The Neue Deutsche Welle Rises

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The Neue Deutsche Welle Rises

German pop and rock music is suddenly making a comeback -- thanks to good bands and

better media coverage. The industry hasn't been this excited since a girl named Nena sang

about 99 red balloons more than 20 years ago.

Wir Sind Helden

lead singer Judith

Holofernes

Were it not for the

German-speaking

DJs and ads, there

would be nothing to

distinguish German

radio of the past

few years with stations in Britain and America.

The playlists read like they were copied from the US Billboard top 20 charts, the main

artists, world stars like Puff Daddy and Christina Aguilera. Then a Berlin rock band with

a female vocalist and the modest name "Wir Sind Helden" -- we are heroes -- exploded

onto the scene last summer, riding to the top of the German charts and selling a

stupendous 500,000 records. Suddenly, rock auf Deutsch was all the rage -- again."They opened the gate," said Hannes Ross, pop music critic at Stern, the magazine with

the largest circulation in Germany. "All of a sudden the record companies were waiting in

line, wondering, 'Why don't we have a band like that under contract? We also need a

German band'!"

Since then, German bands have stormed the charts. A combination of weariness with the

mainstream pop piped in from America and songs that promoters and radio programmers

say are more intelligent and polished than in the past has led to a flood of media coverage

-- and improved sales.German music steps up

Though illegal downloads and stingy German consumers still meant music sales in 2004

were down 3 percent from 2003, the figure was a far cry from the 20 percent decrease in

sales between 2002 and 2003, according to the German office of the International

Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).


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German music "had a big part in that" turnaround, said Hartmut Spiesecke, spokesman

for IFPI Germany. Bands like Silbermond (photo), from the eastern German town of

Bautzen, and Juli, from the city of Giessen, near Frankfurt, have sold hundreds of

thousands of albums.

"Silbermond" from

the East German

town of Bautzen

(left to right):

Thomas Stolle (20,

guitar), Stefanie

Kloss (19, vocals),

Andreas Nowak

(21, drums) and

Johannes Stolle (21,

bass)

Releases by German bands made up 30.3 percent of the albums on the charts in 2004, the

highest percentage ever, said Spiesecke. Singles by German artists made up more than

half of the singles on the charts, the second-highest in history.

"It is really amazing," said Aditya Sharma, director of programming at the Berlin radio

station Fritz. "What the bands have done is make people believe that the German

language and pop music are compatible."

Deutsch suddenly cool again

Fritz's young listeners by and large rejected German music in the past, said Sharma. The

reason: music in English sounded, well, cooler. Then came Wir Sind Helden, whose

Eva Briegel, lead

singer of the band

Juli which, like

other popular

German bands atthe moment,

features a female

lead vocalist and a

bunch of guys

playing back up


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debut album, "Die Reklamation," or "the claim," packed lyrics about being young in an

economically-downtrodden Germany with an upbeat mix of guitar and electronic sound.

Ross said the band "hit a nerve" among students and other young people.

Alternative radio stations in Germany, like Sharma's, began playing WSH's music in

2004. Before long, the band had cobbled together 1,000 euros ($1,300) to produce a

video that got regular airtime on MTV.

"They came from the underground, and if the lyrics are good and people connect to it,

why shouldn't they be successful?" said Matthias Reimann, whose company was the first

to heavily promote Wir Sind Helden, sending a representative to radio stations across

Germany with a small bundle of CDs.

Juli and Silbermond followed with double plantinum albums of their own. For all the

hype, Germany's pop phenomenon isn't expected to jump the Atlantic, as British and

French pop songs sometimes have, finding success in the US.

National, but not international, success

"The competition (in the international pop scene) is too tough," said Reimann.

"Especially the pop music that comes out of America. It's much more polished, and the

quality is higher."

Retaining supremacy in the national music market is more likely. The test will come in

the next few months, when bands like Wir Sind Helden and Silbermond release their

second albums. But things are looking good.

Industry insiders said there hasn't been this much hype surrounding German pop since a

teenager named Nena sang about 99 red balloons in 1984.

"The last time things were this big was the Neue Deutsche Welle, 20 years ago," said

Sharma, referring to the string of German bands that made names for themselves

internationally in the mid-1980s. "And the bands nowadays -- at least their lyrics -- are

much better."

DW.DE

German Radio Quota Debate Goes Live


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THE CAPITAL OF POP

1 MP3 Inventor Wants a Chat with His Stereo

2 Can Berlin Save German Pop?

3 Netting the Big Fish

4 German Radio Quota Debate Goes Live

One of the most debated topics at the Popkomm music industry conference in Berlin this

week is that of a German radio quota as a means to promote German language music and

artists.

Are Britney and Co.

the scourge of the

German music

industry?

