Organisations

Germany’s political and structural organisational form – with 16 independent federal states which often have their own legislation in many areas, one prime example being culture and the arts – entails that the support organisations are numerous.

The first address to learn more about jazz in Germany is the Jazzinstitut Darmstadt. The institution bridges scholarly and practical demands in order to support jazz music and the many people who keep it alive. The website www.jazzinstitut.de provides many types of information and services. Their aforementioned online database www.wegweiserjazz.de publishes not only German but also an abundance of international jazz listings which makes it one of the most valuable resources on jazz to be found on internet. (https://www.jazzinstitut.de/?lang=en). 

Goethe-Institut is a major player in exporting German culture and organising cultural exchange with the world (https://www.goethe.de/en/index.html). Many interesting articles and information on jazz in Germany are provided on the website of Goethe-Institut, the German institution for cultural exchange: https://www.goethe.de/en/kul/mus/gen/jaz/jah.html 

A general overview of the music scene in Germany with many jazz-related information can be found at MIZ (Deutsches Musikinformationszentrum) offering statistics and many useful resources: http://www.miz.org

Deutsche Jazzunion is the federal representation of jazz musicians, advocating for better funding and working conditions for professional jazz musicians in Germany and offering support in many areas to its members (http://www.deutsche-jazzunion.de/).

Bundeskonferenz Jazz aims at assembling players from all relevant areas pertaining to jazz in Germany (musicians’ and club associations, festivals, universities, labels, funding bodies, media, etc.) to act as a forum for exchange between these parties and as a contact body for politics and others. The association has started several important initiatives to promote jazz from Germany, e.g. the German Jazz Meeting; also they were essential in developing APPLAUS, the award for German concert organisers and venues (http://www.bk-jazz.de/).

There are several organisations representing the interests of jazz clubs and concert organisers in Germany, acting as mouthpiece for their interests and offering a range of services to its members among them Deutsche Jazzföderation (https://www.djf.de/) and, not only for jazz clubs but growing in influence in that area over the last few years, LIVEKOMM (https://www.livemusikkommission.de).

Landesmusikräte are umbrella organisations on the state level (Bundesländer). They are not predominantly geared towards professional music but still offer many support services (http://www.landesmusikrat.de/). 

Deutscher Musikrat is a federal umbrella organisation for all associations and matters music acts as advisor and competence centre for politics and civil society. (https://www.musikrat.de/language-content/english) It is member of Deutscher Kulturrat, a powerful lobby organisation for cultural matters (https://www.kulturrat.de/).

Allianz der Freien Künste is a coalition of federal associations (among them Deutsche Jazzunion) representing freelance artists and advocating for their rights and needs (https://allianz-der-freien-kuenste.de/).