The Classical Music Industry in the US and Germany - A Comparison
German American Chamber of Commerce - Colorado Chapter
Connecting Colorado and Germany
A take on the classical music industry by Adam Piotr Żukiewicz, an award-winning, internationally acclaimed concert pianist, educator, and entrepreneur, who currently serves as an Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Northern Colorado. He is also a Founder and an Artistic Director of the Beethoven in the Rockies: Concert Series.
“Music is what tells us that the human race is greater than we realize.” Napoleon Bonaparte
In my time as a student and professor of piano in the USA, I have been very fortunate to be involved in many musical projects in Germany. These experiences allowed me to develop an understanding of how differently classical music industry functions in Germany and the United States. Starting from the education systems all the way to the professional life, students and professionals in both countries are faced with different challenges and opportunities to fulfill their careers.
It seems to me that there is one fundamental difference in approach to classical music that affects all other aspects of classical music industry: an ownership of the music as an expression of our collective human experience. It may seem an obvious fact, however, when considered profoundly, carries serious consequences across all spectrums of society.
Societies that embrace the ownership of the music take responsibility for it through creation of systems of support: from educational to professional levels, keeping in mind the long-term effects on their citizens: intellectual, spiritual, and emotional health and progress.
Through multiple scientific studies, it has been widely acknowledged that the very act of learning musical instrument supports development of key areas of the brain and body, from creativity to motoric coordination. The benefits of musical education are just far to great to ignore in a society that puts increasingly more pressure on current and future generations to develop early and have an edge over their respective peers.
One could assume that it is in the best interest of any society to include a robust musical education component into their existing educational models and policy, however, this is something that I have come to realize differs greatly between Germany and USA. In Germany there exist multiple different types of musical education within the general education system, and, in addition to this, there exist specialized music schools in many regional towns, which are fairly similar in their curriculum, ensuring that the level of musical training is fairly common regardless of the school’s location.
In stark contrast, the USA presents a very decentralized and unregulated model of musical training, which differs greatly from state to state, and from one school district to the next. We may find ourselves living in Denver, where the school district offers wide range of musical programs that are well managed by highly specialized faculty, or we may find ourselves living in a remote community, where access to musical education will be limited to a school band with practically one teacher teaching all instruments and conducting this very band.
When it comes to higher education, the contrast between the two countries becomes less significant. Higher Ed is the pride of America and for a good reason: with over 300 music programs across the country, students have a vast variety of choices in terms of location as well as degrees, which contrasts highly with a more traditional, specialized model of conservatory-style training present in most European countries, including Germany. Students in the USA have more options to tailor studies to their desired career path, which is a tremendous advantage, as understanding the contrast between the need for a well-established conservative methods of musical education and an open-minded, entrepreneurial mindset of career building for modern musicians (regardless of musical genre) is not something a conservatory model of education can necessarily succeed in.
Once the students succeed in their studies and enter the professional market, they are facing a new set of challenges, mostly finding opportunities for professional growth in the areas of performance and teaching.
At this point we can see a very dramatic contrast between the systems of support for professional musicians and organizations in Germany and the USA. The most significant difference between the two is the economic setup of the music industries. In the USA, in order to qualify for preferential tax policy, most of musical institutions need to be set up as non-profits, yet are compelled to function as for-profits, constantly struggling to find funding with limited state and federal resources. E.g. the 2022 federal budget for The National Endowment for the Arts (main federal body supporting all the arts) – is mere 201 million USD, less than $1 per US resident. This situation puts all the musical enterprises at a disadvantage, as they cannot count on any steady financial support from the tax-payers.
This situation has been discussed thoroughly by the experts of the industry and highlights the flawed expectation of the classical music industry as essentially an entertainment industry rather than a cultural one. The difference is significant, mostly due to the fact that the entertainment industry does not leave much room for experimentation, intellectual stimuli, avant garde performances, etc., as it will likely not generate significant profit in relation to the production and marketing costs. Another grave consequence of this economic set up is the gradually diminishing space for promotion of new talents, who, again, initially do not generate sizeable profits for presenters, and, therefore, are unattractive regardless of their quality.
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In comparison, Germany’s music industry is generously supported by the public sector. In 2019, over €3 billion (approx. $3.5 billion) of public money (state and federal) were dedicated to supporting live music alone. That amounts to approx. $41 of public money spent in the music industry per resident of Germany. We should also remember that, in addition to public funding, music industry, including classical music industry, is supported by multiple representatives of the private sector as well.
This set up of significant public and private support allows music organizations to thrive and maintain a very high level of creative engagement.
Given these circumstances, one can notice how different the life of musicians and musical organizations in both countries can be. It does seem that it is somewhat easier to secure a more financial support for the musical projects and opportunities in Germany, as the country’s set up for support of arts organizations is heavily involved in that process, however it may not necessarily be so. In order to secure the funding one needs to go through a rather intense application process with multiple layers of materials and reviews, which can be challenging for a typical musician (most educational institutions do not offer courses on grant writing etc.). In contrast, in the USA the surest way of securing funding is through private sector’s engagements or personal connections with munificent individuals. This presents an entirely different set of challenges one needs to master in order to build or maintain any successful classical music endeavor. Although the goal is to become profitable and sufficient, which has been possible in some cases (usually when the facility rental costs are low or non-existent), this is the most challenging aspect of the projects in the US in recent years, as most performing arts organizations need to focus not only on creating and promoting performances, but, in addition, on multiple educational and outreach activities to fill in gaps in the school’s artistic curricula and to build their audiences. This requires considerable resources that often stretch these organizations to their limits, and, as the difficult choices of prioritizing must take place, it is becoming increasingly challenging to not only fulfill their mission, but also to attract competent workforce willing to stay in the field.
Within these challenges, however, lies an opportunity. I think many state and federal agencies in the US could learn plenty from their counterparts in Germany, especially in finding efficient ways of supporting musical projects, as well as finding effective ways of advocating for the presence and importance of music in the education system as well as mainstream media. I also believe that the musicians in Germany can learn something from the successful musical entrepreneurs in the USA, especially in finding new and effective ways of communicating and engaging with their communities and business sector. These skills are particularly prominent among the orchestral directors (conductors), whose work incorporates all aspects of creative, managerial, and executive processes.
In conclusion, I believe that Germany’s stark cultural and historical connection with the classical music is such a distinct part of the German identity, that it is difficult to imagine at this point a place in any part of Germany, where there is no live classical music present in people’s lives. It is as strong as the certainty of the Superbowl happening every spring. In the US this used to be the case 50 years ago too, however, somewhere along the line of the end of cold world and changing of cultural preferences, the support for classical music has gradually shifted away. This is partly due to the nature of the music itself (beyond the presentation, there is not much room for innovation with the art created 100 or more years ago), and partly due to the performers (the aura of quasi religious seriousness associated with classical music failed to evolve with times). As audiences want to be more entertained and engaged, the responsibility on musicians has also shifted to entertain and educate rather than simply present. It can be accomplished successfully, bringing much joy and enrichment to the audiences and performers alike, and deserves to be adequately supported by both private and public sectors.
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