Tag: germany

Heavy Metal Is Still Making Noise, and Wacken, Germany, Is the Epicenter

July 31, 2019

If you happen to be in Hamburg, Germany, July 31 to August 3, here’s a tip: That’s not an earthquake shaking the ground beneath your feet. It’s the 30th edition of Wacken Open Air, one of the world’s largest Heavy Metal festivals, taking place about 50 miles to the northwest. We jest, but Germany is a driving force of Heavy Metal’s continued global popularity, and the streaming numbers show that this four-day festival is the turbocharged engine. 

Whether it’s an upstart artist playing underground clubs in Berlin’s Friedrichshain or an international metal titan like Sabaton, Slayer, or Demons & Wizards (all among the 2019 headliners), Wacken Open Air is the coveted place to perform. It’s not just because Germany is second only to the U.S. when it comes to overall metal streaming, though. Wacken, normally a sleepy town of 2,000, becomes an 75,000-person headbangers’ ball for the multi-stage festival—and during those few days each year, metal streaming cranks up.

Spotify users who were in the area during last year’s festival increased their metal streams 11% during those few days. More telling, though, is the global boost that occurs specifically during Wacken Open Air.

During the festival dates in 2016, overall metal streaming rose 0.8%; in 2017 it was 2.6%, and last year it was 3.6%. In other words, heavy metal excitement reverberates around the world during Wacken Open Air. The sounds seem to carry far and wide after the festival, too. So far this year ahead of Wacken Open Air, heavy metal streaming is up 3.5% globally.

Long story short, heavy metal is still very much alive and raising devil horns. As prescient Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian said to a reporter ahead of a show at Yankee Stadium in 2011, “Why would heavy metal ever go away?”

Stream Spotify’s official Heavy Metal playlist below.

Spotify Hands the Mic to German LGBTTIQ* Podcasters in Audio Workshop

July 26, 2019

Recently, podcast listening has been growing around the world, and so has the opportunity to showcase voices that haven’t always been represented in media—something we’ve been doing at Spotify through our Sound Up workshops. What started with our New York-based initiative to showcase Women of Color led to a similar program in the UK, as well as one for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia. This past month, we were proud to hold yet another workshop—this time for members of the LGBTTIQ* community in Germany.

Each Sound Up workshop kicks off with an application process in which members of the particular community are invited to submit podcast ideas for consideration. Ten are selected and invited to the host city for a five-day workshop to learn the ins and outs of podcasting. Finally, three ideas are selected by a jury at the end of the workshop—leaving all attendees with newfound knowledge and accessibility toward podcasts, and three members with an opportunity to host their podcasts on Spotify.

At the July 8-12 workshop in Berlin, podcasting and audio experts provided the participants with knowledge and tips about the successful development of ideas, technical podcast implementation, and successful marketing. 

“With Sound Up, Spotify is creating a platform for the strong voices of the LGBTTIQ* community,” says Michael Krause, Managing Director Central Europe Spotify. “We want to provide targeted support to make these voices heard and promote podcast ideas that previously lacked the necessary network or practical knowledge.”

Through presentations by content and podcast experts, as well as joint activities, the participants learned what it meant to plan their own podcast episodes conceptually and technically—right up to their own podcast pilots.

The independent jury who judged the podcast ideas consisted of Felicia Mutterer (editor-in-chief of straight magazine and podcast), Jenny Luca Renner (ZDF television advisor), Christoph Alms (LGBTTIQ* activist, member of the Magnus Hirschfeld Society) and Jochen Schropp (actor and host). The three podcasts selected by the jury included concepts from participants Josefine, Fabian and Tamo* on topics such as representation of the LGBTTIQ* community in shows and films, queer life in the countryside, and being a trans parent.

 Stay tuned for stories and podcasts from Josefine, Fabian, and Tamo*.

 Can’t wait? Check out Dope Labs, a podcast by New York Sound Up winners Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley.

