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The Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV) is the professional association of all branches and genres of the German concert and event industry as well as the service professions in the artist support field. It was founded in 2018 with effect from 1 January 2019. It was formed by the merger of the Association of the Event Industry (bdv), which had existed since 1985, and the Association of German Concert Promoters (VDKD), which had already been founded in 1946.
The BDKV’s approximately 450 member companies as well as the members of its affiliated International Association for Show and Entertainment Art (IFSU) (www.ifsu.de) represent, from an economical perspective, the most significant part of the national cultural and creative industries: At over 120 million tickets sold, the German concert and event industry has an annual turnover around 5 billion euro. → more on market data.
Numerous companies from events-related sectors support the association as sponsoring members.
The BDKV is continuously and comprehensively involved in optimizing the industry’s legal framework. It is represented through its Managing President on the Advisory Board of the Artists Social Security Fund and on the Supervisory Board of Initiative Musik. It is a member of the Live Entertainment Award Committee, the German Music Council the New Bach Society and the European Live Music Association (ELMA) .
The BDKV is the sole shareholder of the Society for the Management of Organizational Rights (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Veranstalterrechten GmbH – GWVR) ( www.gwvr.de ). As a collecting society, the GWVR exercises the organizer’s ancillary copyright according to Section 81 UrhG (German Copyright Act). It asserts claims for its members anywhere where event recordings, e.g. by publishing sound or video recordings, are used on radio, television, YouTube or Spotify. → more on the GWVR.
The BDKV, through the Live Entertainment Award VeranstaltungsGmbH, organizes the annual award ceremony for the German Live Entertainment Award LEA. Since the first prize-giving in 2006, the LEA has become one of the most important cultural awards. The award allows the event industry to honour not only the performing artists, but also the organizers, managers, agents and venue operators for the first time. → more on the LEA
The BDKV’s statutory objective is to promote its members professional interests and to represent these towards third parties, in particular authorities and politicians. Therefore, the association is particularly committed to optimising the industry’s legal framework. Above all, however, it sees itself as a broad-based service company that wants to benefit its members to the greatest extent possible. In this regard, we are aware that for many association members, the economic benefits, legal advice and further training opportunities especially are the main factor that binds them to the association.
An essential service provided by the BDKV is the education and further training of its members. In 2001, the predecessor association bdv initiated the restructured apprenticeship as an”event manager”. Between 1999-2001, the former BDKV’s Managing President, as Commissioner, worked intensively on the procedure to restructure the profession. In 2015, the bdv started the initiative “educate better!”, which the BDKV has continued. As a partner of the Hamburg Music Business Association, the BDKV organises the Live Entertainment Summer School, which has been taking place since 2017 (www.hamburgmediaschool.com )
The BDKV is the media’s point of contact for all questions concerning live entertainment. Thanks to its market surveys commissioned with the GfK consumer research association, since 1995, the bdv has been the only known source of statistical data on the significance of the concert and event market.
The association asserts the profession’s interests, including on the Advisory Board of the Artists Social Security Fund, as a collective agreement partner of GEMA, on the Supervisory Board of the Initiative Musik, in the European Live Music Association (ELMA) and through continuous contact with Parliament, ministries, politicians and delegates, and local authorities.
An essential service provided by the BDKV is its work in consulting, providing information, education and further training. The association’s judiciary is available to members free of charge for general legal advice for all subject-specific topics and questions. The association has drawn up a comprehensive standard contract, which is available for members to use free of charge.
Essential national legislation in EU member states is based on initiatives of the European Commission and decisions of the European Parliament. Associations that want to not just react but influence the legislation process must be present in Brussels. The BDKV fulfils this task through its co-founded European Live Music Association (ELMA).
Following the motto “together we are stronger”, the BDKV offers its members a wealth of economic benefits, including through the conclusion of various framework agreements with industry-related service providers.
