Musicboard Berlin Open Call

Feb. 25, 2020

Applications for Musicboard Berlin’s 2020 Scholarships and Residencies Program are now open. Musicboard Berlin cooperates with an independent jury to grant scholarships and residencies to pop musicians and bands who have made Berlin their main place of residence and the centre of their creative work. Musicboard is the only institution in Germany to grant such awards to pop musicians.

The direct funding of musicians is intended to support young talent from Berlin and to honor the innovative power of Berlin’s music creators. The awarding of scholarships and residencies abroad by Musicboard Berlin promotes the further internationalisation of Berlin’s pop music scene and enables transcultural co-productions and networking.

Through its Scholarships & Residencies Program, Musicboard exclusively supports musicians and bands living and working in Berlin. The artists’ country of origin is irrelevant. Applicants should be pop musicians who work professionally and stand out through their special creative achievements.

Musicboard Berlin Open Call // 2020

A Musicboard scholarship is a personalised funding package for a pop musician or band looking to develop artistically and professionally through a particular project that is limited in time. Funding might cover, for example, artistic work on a single subject or the preparation and implementation of projects or productions not possible to realise without public support (e.g. album or video production, promotion and marketing, the songwriting process, development of artistic collaborations, concert performances, etc.).

Each year the Musicboard also awards several different residencies abroad in cooperation with a range of international partners. Musicboard’s residency program gives Berlin pop musicians the opportunity to live and work abroad and supports transnational co-productions.

Musicboard covers the costs associated with these stays. This includes round-trip travel costs as well as food, accommodation, working/rehearsal space and project-related costs when applicable. The respective residency partners will support the artist with networking to the local music scene as well as facilitating access to events or organising a live show. Musicians interested in applying should demonstrate a high level of independence and personal initiative, and should be open to interdisciplinary exchange. The duration of a residency is fixed, and can vary between two weeks and three months.

The scholarships and residencies are awarded through the Musicboard Berlin upon recommendation of an independent jury of Berlin-based pop experts who will make a recommendation based on the quality of the work and the chances for success of the project presented.