After just over a year, the Redfield Podcast has already grown to 64 episodes, in which host Alexander Schröder was able to talk to well-known guests from the music industry and our creative network about their careers, but also about opportunities and challenges in the Corona crisis.
Here are the ten most listened to episodes of 2020:
10) THE ULTIMATE SPOTIFY EPISODE
R#40 with Manuel “Mantu” Overbeck, founder of 1st Strike.
With 1st Strike, Manuel Overbeck alias Mantu relies on data-driven marketing and promotional measures, especially on digital platforms such as Spotify. He started as a DJ and later became A&R at Universal Music before forming 1st Strike. In this episode, Mantu gives us his exciting opinions and forecasts on the importance of single releases, artist collaborations and digital marketing.
9) THE MERCHANDISER OF HEARTS
R#44 with Robert Kasel, co-founder of Nicebandnights
Whether as a booker for festivals like the Riez Open Air, organizer, merchandise manager or crew member of Jupiter Jones: Robert Kasel has been in the industry for 20 years and has seen and looked after everything from DIY bands to chart-toppers. In your Top 9 he tells Alexander Schröder in July 2020 about his job during the corona pandemic.
8) THE PUNK ROCK BRAND
R#19 with David Strempel, Managing Director of Coretex Records
David Strempel went from a fan to the managing director of one of the world's most famous record stores for punk and hardcore. Coretex is based in the heart of Berlin-Kreuzberg and is now known as an independent brand and label. In February 2020, David talks about different business models, the market position of record stores and modern communication channels for mail orders. In May, in episode #34, he also gave an update on the situation at the time.
7) FROM DIY TO PROFESSIONAL BOOKING
R#38 with Julia Gudzent, festival booker at Goodlive Artists
Anyone who starts organizing concerts at the age of 15 and lets bands take on tour management will, without surprise, end up in the live music industry. Born in Bavaria, Julia Gudzent is a booker for Goodlive Artists and looks after festivals such as Melt, Splash and the German Lollapalooza. In May 2020 she told Alexander Schröder about the harsh consequences of the corona pandemic and the associated effort to postpone all of these festivals and their lineups. But she also sheds light on the start of her career with all sorts of aha moments for our listeners.
6) THE BAND SEQUENCE
R#18 with Sebastian Hafner from the band ITCHY
It is not often that Alexander Schröder invites an artist as a guest. An exception was Sebastian “Sibbi” Hafner from ITCHY, formerly Itchy Poopzkid. He talks about his band's most important promotional and social media channels, the self-managed label and how the band was able to have such a long and successful career without a major label, which has so far even culminated in a high placement in the German charts and what it's like, changing an established band name. For you, the exciting conversation was number 6 of all episodes in 2020.
5) MERCHANDISE & BRANDING
R#30 with Martin Böttcher, CEO and founder of Impericon
In 2004, Martin Böttcher founded a merchandise company in Leipzig that became one of the largest e-commerce players in the alternative music scene, including strong branding and its own events. In the Redfield Podcast he reports on the accidental emergence of the business idea, private labels, licensing deals and what you have to do to turn a niche business into a medium-sized company.
4) THE CORONA UPDATE
R#24 special episode with Maik Strübe and Oise Ronsberger
When the corona crisis began in March 2020 and the consequences for the music market could only be guessed at, Alexander Schröder spontaneously invited two Redfield Podcast friends to a special episode. Booker Maik Strübe from the Living Proof Agency and label boss Oise Ronsberger from End Hits Records discuss the potential problems, challenges and opportunities with the host. A very current mood picture of the situation at the time. Many of these points should be true, others are still unclear.
3) FROM ROADIE TO CEO
R#45 with Stephan Thanscheidt, CEO of FKP Scorpio
Hurricane, Southside and Highfield are just three of numerous large festivals for which the Hamburg company FKP Scorpio is responsible. Stephan Thanscheidt began his career as a stagehand and local organizer, then became event manager at the music magazine VISIONS and finally booker at FKP Scorpio. Today Stephan is managing director and, in the Redfield Podcast, offers insights into the work processes at a major event, the selection of live acts and of course the challenges facing the industry during the pandemic.
2) LABEL CHIEF & TOUR MANAGER
R#17 with Oise Ronsberger, founder of End Hits Records
Hello and for the second time Oise Ronsberger. The tour and artist manager and label owner got his start in the music business in the Bavarian youth café Zwiesel and has been constantly on the move ever since, including with Parkway Drive. In the podcast, he and Alexander Schröder talk about the recording market in Europe, which Ronsberger compares with that in the USA, where he lived for some time through strong connections to the US band Boysetsfire and their singer Nathan Gray. His exciting view of current sales and promotion channels as well as stories between the home office label and the Vans Warped Tour made this episode your second favorite.
1) BERLIN THOUSANDSASSA
R#50 with Eric Landmann, manager of Beatsteaks and founder of ZentralRat Mitte
Eric Landmann manages one of the most successful German rock bands and has accompanied the Beatsteaks since their beginnings in 1995. He was also the publisher of one of the largest German music magazines at the time for many years and is now responsible for marketing strategies for major brands such as Deezer and Gibson with ZentralRat Mitte. In the most listened to Redfield Podcast in 2020, he talks about his eventful career, which springboards the Beatsteaks were able to use, what you have to pay for a drive-in cinema in Berlin and why his quote about the German radio quota was so widely covered in the media.