Ralph Christoph, head of the c/o pop Convention, explains why the c/o pop festival is such a good fit for Cologne, what the c/o pop Convention achieves and also tells us where he likes to listen to music.
CCB: The c/o pop festival is a summer highlight for music fans. Every year, tens of thousands of visitors meet at label parties, in galleries, churches, fashion shops, parks, on the street, in concert halls... Why Cologne of all places?
Christoph: Despite its size, Cologne is wonderfully walkable. It's easy for people from outside the city to find their way to the city's interesting cultural venues. All of this also has an impact on how people go out. We have taken advantage of this and aligned the c/o pop festival with these conditions – all the participating concert venues, clubs, bars, shops or squares are easy to reach. c/o pop reflects all of this in an urban music festival.
The c/o pop Convention runs parallel to the festival. Who attends the event and what topics are discussed there?
The c/o pop Convention is one of the most important platforms and conferences for the music industry in Germany. The primary question is how to make money from music in the age of digitisation and how to ensure that the people who create the content, the musicians and artists, get the money. This is no easy task when an industry is suddenly forced to question its business model, as has happened in the course of digitisation.
Why the focus on Brands & Music?
The sale of sound carriers is increasingly being replaced by streaming, which in turn is leading to dramatic declines in artists' income. Some can compensate for this with increasing income from the live business, but many cannot. For them, the question arises: are there other, new ways of monetising? When you watch films or series in the cinema, on television or online, you realise that nothing works without music. The same applies to games of all kinds and, last but not least, to advertising. Here we take on the role of moderator and disseminator.
What makes Cologne so interesting for creatives, for musicians, for the young and young-at-heart?
Cologne combines the advantages of a metropolis with the established structures of the Veedel. This mixture is quite unique and makes it easier to overlook the architectural wounds and scars of the post-war period. The cultural climate is fundamentally liberal and open, with almost every genre well represented. There is a strong independent scene and a good exchange between creatives. It's easy to make contacts here; projects often start at the bar. The saying that Cologne is also ‘a feeling’ may sound trite, but it has a true background.
You met with our photographer at Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld. Right next door, you'll find its ‘younger sibling’: YUCA, Your Urban Club of Arts, which was financed by crowdfunding.
Once ridiculed, this example shows that the ‘crowd’ can be a significant factor in the planning of projects! This is because fans are involved here, not just consumers. It turns out that in times when everything should be fast and cheap or free, people also invest in quality. I am very happy that it worked out so well in the case of the YUCA, and the city has another wonderful place for high-quality concerts and parties!
Where are you going out tonight? Where is good music playing in Cologne?
This week, the c/o pop newcomer festival, Cologne Music Week, is taking place. The festival was deliberately scheduled to take place during the week of the Passagen and the IMM. There are many people in the city, and we want to show them the great bands and artists that appear in the city year after year. In this respect, it's easy to drift from one festival venue to the next: Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld, Stadtgarten or Zum scheuen Reh. There's always something to discover.
More information about the c/o pop festival