AGP Executive Report

Music Business: Warner Music Group has reacquired Zebralution Music, the German indie distributor it once owned, giving its label partners access to WMG’s distribution technology and analytics while expanding the major’s reach across Germany and Europe. Live Music: Construction has begun on Munich Arena, a planned 20,000-capacity concert venue near the airport, designed to strengthen Bavaria’s appeal to major touring acts. German Acts: The Scorpions have announced a European tour for 2027, while Deep Purple postponed their remaining German shows after frontman Ian Gillan was hospitalized. Rights and Licensing: Germany’s GEMA has brought Canada’s SOCAN into its One Arena live-music licensing network, its first member from outside Europe.

Scorpions on Tour: The Hanover rock veterans have announced 24 European dates for 2027, including shows in Stuttgart, Dortmund and Frankfurt. The tour runs from April to July, with tickets going on sale November 6. Techno Legacy: Juan Atkins, the Detroit pioneer who helped create techno and gave the genre its name, has died aged 64. His work with Cybotron and the Belleville Three shaped electronic music worldwide. Concert News: Deep Purple have postponed their remaining 2026 European shows, including German dates, after frontman Ian Gillan was hospitalized. German Music Industry: Rights society GEMA has brought Canada’s SOCAN into its One Arena live-music licensing network, expanding the initiative beyond Europe. TV Formats: BriskPace Unlimited is developing a German version of Turkish singing competition The Greatest Duo; no broadcaster has been announced.

Scorpions Tour: The German rock veterans will bring their 2027 “Love, Peace & Rock ’N’ Roll” tour home for arena shows in Stuttgart, Dortmund, Frankfurt and Munich in May. Deep Purple Postponements: After singer Ian Gillan was hospitalized in Leipzig, the band has postponed its remaining 2026 European and UK dates, including shows in Germany. Techno: Juan Atkins, the Detroit pioneer widely credited with coining the genre’s name, has died at 64. His sound helped shape electronic music on both sides of the Atlantic. Live Royalties: Canada’s SOCAN has joined One Arena, the international concert-royalty network founded by German rights society GEMA, extending its work beyond Europe.

Tour Update: Deep Purple have postponed their Leipzig and Hamburg shows after 81-year-old frontman Ian Gillan was hospitalized following a medical emergency. The band says tickets will remain valid for replacement dates, which are still to be announced. German Rock Abroad: Scorpions will play Zagreb in June 2027 with Swedish rockers Europe, marking the German band’s first concert in the Croatian capital since 1990. Techno: Juan Atkins, a Detroit pioneer widely regarded as one of techno’s founders, has died at 64. His work with Cybotron and the Belleville Three helped shape electronic music worldwide. Chart Watch: Fontaines D.C.’s new album, Dopamine Chamber, remains in Germany’s Top 10, at No. 8, two weeks after release.

Techno: Juan Atkins, a founding architect of Detroit techno and Cybotron co-founder, has died at 64. His futuristic sound drew on Kraftwerk and helped shape electronic music worldwide; no cause of death has been disclosed. Tour Disruption: Deep Purple postponed two German shows after 81-year-old frontman Ian Gillan was hospitalised following a medical emergency. Munich Concert: Niall Horan turned his Halloween show at Olympiahalle into a Toy Story celebration, performing as Woody alongside a band dressed as the film’s characters. Berlin 2027: The Neighbourhood’s newly announced European tour includes a stop at Lollapalooza Berlin.

Tour Update: Deep Purple postponed two German shows after 81-year-old singer Ian Gillan was hospitalized with a medical emergency; no return date was reported. Munich Live: Niall Horan turned his Olympiahalle concert into a Toy Story-themed Halloween show, performing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” with a band dressed as the film’s characters. German Metal: Former Accept singer David Reece is set to reunite with the band for two 50th-anniversary shows.

Tour Update: Deep Purple postponed its Leipzig and Hamburg shows after frontman Ian Gillan, 81, was hospitalized following a medical emergency. The band gave no further details; tickets will remain valid for rescheduled dates, and the Dortmund show on Nov. 3 is still listed. Accept Reunion: Former vocalist David Reece will join the German metal band for its 50th-anniversary tour stop in Oberhausen on Nov. 21, with a second appearance in Milan on Dec. 2. Germany Dates: Beth Gibbons has announced 2027 farewell shows for Lives Outgrown, including Frankfurt on July 6 and Cologne on July 7. Industrial Sounds Abroad: German artist Monya, signed to the HANDS label, brings her industrial techno to Athens on Nov. 8 for an underground bill with Greek experimental artist XVIV. Newly Heard Score: An orchestral work Alan Bolt composed in a German POW camp during World War II received its first performance, by the Liverpool Philharmonic in Barrow.

