I Stream the Line Between Good and Evil ・ Pop-Kultur Festival 2026

August 24–30, 2026 | silent green Kulturquartier, Festsaal Kreuzberg, Kulturbrauerei, Pierre Boulez Saal, and more 

Live concerts, experimental music formats, talks, and more. International and local artists, world premieres, and music in all its facets await you—from large stages to intimate club shows.

It’s often said that streaming has democratized the music world. Never before has it been so easy to release music, reach an audience, and work independently. At the same time, criticism is growing against the platforms that today play a decisive role in determining which music gains visibility, who makes money, and which artistic voices even have a chance of being heard. Hardly anyone has addressed these debates as pointedly and publicly in recent months as Johann Scheerer. In his widely acclaimed social media videos, the label owner, producer, and author regularly addresses the power dynamics of the streaming economy, the working conditions of musicians, the interests of major platforms like Spotify, and the question of who actually benefits from digital music culture. In conversation with journalist Aida Baghernejad, they discuss the promises and contradictions of the streaming era, artists, platform capitalism, and the future of independent music culture. Who benefits from the existing structures? What alternatives are conceivable? And how is the relationship between art, the public, and the economy changing as algorithms increasingly take on the role once held by editorial teams, labels, or music scenes? Johann Scheerer is an author, music producer, and managing director of Clouds Hill Records. In addition to his label, he runs Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg and collaborates with artists from a wide variety of musical backgrounds. As an author, he has published several books, most recently the novel *Play*. His incisive analyses of the contemporary music industry now reach an audience far beyond the industry’s boundaries via social media. Aida Baghernejad is one of the most prominent voices in German-language cultural journalism. In her writing and podcasts, she explores pop culture, media, politics, and the social conditions of cultural production. For media outlets such as *taz*, *Kaput – Magazin für Insolvenz & Pop*, *Deutschlandfunk Kultur*, and *Zeit Online*, she combines analytical acuity with a keen sense for the political dimensions of pop culture.