 

In the German market, LGBTTIQ* stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer; the asterisk represents unnamed identities.  

German Star Palina Rojinski Riffs on Podcast Interviews with Her Celebrity Friends

April 17, 2019

Visit Germany for a day, and it’ll be hard to miss Palina Rojinski. Known throughout the country as an actress, TV host, and DJ, Palina can now add top-ranked podcaster to her CV. After just a few episodes of Podkinski, the podcast already enjoys extreme popularity in Germany. The secret to her instant impact in audio is simple: Fans are drawn to Palina’s sense of humor and her approachable, conversational style.

She selects the guests for her show, guides the conversation, and keeps her subjects in the studio for as long as she feels necessary to create a compelling interview. No format is off-limits, whether that means improvising, using tarot cards, or playing memory games to get inside a guest’s head.

Palina’s first guests were actor Fahri Yardim, model Stefanie Giesinger (winner of Germany’s Next Topmodel) and Saudi Arabia-born actress and hip-hop artist Nura. Just after the release of the fourth episode of Podkinski, featuring German fashion designer and TV host Guido Maria Kretschmer, Palina spoke with us about her unique approach to podcasting.

Most Germans know you from TV and film. What has been the most interesting and different aspect of recording a podcast as opposed to working with scripted material for TV and movies?

It is very freeing to be invisible. I usually really enjoy getting ready for a film shoot, and I love makeup and fashion in general. But being invisible to the audience allows me to approach the recording in a very relaxed manner. The studio is a more intimate setting.

German TV and audio seem to have become more open, playful, and conversational, similar to your style, since you started out 10 years ago. How much of that can you take credit for, and how much is an evolution of technology and a change in how Europeans consume content?

I believe that everything changes all the time—with or without me. The German entertainment industry really looks up to America and tries to keep up. Also, Germany is looking at a comeback of the ’90s in style and fashion, and this means putting fun first. Also, maybe our society is looking for balance. If issues regarding the environment and politics are getting pretty serious, we long for fun in entertainment, art, and fashion.

How does your style of interviewing help guests share more personal or interesting information that they might not share with another podcast host?

It certainly helps that most of my guests are my friends. That makes it a bit easier to find the right start. I try to be myself—that’s a general rule of mine, being myself and inviting my guests to be themselves as well. I’m happy if that works out for both of us.

You’re one of the hosts of a new version of “Yo! MTV Raps.” What does hip-hop music mean to you, and why you do think Europeans, and Germans in particular, have such fondness of hip-hop?

It was the soundtrack of my teenage years—it means rebellion, it means adventure, and a certain kind of looking for an identity. Am I cool? Are you cool? The kinds of questions that we suffer with as teenagers. Hip-hop helped me a lot, lifted me up, and made me feel strong at times. It also creates a wonderful sense of community, which we are all in need of, I guess.

Talk about the games you like to play with your guests, such as “Ich packe meinen koffer” (I’m packing my suitcase). How does the game work?

You basically name an object that you would take along on a trip, and the other person has to repeat what you said and add one thing he or she would take along, and so on. Actually, it’s a good memory game, and I played it with a famous German actor. We tested how well our memory works (we have to memorize lines for acting), but also found out how he is packing his luggage either for a certain role or for a long-term filming away from home. Every guest gets a different game that suits his or her personality.

What podcasts and musicians do you enjoy listening to when you are not working?

My favorite podcast is Fest & Flauschig by my friends Olli and Jan, and I love a good mix of music. For example, I love classic bands like Talking Heads or Fleetwood Mac, and of course, some hip-hop like Cardi B, Migos, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and Drake, plus Ariana Grande.

 

Listen to the latest episode of Podkinski here.

‘Das allerletzte Interview’: Mörderische Spannung in der Podcast-Fortsetzung

November 22, 2018

Hip-Hop-Journalistin Clara plant, den erfolgreichsten Rapper Deutschlands zu töten. Aber warum? Das Rätsel hinter Claras Motiv sowie ihre düstere Vergangenheit haben im vergangenen Sommer Podcast- und Krimi-Fans in Atem gehalten. Die zweite Staffel des Spotify Original Podcasts “Das allerletzte Interview”, geschrieben und erzählt von Visa Vie, ist ab sofort exklusiv bei Spotify zu finden.