France has had a

law for a decade to

keep pop radio in

the hands of French

musicians; stations

have to play at least

40 percent music by artists in the country. Germany's now considering the same thing,

placing a quota on how much foreign music radio stations can play.

It's one of the great debates at Popkomm, the music industry fair in Berlin which started

Wednesday. The fear is that Anglo-American music, which has long drowned out Germanmusic on the airwaves, has caused irrevocable damage.

Music industry officials estimate that only 10 percent of German radio's play lists is sung

in German, falling way short of France, Italy and Spain's 50 percent native language

ratio. That's why a chorus of music industry leaders have gone to the German parliament

to sing the praises of a law, like France's, which would make sure their sound keeps

getting pumped around the nation. However, the government is cautious.

Cultural minister Christina Weiss was reluctant to say whether it's a good idea. She said

it's important to have a debate about a German music radio quota, and she hopes that thedebate will lead the government to a clear agreement with public radio stations.

Radio responsibility

But the public stations, naturally, don't want to be told what to do. The head of Bavarian

public radio, Johannes Grotzky, reportedly denied it's the state's job to support feeble

branches of the economy. Germany has one of the world's five biggest music markets.
http://www.dw.de/the-capital-of-pop/a-1344012http://www.dw.de/mp3-inventor-wants-a-chat-with-his-stereo/a-1340557http://www.dw.de/can-berlin-save-german-pop/a-1341941http://www.dw.de/netting-the-big-fish/a-1343673http://www.dw.de/german-radio-quota-debate-goes-live/a-1343529http://www.dw.de/the-capital-of-pop/a-1344012http://www.dw.de/mp3-inventor-wants-a-chat-with-his-stereo/a-1340557http://www.dw.de/can-berlin-save-german-pop/a-1341941http://www.dw.de/netting-the-big-fish/a-1343673http://www.dw.de/german-radio-quota-debate-goes-live/a-1343529


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But its industry has suffered a downturn since 1997, with turnover dropping 40 percent.

Only 55 percent of the country's best-selling artists are German.

"It is often said that whoever makes good music will get on the radio, but that is just not

true," said Bjrn Akstinat, president of the German music export office during a seminar

at Popkomm. And Micha Rhein of German band In Extremo told reporters: "Our record

was at number three in the charts for weeks but our promoters had to fight to get the song

played on the radio -- it's a cheek."

Konrad Kuhnt, chief editor at Berlin-based Radio Fritz, said his station could only

succeed if it chose the best music. "It is not true that we wouldn't play the music. We wish

we had the material to present to our listeners when they say they want more."

Tim Renner, former

head of Germany's

Universal Music

division

Tim Renner from

record label Motor

Music and former

head of Universal

Germany backs the

idea of supporting

local acts, but is leery of a legally mandated quota. "I get mixed feelings when I hear the

word quota," Renner told DW-WORLD. "They'll tell you there's not enough good stuff

out there. That's not true. They need to promote the cultural diversity, but any quota will

mean they've failed to find a radio concept."

Artists protest

Over 500 artists signed a plea against what they dubbed "scandalous under-

representation" of German-speaking artists in a radio format carved out of "the Anglo-

American mainstream and the usual oldies." Supporting them was Jacques Toubon,

former French culture minister, brainchild of France's quota.He told the parliamentary committee that thanks to his law, French music sales have

picked up and new French artists are no longer trees falling in the forest that nobody

hears. Record industry executives from all around the world warned a quota wasn't a

cure-all -- especially those from non-English speaking countries.

The head of a Danish record label was quoted as saying the law would make it that much


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harder for music from Denmark -- which isn't exactly breaking through the charts right

now -- to sell in Germany.

German pop music, unlike French and Spanish, has always had trouble selling abroad. If

Germans don't buy it, it might never be made. There's no spiral effect, where more sales

means more money and thus higher quality music. Supporters of a quota want to set that

spiral in motionDW.DE

Chinese Tourists in Germany: Castles and the Autobahn

Since this February, Chinese tourist groups have been allowed to travel to Germany. The

German tourist industry has been making the most of the new rules, offering both

romantic castles and the speed of the Autobahn.

The number of

Chinese tourists

visiting Germany is

on the rise.

Seductiveadvertising

campaigns,

depicting glossy

images of Teutonic

castles nestled in

the foothills of the Alps, are designed to lure the new Chinese tourists to "Romantic"

Germany. And with the German tourist board expecting some 600,000 overnight stays by

Chinese in this year alone, the campaigns are evidently having the desired effect.With such a massive growth market, China has become a breeding ground for big

German tourism companies to launch Chinese ventures, such as the newly founded joint

venture TUI China.

