Raising Hamburg's global image as a music hotspot

Hamburg has yet to exhaust its potential and still has plenty in store, according to Schulz. To this end, the joint founder of the Reeperbahn Festival seeks to chisel Hamburg's uniqueness as a city of music on the global stage. "We need more unique selling points. In other words, events that are unique in terms of music culture and set the city apart." His remarks come in the run-up to the 20th Reeperbahn Festival underway from September 17-20, 2025 in St. Pauli. The festival has long since morphed into Europe's leading club festival and is now an international platform for the music industry. The coveted Anchor Music Prize  has been presented since 2016 making the festival a launching pad for up-and-coming musicians.

The idea of a "Hamburg House of Music" is now being floated by Hamburg Music as a contact point for musicians. "We are planning a creative centre that will raise the visibility of the many different music genres," says Schulz. Thus, it must be centrally located e.g., in the Paloma district on the site of the former Esso buildings on the Reeperbahn. "We are currently negotiating with the City of Hamburg and the project developer because there is great demand for the ground floor spaces." Hamburg Music is entering the fray with a comprehensive concept: "The aim is to create a place where innovation, education, training and dialogue take place and which offers both startups and established companies an opportunity to pitch themselves."

Schulz would also like to see the creation of a music tourism coordination centre or the appointment of a liaison manager to enhance Hamburg's global image. "This position would function as a link between the music industry, hospitality sector and urban marketing to jointly develop projects that showcase the city's unique selling points." Concerts by international stars such as Taylor Swift, Robbie Williams and James Blunt (2024) and Ed Sheeran (July 2025) have attracted fans from all over the world and generated even more positive tourist figures. However, Hamburg is just one stop on the tour, Schulz stressed. "Shows that are only staged in Hamburg would have an entirely different effect. Individual events featuring up-and-coming German musicians could be held in the heart of Hamburg."

Hamburg is one of the few cities that boasts many trade fairs held bang in the middle of the city as well as many downtown venues. "The Millerntor Stadium and the Heiligengeistfeld are excellent venues for concerts that attract 10,000 to 20,000 fans in St. Pauli." Together with Hamburg Marketing, Hamburg Tourism and the hospitality sector, Schulz wants to tell stories  with a global appeal and that reach far beyond the Barclays Arena or Volksparkstadion. A study is now being conducted on behalf of Hamburg Music and the Chamber of Commerce to gauge the city's importance as a music centre. "This survey focuses on residents' views and those of visitors to the city rather than key economic figures. The results should help create targeted events that pivot Hamburg as a centre of music," Schulz said.

"Imagine Togetherness!" is the motto of this year's Reeperbahn Festival. Emphasis is on solidarity in view of visitors' tight cultural budgets. "Headliners can charge €200 to 250 for tickets because their fans are so emotionally invested that they are willing to dig deep into their pockets," says Schulz. However, that depletes the sums that fans are willing to spend on tickets for lesser-known acts and puts pressure on festivals. In August, for instance, the 18th MS Dockville music and art festival was held on two days instead of the usual three. The Elbjazz Festival took a break this year to refine its strategy. But precisely these festivals have helped develop new artists.  "This is where tomorrow's headliners present themselves," says Schulz. Looking beyond national borders could be the way. "Britain has come up with a solidarity model whereby headliners pay a levy in favour of the entire industry, and France has even enshrined such a model in law," Schulz pointed out.

Schulz has also come out in favour of state framework conditions. "The Reeperbahn Festival will also focus on the music recording submarket. Music labels and publishers are facing existential challenges due to AI-supported or entirely AI-generated music. We need a European framework that offers artists security." Negotiations must be held on issues such as intellectual property, copyright and a fair share of the profits. In this respect, the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Reeperbahn Festival is more about the future of the industry than the past. "We are celebrating our anniversary cautiously. But of course, we are proud of two decades of such an emotional product as live music."
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