For the second time, Collabeez was able to successfully contribute to the development of the Reeperbahn Festival’s international B2B conference programme on behalf of RBX GmbH .
The Reeperbahn Festival is Europe’s largest club festival and the most important international music conference, held annually in Hamburg. In 2025, the festival celebrated its 20th anniversary from 17–20 September, and Collabeez was once again part of the programme.
This year, Deborah, together with curator Martina Zurhold, was responsible for the Programme Theme Marketing, focusing on marketing strategies, AI developments, and current algorithm trends. Our programme contained four sessions to following topics:
We also continued our mission of „Building Bridges between Africa & Europe“ and, together with our partner, the Africa Rising Music Conference (ARMC), brought South African newcomer Money Badoo to international festival stages for the first time ever.
Marketing is in a constant state of change. However, since the rise of LLMs and AI-based automation tools, the industry has been transforming at an especially rapid pace. Artists and marketing experts are now looking for new ways to remain visible in a media landscape flooded with AI-generated content and within an increasingly politicised platform economy. The key challenge lies in developing approaches and solutions together to stand out from the crowd while preserving one’s identity and authenticity.
What does real Success mean in today’s music industry?
Fast Performance vs. Sustainable Careers – How does rapid success align with long-term market relevance? Where are performance-driven methods useful, and where do they overlook crucial success factors? And how can artists achieve real success today beyond streaming charts, video views, and follower counts?
In our Hot Topic Fireside Chat with Eva Ries (long-time manager of the Wu-Tang Clan, Nirvana, and others) and Leona Walter (Senior Artist & Label Manager, Bamboo Artists – home to Ski Aggu, Zartmann, and more), we explored sustainable success strategies in depth.
Our host Shari Who (Artist/DJ/Entrepreneur) guided the discussion with sharp questions about performance pressure and the evolving definition of success.
Our Key Takeaways:
Host: Shari Who [Artist/DJ/Entrepreneur]
Speakers: Eva Ries [Manager Wu Tang Clan, Nirvana and more], Leona Walter [Artist Manager, Bamboo Artists]
This session highlighted how authentic storytelling, resilience and clear positioning can help artists and marketers achieve long-term success.
Our Key Takeaways:
Speakers: Peggy Adamu [Sony Music], Melanie Rudpolph [Based.Digital],
DISARSTAR [Artist], Shari Who [Artist/DJ/Entrepreneur]
Session
Deepfakes, politically influenced algorithms, DEI rules, automated fact-checking, and strict keyword filters on platforms like Meta or TikTok make authentic storytelling increasingly difficult for artists. Posts lose reach, content disappears, while generic AI posts dominate. How can artists, labels, and creatives maintain their visibility, credibility, and control when platform rules are constantly changing?
The session opened with a keynote by Max Holtz (Social Media Manager, Die Linke / MP Caren Lay) on politically driven media and strategies for increasing reach and engagement.
This was followed by a lively panel discussion featuring Karma Bertelsen (Marketing Strategy Director EMEA, FUGA), Money Badoo (Hip Hop Artist, South Africa) and Svenja Freisfeld (VP Business & Legal Affairs, SoundCloud).
Our Key Takeaways:
Host: Siri Klein [Moderator]
Speakers: Max Holtz [Die Linke, MP Carenn lay], Karma Bertelsen [FUGA, Keychange], Money Badoo [Artist], Svenja Freisfeld [VP Business & Legal Affairs, Soundcloud]
Session
Community emerges through genuine connections, trust and shared experiences. So what does it take to move beyond passive reach and build an active, loyal fanbase? How can artists turn their audience into a vibrant, engaged community that grows with them?
In this session, our community experts Franziska Parschau, Melissa d’Engelbronner, Hildur Maral, Deniz Everling, and Inès Ouqs explored different types of communities and concrete strategies for building meaningful connection; through authentic communication, creative collaboration and platforms that enable community interaction. Which formats and tools allow artists to build personal connections? How can fans be invited to participate rather than merely watch? And how can personal relationships be maintained at scale?
Our Key Takeaways:
Host: Franziska Parschau [Community Expert]
Speakers: Melissa d’Engelbronner [shesaidso], Hildur Maral [OPIA Community], Deniz Everling [Bandcamp], und Inès Ouqs [Artist & Creator Latfro]
This year’s Reeperbahn Festival was once again more than just panels, talks, and music. True to the 20th-anniversary motto #ImagineTogetherness s the focus was on connection, collaboration, and creating visibility across continents.
Together with our partners, the Africa Rising Music Conference and Paradise Worldwide, we continued our shared mission of „Building Bridges between Africa and Europe“ by bringing one of South Africa’s most exciting newcomers to the international stage for the first time: Money Badoo.
After an inspiring performance on our conference stage on Thursday, she set the crowd at Club #Häkken alight on Saturday evening — an unforgettable showcase debut in Hamburg, supported by the Berlin rock band Sector5.
Photos by ©Javid Mozaffari
