Infrastructure of the German Music Business

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter explores the fledgling countercultural popular music industry in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s and summarises the economic conditions under which Krautrock developed. Compared to Britain and the United States, Germany was a disadvantaged place for popular music production. The chapter gives an overview of the places, events, and people that prepared the ground for independent popular music production away from the Schlager-focused major labels. The role of music journalist Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser in organising Krautrock’s founding event, the International Essen Song Days in 1968, and his three influential record companies Ohr, Pilz, and Kosmische Kuriere, is highlighted. Independent record labels like Kaiser’s and others such as Brain and Sky enabled musical experimentation and allowed a German avant-garde interpretation of rock music to thrive. The chapter outlines Krautrock’s reception on the international market, considering commercial successes (Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk) and failures (Faust). Independent record producers, most notably Conny Plank and Dieter Dierks, were indispensable for their creative contribution to many Krautrock records and as intermediaries between Krautrock artists and their record companies.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Cambridge Companion to Krautrock
EditorsUwe Schütte
PublisherCambridge University Press
Pages59-73
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)9781009036535
ISBN (Print)9781009005272
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Oct 2022

Publication series

NameCambridge Companions to Music
PublisherCambridge University Press

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