 - 2nd September 2024 - The capital (of music in Germany?)

I'm in Berlin today. Work brings me here.

I enjoy being here. I can speak my local dialect which is 90% similar to how people speak in Berlin.

I will sound like a dumb hillbilly doing so, but in Berlin nobody cares.

Would I enjoy living here? Only short-term. The state is dysfunctional here, it is a bit dirty and too urban.

But Berlin works in small „kiez“ districts which has its own appeal, compared to the „one large village“ infrastructure in Munich.

Berlin is Germany's capital for pop, electronic (and most other contemporary) music. The major labels sit here, tons of indie labels sit here. The part of the music industry that is concerned with creation is most prominent here in Berlin.

In short; the networks are here, the "scene" is here.

While I'm certain there is also some kind of scene in Munich, I did not see much of it yet. It must be small and somewhat closed off I guess. The people you meet at meetups and events don't necessarily seem to be in the music industry as their main gig.

I could be wrong, but that's my impression. And that is really strange given how important Munich was for international music production in the 80's.

Most importantly, the people I reached out to in Munich (and on online platforms) often have dreams, but rarely the ambition to reach something with their music.

I noticed this more often in the recent weeks and months and I'm very puzzled about it. Where are ambitious people?

Are they in Berlin? I could imagine, speaking in relations - even less than in Cologne or Munich - but in absolute numbers it must be a definite "yes".

Not sure what this post is supposed to say, but I had to think about location today. L.A., London, Berlin. Why Berlin?