Der Podcast, der für “Schönste Geschichte” beim Preis für Popkultur 2018 nominiert war, erzählt von Außenseiterin Clara, die sich als Moderatorin beim größten Rapmagazin Deutschlands einschleust. Sie plant, nach ihrem allerletzten Interview Scar umzubringen, den bekanntesten Rapper des Landes. Am Ende der ersten Staffel gab es einen Showdown zwischen ihr und Scar – der mit einem Cliffhanger endete.

“Das allerletzte Interview” ist gespickt mit Anekdoten und Insiderwissen aus der Rapwelt. Autorin Visa Vie arbeitete jahrelang als Journalistin bei dem bekannten Hip-Hop Portal 16bars und sammelte dort reichlich Interview-Erfahrung. Als Moderatorin, Produzentin und Redakteurin ihres eigenen YouTube-Formats “Zum Goldenen V” konnte sie sich eine treue Fangemeinschaft aufbauen, die bei “Das allerletzte Interview” nicht nur gespannt mitgefiebert, sondern auch über Parallelen zu realen Rappern spekuliert hat.

“Das Feedback zu ‘Das allerletzte Interview’ war überwältigend und ich bin immer noch fassungslos über die großartige Resonanz auf mein Autorinnen-Debüt”, erklärt Visa Vie. “Deswegen freue ich mich umso mehr darauf, die Fortsetzung nun endlich mit der Welt teilen zu können. Und nicht zuletzt, weil so viele es sich gewünscht haben, wird es in der zweiten Staffel noch mal um einiges härter zugehen!”

Auch Michael Krause, Geschäftsführer EMEA von Spotify, ist begeistert vom Spotify Original Podcast: “Als größte Podcast-Plattform in Deutschland sind wir stolz auf unsere starken Original-Formate, bis jetzt haben schon hunderttausende Hörer bei ‘Das allerletzte Interview’ mitgefiebert. Wir können es kaum erwarten, den Fans von Clara die Krimi-Fortsetzung von Visa Vie zu präsentieren.”

From Mountain Mamas to Munich: John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’ Winds Through Oktoberfest

October 23, 2018

Picture this: A group of rowdy friends is gathered ’round, clinking overflowing beer steins and sing-shouting the words to their favorite Oktoberfest songs. After a few dozen traditional German marches and time-honored oompah hits, a chorus breaks out: “West Virginia, mountain mama!” It’s a strange scene to some, but it’s become increasingly common among Oktoberfest celebrations.

John Denver’s folksy classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads” has been a symbol of Americana since its 1971 release. But somewhat surprisingly, the warm and intimate spirit of the song is also floating through beer halls around the world—and Germany in particular—as an essential sonic component of Oktoberfest, the fall festival that honors good beer, good friends, and good times.

Need proof? Our data shows that streams of the song increase in both the U.S. and Germany as Oktoberfest approaches each year—and “Country Roads” is only getting more popular. On September 22, the first day of Oktoberfest 2018, the song was streamed almost 190,000 times in Germany—that’s a 34 percent increase from last year. In the U.S., it was streamed more than 850,000 times—a 21 percent increase from the previous year.

European festival goers have come to embrace iconic sing-along American hits like Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” “Country Roads” holds special status, though, and while the reason isn’t crystal clear, the answer may lie in John Denver’s heritage. He grew up in the U.S., but Denver was actually part German: Born in New Mexico in 1943 as Henry John Deutschendorf, he even has an official German fan club. (Sign up for the newsletter to find out how you can participate in the club’s annual three-day “John Denver Weekend” event.)

