Music - Trautmann: Music lessons cannot be compensated for
The classical music industry sees itself as a building block in bringing young people closer to cultural worlds. "Even as a market-leading label, we cannot, of course, compensate for thousands and thousands of missed music lessons in schools," said Clemens Trautmann, Head of Label at Deutsche Grammophon, to the German Press Agency in Berlin. "But what we are already doing quite well is that we are very successful with our young generation of artists on short-form video platforms such as YouTube Shorts."
The classical music label goes back to Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft, which was founded 125 years ago on December 6, 1898 in Hanover. Since 1998, the company has been part of the Universal Music Group, which has been based in Berlin since 2002.
From Trautmann's point of view, it is not just a piano session by Lang Lang or the flash mob version of Jonathan Tetelman's "Nessun Dorma" that attracts listeners online. "Conducting legends such as (Claudio) Abbado and (Leonard) Bernstein are also trending there with seven- or eight-figure hits." For broader target groups, the collaboration with Hollywood helps, for example with "Maestro" by Bradley Cooper or "Tar" with Cate Blanchett.
Icons of the genre such as Anne-Sophie Mutter and Daniel Barenboim are still very important. "But especially in streaming, we are seeing that people are more willing than ever to get to know new things, i.e. new performers and new composers," said Trautmann. Audio streaming is virtually barrier-free and classical music is just as easy to discover as any other genre.
In the label boss's view, classical music is effective in hectic times. "Our art form represents a lot of what people need today: Quiet and contemplation in what is nevertheless a very loud, noisy world, the ability to perceive in a differentiated way, to listen," he said. "The genre is characterized by a global and increasingly diverse community of artists, it stands for lived international understanding without significant geographical and political borders."
The label is celebrating its founding 125 years ago with several concerts. In Berlin this Wednesday, the Konzerthausorchester will perform under its new chief conductor Joana Mallwitz. A concert with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra is scheduled for Saturday in Philadelphia. In addition, Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson will present his version of Bach's Goldberg Variations in Seoul on December 15.
Deutsche Grammophon on the label's history
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- Despite its success on short-form video platforms like YouTube Shorts, the music industry in Germany, led by Deutsche Grammophon, acknowledges that they can't compensate for missed music lessons in schools.
- Clemens Trautmann, Head of Label at Deutsche Grammophon, shared these views with the German Press Agency in Berlin.
- Deutsche Grammophon, a classical music label with a rich history, was founded in Hanover back in 1898 and became part of the Universal Music Group based in Berlin since 2002.
- Trautmann noted that classic music is trending on YouTube Shorts, not just popular pieces, but also conductors like Abbado and Bernstein with high view counts.
- Collaborations with Hollywood, such as "Maestro" by Bradley Cooper and "Tar" with Cate Blanchett, help attract broader audiences to classical music on platforms like YouTube.
- In Trautmann's opinion, streaming platforms make classical music easier to discover and audiences are more open to exploring new performers and composers.
- According to Trautmann, classical music offers solace in today's hectic world and represents a universal language with a diverse international community of artists, transcending geographical and political boundaries.
Source: www.stern.de
