
News • 08.05.2024
‘Network- and genre venues’ are the missing link on the Danish live scene
It is a topic at the coming governmental negotiations if the Netværks- and genrespillesteder will continue to exist.
Geographical spread and local commitment
The Danish music genre organisations, consisting of Art Music Denmark, JazzDanmark, ROSA and Tempi, which together represent a large section of the Danish music scene, see great value in the ‘Network- and genrevenues’, and we therefore believe that it should be maintained and expanded from 2025 and onwards. The ‘Network- and genrevenues’ strengthens the role of venues in local cultural life by focusing on networking and collaboration with local music as well as local cultural actors.
The ‘Network- and genrevenues’-scheme strengthens the venue’s role in local cultural life by focusing on networking and collaboration with local music and cultural actors.
This has a positive impact on growth environments and at the same time means that the venues’ activities are better rooted with the audience. The scheme also helps to spread niche genres to the wider country, and in this way helps to create a richer and more diverse range of concerts for audiences outside the major cities, as well as increased earning opportunities for musicians within the niche genres. It functions as an important supplement to the ‘fee support scheme’ and the ‘regional venues’ and unleashes a great potential among the many skilled organizing communities around the country.
New formats and development of the live scene
In an industry that is increasingly characterized by multinational players, streaming services, social media and “big business”, ‘Network- and genre venues’ represent an opportunity space with room for new concert formats, as well as rethinking the relationship between venue and audience. The existing ten venues have fulfilled this potential to the full, and they have shown in an inspiring way how strong, inclusive communities and innovative formats strengthen diversity and commitment among both audience and artists. We therefore see great potential in the ‘Network – and genre venues’ as a catalyst and laboratory in relation to the development of future live formats. The next generation the ‘Network- and genre venues’ have proven to be particularly suitable and competent in terms of recruiting and training the next generation of cultural entrepreneurs, and in many places young people have been invited in and have thereby gained active ownership in the venue’s operation, programming and development.
This openness to collaboration and the involvement of young people helps to strengthen the local music environments and at the same time contributes to increased well-being for those involved. The effort also helps to upgrade the skills of the industry as a whole, as the young people acquire the skills to produce and develop cultural activities on their own. In relation to the implementation of the upcoming culture pass, we therefore also see the network and genre venues as an obvious central player.
In short…
‘Network- and genre venues’ have been a good idea from the start, and the ten existing ‘Network- and genre venues’ have shown in just two years the great potential that lies in rethinking the role and anchoring of venues locally and nationally. The scheme contributes to a large extent to both young environments and the professional scene. We believe that the scheme is the missing link on the Danish live scene, which it would be disastrous to remove again after such a clearly positive basis of experience. In fact, we see an advantage in expanding with more venues, preferably with a focus on embracing an even wider genre diversity.
Written by Anders Ørbæk (Chairman of the board, JazzDanmark), Eva Frost (Director, JazzDanmark), Evrim Citirikkaya (Chairman of the board, Tempi), Laia Canals (Director, Tempi), Anja Følleslev (Chairman of the board, ROSA), Conny Jørgensen (Director, ROSA), Asbjørn Nørgaard (Chairman of the board, Art Music Denmark), Regin Petersen (Director, Art Music Denmark)
The text was published in Danish music magazine Gaffa in May 2024.
On behalf of