Denver recorded “Country Roads” in New York and it was an instant hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart in August 1971. Since then, the song has been covered numerous times by American and international artists alike: Hermes House Band, a popular Dutch party band, even had a top 10 hit in the U.K. with their version. Ironically, when the song’s writer, Bill Danoff, was quoted on NPR around the song’s 40th anniversary, he admitted that at the time of penning the lyrics, he’d never even been to West Virginia. “[It] might as well have been in Europe, for all I know,” he said, which makes a lot of sense. At its core, the song is about the feeling of belonging—a sentiment that brings people together no matter where they’re from.

“The radio reminds me of my home far away,” Denver croons, and you can feel the aching in his voice. “Driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday.” Blurring the line between homesickness and happiness, “Country Roads” offers a pure, emotional connection—and the perfect drunken sing-along—during Oktoberfest and all year long.

Mystery, Murder, and Storytelling in the World of German Hip-Hop

June 19, 2018

Set against Berlin’s hip-hop scene is a music journalist’s dark tale. Insane interview subjects, artist breakdowns, festival freak-outs and, ultimately, a murder. Intrigued? All this could easily be the premise of the next great action movie, but instead, it’s the newest fictional podcast hitting headphones across Germany: Visa Vie’s “Das allerletzte Interview.”

The podcast, which translates into English as “The Very Last Interview,” is a fictional crime story that draws from the experiences of one of Germany’s most highly respected hip-hop journalists, Visa Vie, who knows the German hip-hop scene from the inside out. Now, she’s turned to podcasting, combining hip-hop with one of her other passions: crime stories.

The whodunit tells the story of a loner named Clara who wrangles her way into the role of a head editor for Germany’s biggest hip-hop magazine. However, Clara has a sinister intention. Her goal is to kill Germany’s most popular rapper—but only after their very last interview.

Visa Vie had been formulating the story for quite some time. Although it was drawn from her own experiences, writing and producing the podcast wasn’t easy. “For me, the whole project was one of the biggest challenges of my career,” says Visa Vie. “I’m just incredibly proud to publish the first hip-hop crime series in Germany on Spotify.”

Visa Vie herself

 

Though modern German music is most commonly associated with rock or techno, the country’s hip-hop scene has grown since the 1980s, evolving into an equally important part of its musical culture. German hip-hop is home to a diverse range of styles that incorporates voices from the Turkish community, among other ethnic groups, that shape modern Germany. The Spotify playlist “Modus Mio,” a playlist for the German rap generation, has a huge presence on the platform, with over 740k followers.

“Das allerletzte Interview” isn’t the only fictional podcast to garner listener interest and streams. The American podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” has hooked its audience on tense and grisly tales of crime since 2012. It’s perhaps the intimate nature of putting in headphones and immersing ourselves in a story that has made crime and mystery podcasts so popular. Listeners are eagerly tearing through entire series as quickly as they can to uncover the truth and discuss their theories with friends.

Now, more storytellers around the world are writing podcasts. The growing number of people streaming (rather than just downloading stories) has helped to make Spotify the number two podcast-listening destination in the world. It means when people tune in, it’s not just music they’re listening to anymore. “Spotify has evolved from a pure music to an audio platform,” says Michael Krause, Managing Director EMEA of Spotify. “Podcasts and audiobooks are streaming a lot, especially in Germany, and have seen a tremendous upswing over the past year.”

Fictional podcasts and other forms of audio storytelling have surged in popularity in recent years. Spotify has even expanded its original podcast offering to help listeners find their new obsession, be it fictional stories, mindfulness tips, or Stanley Cup debates. The allure, says Michael, is obvious. “The fact that we have the hip-hop crime story from Visa Vie on board for the fourth German Spotify Original Podcast is great. Rarely has a thriller been written with so much passion, background knowledge and references to the German rap scene.”

So whether you’re into fact, fiction, or something in between, look out for more and more audio options to take you to a world even beyond music.

“Das allerletzte Interview,” Visa Vie’s 10-part crime/hip hop series, hits Spotify June 19.