Label promotion

Frequently asked questions

• Who can be sponsored?

  Applications can be submitted by music-producing companies with their registered office or branch in Hamburg. They must be micro-enterprises as defined by EU regulations (less than ten employees, less than two million euros annual turnover or balance sheet total). Affiliated companies are to be treated as one company.

• What can be promoted?

  • Concrete music releases, namely the actual production process (e.g. studio recording, studio mix, mastering) or marketing/promotion (e.g. artwork/design, photos/video, print/radio/TV/flyer).
  • Costs for production (manufacture of sound carriers) can be contributed in the context of an application for funding of the production process up to a maximum of 1,000 euros.
  • Reasonable personnel costs, insofar as they are directly related to the project, may be included but must be listed in detail.
• What cannot be promoted?

  GEMA costs and running costs (e.g. for rent) are not funded.

• How much funding can be applied for?

  Funding is provided in the form of a grant of 3,000 to 10,000 euros per funding case. The own contribution is at least 50 per cent. As a rule, projects with a requested funding amount of less than 3,000 euros are not considered. The total costs of the project must therefore amount to at least 6,000 euros. Production and marketing/promotion are considered separate, independent projects. Since the production costs for sound carriers and GEMA costs are not eligible for funding in the production process, they may not be added to the total costs.

• Which documents are part of the application?

  Essential documents are the signed application, the presentation of the project, information about the company and the artist as well as audio sample(s). With the exception of the written application, the application procedure takes place online. The details of the required information and documents can be found in the steps to be carried out within the framework of the online procedure.

• When does the application have to be submitted?

  In principle, the project to be funded must not have been started at the time of the funding decision. The funding decision is regularly made within 6 weeks after the closing date for the funding round. The deadline can be found on the Hamburg Label Funding website. The application must therefore be submitted in good time before the start of the project so that these deadlines can be met.

• How is it decided?

  Applications received are examined according to formal and content-related aspects. The Authority for Culture and the Media is supported in its decision on funding by an advisory panel of experts. The members of the panel are industry representatives from the areas of distribution/trade, media/press, labels/VUT and the live sector. They are bound to confidentiality. If the applications meet the criteria of the pre-selection, they will be submitted to the expert panel for assessment.

• When does the application have to be submitted?

  In principle, the project to be funded must not have been started at the time of the funding decision. The funding decision is regularly made within 6 weeks after the closing date for the funding round. The deadline can be found on the Hamburg Label Funding website. The application must therefore be submitted in good time before the start of the project so that these deadlines can be met.

• Can a label submit more than one application?

  Yes. Individual projects are funded in each case.

• Can a publication be funded that is also financially supported by other bodies?

  No, cumulation with other funding aids/programmes used/applied for (in particular federal funding from the Initiative Musik gGmbH) is not permitted.