With the Chinese economy booming, and an increasing number of citizens actually able

to afford a trip to Europe, Germany looks set to profit. Guido Brettschneider of TUI


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China said current statistics show that as many as 85 million Chinese citizens more than

the entire population of Germany can now afford to travel abroad. "They are usually

young people, between 25 and 40 years old. Europe is a very important destination for

them, and we believe the number of guests will continue to rise in the future,"

Brettschneider told Deutsche Welle.

Getting their money's worth

For a week in Germany, Chinese tourists are generally looking at a sum of at least 1,000

($1,170). That's a lot of money by Chinese standards, which is why they want to be sure

they are getting their money's worth. For many Chinese visitors, that means doing more

than simply seeing a few castles. One absolutely must-do activity on a standard trip to

Germany is factory outlet shopping in southern Germany. But even that doesn't satisfy all

the whims of these new tourists.

"The Chinese love cars, they love to travel as fast as possible, they love modern

technology," said Brettschneider, adding the Chinese love the idea of the unrestricted

speed limits on Germany's famousAutobahn.

TUI is planning to

make the most of

this passion for

speed and modern

technology, and

from next year they

will offer their

tourists the chance

to zip along the

highways for themselves. It's clever seduction for visitors who are used to stubborn inner-

city traffic jams and highway tolls and strict speed limits.

Only the best will do

Autobahn aside, the Chinese tourists expect the best when they shell out to come to

Germany, and by and large they are not disappointed. They are put up in excellent hotels

and chauffered around in state-of-the-art buses, but Brettschneider is quick to point out

that Chinese tourists don't want to be overwhelmed with the unknown and the unfamiliar


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when they journey west.

"They generally want to eat Chinese food, and they have particular demands when it

comes to hotel rooms. They expect to find such things as a kettle", he said. German

hoteliers have some adapting to do to cater for their new guests, but Brettschneider

believes they will rise to the challenge because it is quite clearly a massive growth market

for them.

A growing trend

At the moment Chinese citizens are not allowed to travel to Europe alone unless they

have a personal invitation and are granted a visa from Germany. Germany is the first

large European country to which groups of Chinese tourists are allowed to travel to. But

that is set to change next year, when a whole host of other European Union nations will

open their borders to groups of Chinese tourists.

And although that could take the emphasis off Germany as the eager tourists head off to

see the sights of other continental countries, most in Germanys tourist industry are

confident there are enough Chinese tourists to go around for everyone.DW.DE

A German Hip Hopper's Hallelujah in Israel

A high-octane performance by messianic pop star Xavier Naidoo and his band Die Shne

Mannheims in Tel Aviv served as a rousing testament to the rise of religion in German

pop.

Xavier Naidoo

thanks God for the

music

It's not often that

the Tel Aviv opera

house attracts this

kind of audience.

But when German

band "Die Shne

Mannheims" took to the stage this week as part of the 2005 celebrations marking forty

years of Israeli-German diplomatic relations, the grandiose building reverberated with the


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enthusiastic shouts of thousands of young fans who've probably never even heard of

Verdi.

"Who's from Tel Aviv?" yelled frontman Xavier Naidoo in English. Half the audience's

hands went up. He gave it another go. "Who's from Germany?" This time, there were

cheers from every corner. The crowd was made up primarily of Israeli kids who have

lived in Germany, and young German Jews who have emigrated to Israel. And they all

loved the show.

Make some "noiz"

Obviously, a concert by one of Germany's most popular bands is a rare occurrence in

Israel, but the fact that the band feels a deep affinity with the country is even more

unusual. The band even named their debut album, which was released in 2000 and sold

over one million copies, "Zion," following it up with another named "Noiz" -- Zion spelt

backwards.

"Our faith means a lot to us," said band member Michael Herberger. "And it's a great

honor to appear in the Holy Land. As devout Christians, we have a very close bond with

Israel."

The band kicked off the show with a revamped version of the ancient Hebrew prayer

"Adon Olam," which brought down the house. Singing in Hebrew was obviously an

inspired move.

"It wasn't so difficult," Naidoo was quoted in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"Hebrew isn't so different to German -- a lot of the vowels sounds are similar."

Not many performers would have braved a trip to Israel given the volatile political

situation. But Naidoo isn't just any old pop star.

"I wasn't scared," said Naidoo, whose roots are South African and Indian. "I was before I

got here, because I'm influenced by all the media images. But I have friends who live

here, so I saw how they deal with it all -- and basically they live the same way we do, just

with a different consciousness."

Religious rock

It's a right-on

approach that's

typical of Naidoo.

He might be one of

Germany's best-


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selling recording artists, but you're more likely to catch him brushing up on bible studies

than trashing hotel rooms. He even likes his Christian name to be pronounced to rhyme

with "savior."

