Dear Mr Schwarte,
dear Mr Schulz,
dear Minister of State,
dear Ms. Gessler,
dear Members of Parliaments,
dear members of the ANCHOR Awards jury,
dear members of the Consular Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to Hamburg, welcome to the Reeperbahn Festival 2024! For the next few days, the Reeperbahn will once again become the center of club culture and live music in Europe. About 500 concerts are on the program, with well-known artists and newcomers from over 30 countries. We expect around 45,000 festival guests. Those are the numbers. In other words: It will be big.
The Festival Conference provides a platform for the music industry to share insights into current trends and discuss key issues such as business strategy, talent development, sustainability and diversity.
In cooperation with re:publica and TINCON, the Festival will once again focus on the digital transformation of the music and media industry - and in particular the growing use of artificial intelligence.
Studios and producers are already using AI to correct vocals, isolate stems, and master recordings. Streaming providers are using self-learning algorithms to personalize playlists and marketing efforts. AI is even capable of producing entire songs and albums: lyrics, instruments, cover art.
This opens up a broad discussion about the impact of AI on music creation and consumption. Can AI be as creative as real musicians? How can AI sing about emotions? Would any of us be inspired by the emotions of a quantum computer?
The chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, Alena Buyx, says: "AI must not replace humans. The creative work of humans must remain at the center of creation, even if AI can be used as a versatile tool."
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
there is one thing that AI cannot reproduce: a great live show. The Reeperbahn Festival offers a lot of them.
"Let the music grow" is this year's motto - which means that young talents need space and support to become successful artists and music is organic and needs cultural inspiration to develop.
As a center of the media and music industry in northern Europe, Hamburg has been proud to host the Reeperbahn Festival for almost 20 years.
Since 2006 it has been a celebration of live music, creativity and community in the heart of St. Pauli.
I would like to thank Detlef Schwarte, Alexander Schulz, their team and the many others who have worked hard to organize this festival, as well as the State Minister for Culture and Media, the Ministry for Culture and Media Hamburg and all sponsors for their support.
I wish all guests and musicians great concerts, an interesting conference and a good time in Hamburg.
Thank you very much.