Who Pays for Live Music? Rethinking the Future of Berlin’s Cultural Infrastructure

Aziz Sarr, Katharin Ahrend, Anna Blaich (Mod.)

Berlin’s reputation as a music capital rests not only on its artists, but also on the places where music can be created, tested, and experienced. For decades, clubs, concert venues, and independent stages have formed the backbone of the city’s cultural infrastructure. Today, however, they face mounting economic pressure. Rising rents, increasing operating costs, and changing nightlife habits have made the question of how live culture can be funded more urgent than ever.

Moderator Anna Blaich, Katharin Ahrend, and Aziz Sarr discuss responsibility and new funding models, from live music funds and tourism levies to ticket surcharges and long-term cultural investment. Rather than searching for a single solution, the discussion asks a more fundamental question: what value does live music hold for society, and who is willing to sustain it over the long term?

Katharin Ahrend is a cultural manager and member of the executive board of Clubcommission Berlin. For many years, she has developed projects that bring together club culture, urban development, diversity, and cultural policy. Through initiatives such as the Awareness Academy, »Tag der Clubkultur«, and »United We Stream«, she works to strengthen clubs not only as nightlife venues, but as socially significant cultural institutions.

Aziz Sarr (aka DJ Wallizz) is one of the key figures in Berlin’s Afrohouse and Afrobeats scene. As a DJ, promoter, and co-operator of Club MAAYA, he combines international perspectives with deep roots in Berlin’s club culture. His work demonstrates that clubs today are far more than places to party – they are cultural meeting points, community spaces, and vital engines of urban music culture.

The discussion is moderated by Anna Blaich, whose work has long focused on the intersection of the music industry, cultural policy, and urban development. As Vice Chair of the Bundesstiftung LiveKultur, she is concerned with the structural conditions that shape cultural infrastructure. Her academic research explores pop music as a field where culture, economics, and politics converge – and where cultural policy increasingly determines the future of musical spaces.