German-Chinese Music Links: A month-long arts festival opening in Shenzhen on Oct. 31 features German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Berliner Barock Solisten among its international performers. Rock: In an interview with Germany’s Star FM, Tony Iommi said comparisons between Jorn Lande and Ronnie James Dio are unfair; Lande sings on Iommi’s new solo album, From The Dark. German Music Tech: Neumann’s KH 310 II and KH 350 studio monitors are set to reach Japanese studios from Nov. 18, extending the German audio brand’s latest releases into another market. German-Nigerian Exchange: Germany-Nigeria Film Week returns in 2027 with an expanded programme; its inaugural edition opened with The Chronicles of Afrobeats in Berlin.

Music Royalties: GEMA’s One Arena network has welcomed Canada’s SOCAN as its first non-European member, expanding concert tracking and royalty information sharing beyond Europe. New German Metal: Enemy Inside have released “Rag Doll,” featuring As Everything Unfolds and Lake Malice, and announced their fourth album, R.I.P., for January 15. Band Changes: Wind Rose drummer Federico Gatti is leaving after nearly eight years; the band’s 2027 dates include Germany’s Ragnarök and Summer Breeze festivals. Tour News: Santana’s 2027 European tour will include stops in Germany, alongside dates in the UK and several other countries.

Tour News: U2’s 2027 European stadium tour includes a Berlin date, with more details on the schedule still to come. Carlos Santana will also bring his Planet of Free Will tour to Germany next year, as part of a European run spanning several countries. German Metal: Ruins of Perception have released “The Crimson Key,” the first preview of their January EP Witchcraft And Cruelty. Edguy’s Hellfire Club, Age Of The Joker and Space Police are set for CD and vinyl reissues on December 11. Charts: Fontaines D.C.’s Dopamine Chamber debuted at No. 2 in Germany, among the Irish band’s strongest results across Europe.

German Dance: Boys Noize teams up with Brutalismus 3000 on “Nächsteliebe,” a pounding new single ahead of his album 7LLVSION, due Nov. 6. On Tour: Tokio Hotel opened its 2026 arena tour in London with a mix of classics and new songs; Till Lindemann has also announced 33 European shows across 22 countries for 2027. Noah Kahan’s 2027 stadium tour includes a European leg with Germany dates. Eurovision: Organizers confirmed 36 broadcasters for the 2027 contest in Bulgaria.

German Guitar: Friesland-born session guitarist Carl Carlton looks back on a career working with Robert Palmer and Eric Burdon, and discusses Miles Of Time, his new album with vocalist Melanie Wiegmann. Farewell Shows: Ministry have set their final concert for October 30, 2027, and plan a European farewell run that includes Saarbrücken on April 3. Their final studio album, Hate to Go (Take Out or Delivery), is due October 30. Tour Dates: John Bush will revisit his Anthrax years on a 2027 European tour, with German dates in Berlin, Wacken, Essen and Saarbrücken.

Live in Germany: Bob Dylan revived “Not Dark Yet” in Düsseldorf, his first performance of the Time Out of Mind song since 2019, and played four tracks from the album. Tour Dates: British deathcore band Ingested will bring its 20th-anniversary tour to Oberhausen, Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig and Munich in January 2027, with Psycroptic, Netherwalker and Tracheotomy. German Metal: Former Accept singer David Reece says he and guitarist Wolf Hoffmann are back in contact after nearly 40 years. He is not involved in the band’s anniversary release, and no reunion is confirmed; Accept have German dates in November. Music Industry: German audio maker HK Audio will showcase its Cosmo line array at a November event in Florida as it expands in North America. Eurovision: Germany’s ARD/SWR is among 36 broadcasters listed for the 2027 contest in Bulgaria, which will welcome Canada and see North Macedonia return. On Screen: A concert film of David Bowie’s 1978 Stage tour is set for a global arena run from February 2027, with a large-scale sound and visual production.

Music Business: Berlin-based BMG has signed Australian band Parcels to a global publishing deal. The group moved to the German capital in the mid-2010s, where it built its audience; BMG says the partnership will support its international ambitions. Musical Theatre: Broadway performer Rita Sebeh starred as Juliet in the Stuttgart premiere of & Juliet. She moved from Cairo to Germany in 2016 and has since appeared in German productions of Aladdin and Mamma Mia! before taking on the jukebox musical’s lead role.

German Charts: Fontaines D.C.’s Dopamine Chamber opened at No. 2 in Germany, alongside a strong international debut. German Artists: DJ Boris Brejcha says he will retire after a final tour in 2028; Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann has announced 33 European shows across 22 countries for 2027. Metal: Saxon released “Medusa,” a new single from their January album, and confirmed Cologne among the stops on their upcoming European tour. German Cinema: F.W. Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu will screen in Farmington, New Mexico, with a live orchestral score.

Tour News: Bruce Dickinson has announced a 2027 European solo tour, with a German stop at Rockharz festival in July. He says the set will mix new songs with solo favourites and deep cuts. Düsseldorf: Dimash Qudaibergen brought his Dimensions Tour to the city, with fans gathering in Germany ahead of the concert. Berlin: An emotional Greek-German musical collaboration took the stage at Berlin Cathedral. Rammstein: The band has shared “Deutschland” performance footage from its upcoming Live in Mexico City concert film.