Federal German Association for the Promoters and Event Business (bdv)

Home base of the German Concert and Event Business

Managing board
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The Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft e.V. (bdv) - former 'idkv' -, the Federal German Association for the Concert and Promoters Business, is the professional association for all branches of German concert organising trade and artist representation.

The bdv represents more than 300 german promoters, agents and managers. The association provides the sector with comprehensive representation and consultation. It represents a total revenue of the live entertainment market of around EUR 3.2 billion with more around 106 million sold tickets.

As an association of associations the bdv represents besides its 250 member-companies the 'Internationaler Fachverband Show-und Unterhaltungskunst' (International Professional Association for Show and Entertainment Arts) (IFSU) and therefore directly or indirectly over 320 companies in the concert organisation business. The association has a permanent and long-term commitment to the optimization of the basic legal conditions of the economic sector. It is represented in the advisory committee of the artists’ social insurance fund, the supervisory board of “Initiative Musik”, Steuerfachausschuss des Deutschen Kulturrats (Certified Public Accountant’s Institute of the German Cultural Committee, as well as many other bodies that are relevant to the industry, in particular in Berlin and is regularly invited to hearings that are relevant to the industry by the German parliament.

The Federal Association is the initiator and main sponsor of the LEA – The German Live Entertainment Award. The prize, established in 2006, has been used to pay tribute to outstanding performance by companies in the concert and event busines during a gala event in Hamburg and from 2011 onwards in Frankfurt am Main. Alongside a yearly glamorous Gala Night at the Frankfurt Festival Hall, the PRG LEA simultaneously kicks off the Frankfurt Music Trade Fair and Prolight + Sound. The next event will take place on March 20, 2012.

Latest News

Fundamental changes to the GEMA tariffs for non-concert music events

GEMA has drastically reformed the tariffs for the events with live music or recorded music playback. The new tariff will come into force as of the 1st January 2013. In the future, the new U-V tariff will apply to events with live music, and the new M-V tariff for events with recorded music playbacks. The two new tariffs will replace the old U-VK, U, U-ST, U-WK, WR-VR-B1, U-T, VK, WR-N tariffs and the three M-U tariffs.

Read the bdv statement

TOP NEWS: bdv forms own Collecting Society for Neighbouring Rights of Promoters

Berlin, 7 November 2011. At their annual meeting today, the members of the German Federal Association of the Concert and Promotion Industry (Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft (bdv) resolved to form a copyright collecting society, a project many years in the making. The primary purpose of the society is to represent the economic interests of promoters in the reproduction, dissemination, and broadcasting of live recordings.

Read the press release.

bdv invites to a branch meeting at the Reeperbahn Festival

On the occasion of the Reeperbahn Festival 2011 the bdv invites to a branch meeting on September 22nd, 2011.
You have the oppertunity to network, refresh existing business relations, meet international representatives of the music and event business as well as international music export agencies.

Networking Session "Meet the Promoters"
Thursday, September 22nd 2011, 4pm - 4.30pm, Reeperbahn Campus Lounge

Attorney At Law Jens Michow reports on German Artist Social Security System

If you never understood Germanies cost factor artist social security so far, you got to read this! In an easily understandable article Lawyer and bdv-President Michow explains all the details.

THE GERMAN SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM FOR SELF-EMPLOYED ARTISTS (pdf)

PRG LEA 2011: A glamorous gala evening with Anne-Sophie von Otter, Michael Bolton, Helene Fischer, Klaus Doldinger und Juli

An abundance of celebrities attended the Frankfurt Live Music Award

The PRG LEA German Live Entertainment Award on 5 April in Frankfurt Festival Hall boasted a host of top acts on stage and an abundance of celebrities on the red carpet and in the audience. Legendary bandleader James Last was the surprise guest while global superstar Michael Bolton, German country and folk icon Helene Fischer, pop sensations Juli and the world-famous mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter ensured the evening hosted by TV entertainer and musician Götz Alsmann was a show business highlight of the year. A spectacular light and video show by market leader PRG also showcased the stunning standard of state-of-the-art event technology. As part of the gala award ceremony Frankfurt‘s mayor Petra Roth also inaugurated the Musikmesse 2011 and the event technology show Prolight+Sound, which get underway on 6 April.

Final news Release PRG LEA 2011, April 5th, 2011

Lieberberg „promotes“ LEA, April 11th, 2011

Event organisers and GEMA come to an agreement

The Federal German Association for the Promoters and Event Business (bdv) and the German Association of Concert Directors (VDKD) agreed after intensive negotiations with GEMA on open issues from the arbitration decision of the German Patent and Brand Office (DPMA) of 2009. The focus was on the view of the arbitration office that sponsoring and advertising revenues represent a cash value benefit to a share of which the authors also should be entitled.

Press Release: Event organisers and GEMA come to an agreement

Artists Social Insurance Fund (KSK) Compensation Association Considered a Success for the German Federal Association

More than 85 companies are settling their contributions to the Artists Social Insurance Fund (KSK) through the bdv-Compensation Association (AV), which was founded in 2009 by the German Federal Association for the Concert and Event Business. The Compensation Association, which is based on section 32 of the law pertaining to social insurance for independent artists and publicists (KSVG), grants members the right to apply their contributions in a manner that differs from the law's general guidelines.