POPBOARD NRW PROJECT FOCUS
Pop is hustle and bustle, it just doesn’t stand still. And yet the PopBoard has taken on the task of representing pop in NRW. To do this, we must constantly determine what pop wants here and, above all, where and how. The various projects take care of that. If everyone just kept still, it would be easier, but then it wouldn’t be pop.
Status Quo: Pop in NRW
The PopBoard NRW’s first official act was a stocktake. Which structures are where? Who is the contact person for what? Where do we have enough and where is there something missing? All these questions affect rehearsal rooms, clubs, record distributors, music schools, etc. to the same degree. The results can be accessed using an interactive map and, for the first time, they provide an overview of pop in NRW. Up to this point, the job was easy. But now shortcomings must be eliminated, and that’s where the hard work begins.
DIGITALITY
If we have learned one thing from the Corona crisis, it is that digital structures make the difference. They can also level out the differences between town and country and mean independence. How can I rehearse online? How can I produce remotely? How can knowledge be processed even better digitally? How do I achieve better digital visibility? These are the core questions that we are working on and on which we want to build a digitally shaped future structure in NRW.
Mixmaster Pop
Pop is inherently colourful, but somehow even pop still has to learn how to achieve more diversity and inclusion. Self-image and reality don’t always match. Why is that? Which barriers do we still need to remove here? The PopBoard NRW wants to help pop be honest and live its open-mindedness consistently. Diversity must not simply be a fashionable topic but must be anchored sustainably, and the will to do so is there in NRW.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash
Straight Outta N.R.W.
NRW is the most populous state in Germany and is extremely diverse. It is totally logical that there is great dormant potential here and when it wakes up, it shouldn’t have to get on a train to be heard. Pop should be able to radiate directly from here and this means that we have to boost our export strategies. The PopBoard NRW is designed to be the link between smart minds and smart politics. The conditions have to be right so that everyone who wants to achieve great things feels comfortable in NRW.
Photo by Zachrie Friesen on Unsplash
Pop Support
Pop needs support and NRW already has a lot to offer in terms of state-wide or local funding. However, this is sometimes confusing and incomplete. And this is why the PopBoard will now, on the one hand, set up a funding advisory service and, on the other hand, would like to be responsible for identifying the gaps in the funding system and, as a pop lobby, convince decision makers to close them.
Come together
The PopBoard NRW emerged from the pop scene and the pop industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is still work in progress and it has not been an easy path up to this point. Pop is inherently individualistic, anti-authoritarian and very interested in its own freedom. We were created “bottom up” and that is why it is extremely important that the PopBoard remains in regular contact with all pop protagonists in NRW. We will make sure that happens.
Your Heartbeat Next To Mine
Networks are the foundation for sustainable structures in culture. They just need to know about each other and stay in constant communication. The PopBoard NRW stakeholders are already networks themselves and have joined forces. From here on, it is important that these networks function in the regions and are expanded into related arts and subject areas so that a vibrant system is created for NRW. The PopBoard is also on the case here.
Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash
