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Leading the the discussion is: Łukasz Polowczyk, artist, poet, and educator specializing in guiding creatives toward authentic storytelling and self-expression and Melissa Perales is a key figure in Berlin’s vibrant music scene. As a concert promoter, curator, and consultant, she has spent years supporting artists and building creative communities. Melissa is a long-standing advocate for sustainability and inclusivity in the arts. Her experience as a mentor and connector makes her the ideal guide for this vital conversation.

LIVING ARTFULLY

What if life was your main composition—and music its document?

We invite you to join another round of our informal think tank, where we’ll explore the idea that our greatest commitment as musicians is to challenge ourselves to live inspired lives. To step outside the studio and immerse ourselves in the world—whether through travel, collaborating with people from outside the music industry—chefs, scientists, farmers, architects—or engaging in rituals and processes that help us discover more about ourselves and the world around us.

Because great art isn’t just about unlocking emotional landscapes for others—it’s about offering access to new, lived experiences and the potential to see the world in different ways. During our time together, we’ll discuss how approaching music-making with this mindset could recalibrate the cultural metrics of success. We’ll explore how this approach might lead to the creation of new pathways for music distribution and the building of communities outside the exploitative models of tech-driven platforms.

Could it be that blending niche music with other niche experiences—like bespoke perfume-making or farm-to-table food culture—might help us create a more integrated, specific, and sustainable community?

Limited space.

To capture the attention of record labels amid their limited time, it's crucial to make your music stand out. Join us for a professional evaluation of your 3 songs demo to ensure it leaves a lasting impression on label A&R.

Constructive feedback will help refine your tracks and showcase your dedication and potential for success.

Maximize your opportunities by presenting a polished demo and pave the way for a thriving music career.

This will be a group session with max. 6 people.

Please send your Songs via mail beforehand, preferably as a link or bring songs on a usb drive along.

For our spring Artist Meetup, we look forward to collaborate with Weisse Rose in Schöneberg. Weisse Rose is a concert venue and a space for youth culture. Many artists in Berlin's music communities take their first steps in music here, recording or playing on stage. With our community programme moving through different clubs and districts over the years, this is also our first evening in the Schöneberg neighbourhood.

The Music Pool Berlin Artist Meetup is a regular meeting place for musicians in Berlin, to meet and network across scenes and genres, exchange, and maybe find new collaborations and eventually also build solidary connections. Eight short concerts of usually a wide spectrum of sounds and music make up the stage programme, and musicians can apply for one of the slots.

On stage, each musician or band has 10 minutes to play 2 songs or tracks live, with a basic setup. It also possible to show music videos or talk about a project. Please do use the stage also to mention what you are currently looking for (your future drummer may be in the audience) or ask for feedback. After the stage programme, there will be space and time to talk and meet. To chat more about the presentations, to discuss potential collaborations, to exchange ideas and contacts. And to move better together than alone. There will be ways also for those not performing on stage to present what you are looking for or offering. We look forward to another meetup of exchange - between scenes, different interests and experiences, and on new joint pathways.

If you would like to apply for one of the concert/presentation slots, please email to artistmeetup@musicpoolberlin.net, with a link to your music and some info on why you would like to present, by 9 April 2025.

The Artist Meetup is a good opportunity to see a great show on stage with music across different genres, to meet and get to know fellow artists across scenes, and find new collaborations.

Join us also if you´re not presenting.

Many musicians rely on social media when it comes to communication, promotion, and growing their audiences. On the few popular platforms they are dependent on the given business practices and at the mercy of intransparent algorithms and their changes. While this dependency on a very small number of private platforms as communication infrastructures has always been problematic, many musicians currently struggle more than ever with the question of how to organize their communication, now that the biggest social media companies have pledged their allegiance to the new US government.

Is social media a reliable tool for musicians’ means of communication? What alternatives are there? Can musicians leave the platforms, or will the reduced attention make them irrelevant? What’s a good long-term strategy? What are ideas for diversifying communication strategies in music? What are experiences with online communities, chat groups, newsletters, radios, press outreach, offline communication etc.?

We look forward to discussing ideas and experiences of communicating as an artist, and to having a clearer orientation afterwards around how to approach outreach and communication in this day and age.

This community evening is co-curated by Ivo Sloman via our open call.

Panelists:

Steffi von Kannemann (she) - is co-founder of the Berlin music agency Better Things, who has been running the PR and marketing campaigns for Rosalía, Caroline Polachek, Mø, Aurora, a.m. Additionally Steffi is working on diverse projects, connecting international music players with Germany. She is giving workshops and speaking at conferences. Steffi was also co-founder of Parenthood in Music, the first initiative in Germany to improve the working conditions for parents in the music industry.

Zoë Mc Pherson (they) - is a French/northern Irish artist, performer, sound designer, spatial sound shaper, DJ, curator, and founder of SFX label & interdisciplinary conspiracy. Mc Pherson has developed an arc of accomplished albums and EPs. Alongside their releases, Mc Pherson has performed live and DJ'd at a steady stream of esteemed events and venues across the world, from Berlin's CTM Festival to MUTEK Mexico, The Hague's Rewire to Novas Frequências in Rio de Janeiro. Mc Pherson's own node within the global information exchange is SFX, a multimedia platform they founded in 2020.

more speakers to be announced soon

Moderation & Co-Curation:

Ivo Sloman (he / they) - is a Berlin- and Hamburg-based musician with a background in different media fields. Ivo also builds instruments, virtual ones – e.g. for NI’s sampler Kontakt – and real ones, one of which has already been played at Elbphilharmonie. Having been part of different bands and projects over the years, nowadays, Ivo mainly performs and produces dreamy electronic music under the moniker Korora, currently finishing the debut EP.

DJ

Make Like A Tree (he) is a quintessence of travels expressed in music and visuals created by Sergey Onischenko – an artist from Ukraine who is touring around the world and spreading his indie-folk tunes with a touch of non-conformism and beat generation ideas. Soundscapes of Make Like A Tree will bring you to inner worlds of nature, woods, mountains, and songs of whales on the bottom of the ocean. Usually performing as a live act, for us, Make Like A Tree will play a selection from his sublime vinyl collection.

Venue

The venue is the Refuge Worldwide event space/office at Niemetzstr. 1 at Böhmischer Platz in Neukölln, NOT the radio station / Oona bar on Weserstr.

Schedule

doors 18:30

Start discussion 19:00

DJ Set 20:30

End 22:00

We have to end at 22:00 at Refuge. For those interested in more conversation, we can move to a nearby bar afterwards.

Limited space.

To capture the attention of record labels amid their limited time, it's crucial to make your music stand out. Join us for a professional evaluation of your 3 songs demo to ensure it leaves a lasting impression on label A&R.

Constructive feedback will help refine your tracks and showcase your dedication and potential for success.

Maximize your opportunities by presenting a polished demo and pave the way for a thriving music career.

This will be a group session with max. 6 people.

Please send your Songs via mail beforehand preferably as a link or bring songs on a usb drive along.

Expert: Julien Saumande