As of: October 21, 2023 12:52 p.m
In the middle of the Corona pandemic, Arne Pünter and other committed people started the Rampe, a pilot project for self-employed musicians to strengthen and support the scene.
How can a sustainable infrastructure be built for self-employed solo musicians in order to promote high-quality jazz concert productions in Hanover and Lower Saxony? A question that has been bothering Arne Pünter, managing director of the Jazz Musicians Initiative Hannover (JMI), for quite a while.
Together with other people from the Initiative Kreative Musik Hannover eV, he opened the ramp three years ago: a co-working space on 250 square meters in the north of Hanover, which, according to Pünter, has the character of a pilot project. A grassroots movement from the scene, initially without any financial support.
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Because the ramp sees itself as a research laboratory. Here musicians can come together, get involved, create and be creative. Together, a central hub and a network for the independent, professional music scene should be built. In principle, anyone can get involved, but how exactly the ramp is filled with life is up to the creativity and commitment of everyone involved.
Infrastructure is ready
First of all, freelance musicians are provided with an infrastructure there, explains Pünter the concept. During the day as a co-working space, in the evening as a concert and event space. In addition to the pure space, there is a grand piano, a stage, music stands, a kitchen and a backstage available. Everything you need to hold an event.
Thanks to supporting memberships and institutional funding, the space can also be made available for projects with a small budget. And young musicians in particular are not left alone, but can also rely on practical help, says Pünter.
This involves very specific questions such as: How do you register GEMA? How does it work with the artists’ social security fund? What should you take into account when filing your tax return? At the same time, there is a network of volunteers who can help, for example, on the evening of the event.
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Pünter thinks that the project has gotten off to a good start in the first three years: “Now we want to take the next step and are working on a viable business model in the sense of a non-profit organization.” For him, promoting infrastructure is the be-all and end-all in order to get the scene hit by the corona pandemic back on its feet. For him, this requires both public funding and support from the private sector.
Event space attracts a lot of interest
The fact that venues are needed in Hanover is shown by the great demand to hold concert productions in the ramp. During the day it is also used as a place of work for initiatives and clubs in the independent scene. Independent ensembles from big bands to orchestras regularly rehearse there. Musicians and music culture professionals use the space for office work – but there is still room for improvement at this point in particular: “We are continuing to work on opening up the space. Here, for example, it would be helpful if a person from the Rampe team worked regularly as a Contact person would be available on site and during fixed business hours.”
The network of “enablers” is growing
After three years, Pünter is particularly positive about building a community: “It’s a lot of small-scale work. It doesn’t happen from one day to the next.” A core team of eight people is now active in the ramp. In addition, there are around ten other people who regularly contribute and take on any tasks that arise.
There is also another close network of “facilitators” and supporters, including craftsmen, lawyers and architects, which includes around forty people. Around twenty people would use it daily. Pünter estimates that around 150 people also belong to the extended community, if you also count concerts.
Work is still largely voluntary
Pünter admits that we are slowly reaching our limits in terms of personnel; after all, every rental request has to be processed. At the moment, most of this is still done on a voluntary basis. There is also the great difficulty of communicating what exactly should happen in the ramp: “Everyone can understand terms like venue, co-working space, rehearsal room. We actually want people to come here who want to use this place and want to do something so that it can exist.”
The ramp wants to expand and establish the infrastructure
The term infrastructure of the independent scene has not yet been coined. Without this, culture cannot be widely promoted, he is firmly convinced. The best way to support freelance artists is to give them permanent employment.
Pünter now hopes that the ramp can expand the network and forms of use in the coming years. On the way there, he would certainly have no objection to more government support. Now that the scene has already built this space and anchored it in the city, this would also be a form of recognition and appreciation.
The Rampe is a cultural partner of NDR Kultur.
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Keywords for this article
Jazz
2023-10-21 16:59:04
#years #Rampe #Hannover #research #laboratory #jazz #scene