His success means he gets to rub shoulders with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Enrique

Iglesias, but Naidoo is still something of an anomaly in the glossy world of bubblegum

pop. Even though hits such as "Ich kenne nichts," (I know nothing), co-written with

WuTang Clan frontman RZA, ensure he's a regular fixture at the top of the German

charts, he's always eschewed the standard trappings of the successful pop star.

But what really sets his blend of R&B-influenced soul apart from other radio-friendly

rock offerings is that it's steeped in Christian fervor -- a far less common phenomenon in

Germany's music industry than in the US, where no self-respecting hip hopper would

dream of accepting an award without profusely thanking God.

Naidoo's music is shot through with a missionary zeal that's impossible to overlook, with

lyrics that draw heavily on fiery Old Testament imagery. Moreover, he refuses to

succumb to record company pressure and write in English -- a stance that put him in the

vanguard of the recent movement calling for a radio quota for German musicians.

A new social and religious conscience

Although he's

best-known for his

solo career, his

bands "Die Shne

Mannheims" as

well as "Brother's

Keepers" also

command a loyal following, and have put their high profile to good use with regular

appearances in anti-fascist campaigns. These musical collectives are cultural melting

pots, with members proud of their various ethnic Jamaican, Zimbabwean and Ethiopian

roots, to name but a few. Their musical style is equally diverse, merging rap, soul andR&B -- and sung, of course, in German.

Their success has helped spawn a new generation of artistes who wear their faith on their

sleeve, including the cherubic looking pop star Ben (whose first big hit was called

"Engel," or ""Angel"), one of this year's candidates for the German knock-out round of

the Eurovision Song Contest, "Beatbetrieb," whose entry was called "Woran Glaubst


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Du?" or "What do you believe in?," Frankfurt-based band "Glashaus" and dancehall

reggae act "Gentleman" from Cologne.

But there's nothing

reactionary about

this new brand of

contemporary

Christian rock.

Despite their

evangelical

message, these

young musicians

are firmly anti the religious establishment. So don't worry -- rock's not quite dead.

DW.DE

Germany Rediscovers Religion

Some 400,000 people flocked to the city of Hanover Wednesday for the opening of the

30th annual German Protestant Convention -- a record number that reflects a renewed

national interest in religious values.

"It's good to have

answers," reads the

wing on the

convention poster

Despite the current

turmoil in Berlin

with the upcoming

early elections,

many of the

country's leading

politicians are present at the meeting, including Chancellor Schrder, SPD Chairman

Franz Mntefering and opposition leader Angela Merkel -- all acutely aware that every


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public appearance now has immediate repercussions for the campaign.

Featuring over 2,500 talks on topics ranging from globalization and social equality to

spirituality and faith, this year's convention has made it its mission to blaze a trail for

values designed to kick-start change in Germany.

Countering "depression and pessimism"

"The Protestant Church is

based on values with a

future," said the bishop of

Hanover, Margot

Kssmann. "Schrder,

(President Horst) Khler

and Merkel have one

thing in common - they

are all Protestant. (The

convention) gives them a

platform to discuss the

best way forward for our

country."

At the opening ceremony, Khler said the event could help Germans gather strength for

the social changes headed their way, while Convention President Eckardt Nagel proposed

the event "take a stand against society's current depression and pessimism."

Born again?

The Protestant

Kirchentag takes

place in Hanover

from May 25 - May

29, 2005 . It's

theme is "Whenyour child, asks, in

time to come...".

One of the most

striking aspects of

this year's gathering is the large number of young participants. They said they're here to


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meet people and enjoy the convention's various side events.

The increased presence of the younger generation at this year's Protestant Convention

could be part of a wider trend. Recently, the Church has observed an upsurge in religious

fervor across society, most notably in the eastern states, where religion took a back seat

during communist times.

"We've noticed that a certain religious inclination is finding far greater expression these

days than in previous years," said Heike Krohn from the Berlin and Brandenburg

Lutheran Church in an interview with the Berliner Morgenpost daily.

"There's been a conspicuous rise in interest," she said, pointing out that the Church has

been welcoming a surprising number of new members.

What Christianity really means

But even more people are leaving it. In 2003, some 1,424 people joined the Church,

compared to 11,232 who turned their back on it. Even so, the situation's not as bad as it

looks. 11 years previously, 43,508 people became lapsed Christians.

The Catholic

Church is

witnessing a similar

trend. In the years

following the fall of

the Berlin wall, it

saw the number of

Church-leavers fall

from 14,500 in

1990 to 3000 in 2002.

"A lot of religious communities are asking themselves what Christianity really means,"

Stefan Frner, spokesman with the Berlin Archbishopric, told the Morgenpost. One

factor, he said, is the recent appointment of Pope Benedict XVI. "There was a rise of re-

entries and conversions in the period just before and after his election."

DW.DE

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