MUSIC AMBASSADOR

Application criteria & advice

1. Natural person (individual) or legal entity (ie., company or association) are eligible to apply. The target group includes Berlin-based participants of the entire music value chain (professionals and musicians). The program is intended to help individuals as well as small and medium-sized enterprises to establish contacts in the international music business and thus to sustainably promote their growth.
2. Musicians can apply alone or together with a music business professional from their Berlin team (e.g. their management, label, agency, publisher). In the case of a team application, the musician is considered the primary applicant.Pop musicians that work professionally and rely on their own musical material are eligible to apply. The term »pop music« refers to all genres of popular music as well as cross-genre or experimental pop music that cannot be clearly assigned to the categories of jazz or classical and new music.
   Projects solely for touring (support or headliner tours) are excluded.
3. Applicants must have their registered office or place of residence in Berlin.
4. Only one project per applicant/company will be funded.
   Cooperation between different companies is possible, one application per person/company is required.
5. The trip must take place between 08 June 2025 and 30 November 2025. Trips outside of this period cannot be considered.
6. Accounts for the trip must be submitted by two weeks after the trip, but no later than 14 December 2025.

If a destination is revisited, new criteria and approaches need to be listed in emphasising its sustainable nature. A focus is given to less established, not regularly visited events & markets

Please note that a visa may be required for entry and that country-specific entry requirements apply. We recommend that you check the latest information from the Federal Foreign Office and the relevant immigration authorities or diplomatic missions in the respective country before submitting your application.

Application process

1. The application must be submitted via the digital application form by 20 May 2025, 23:59 at the latest. Applicants will receive an automated confirmation of submission. Applications sent by post or email cannot be considered. The link to the application form and the template for the cost breakdown are available on the website of the Berlin Music Commission. If technical problems occur during submission, please take a screenshot and notify us immediately by email to: musicambassador@berlin-music-commission.de.All applicants will be notified of the jury’s decision at the beginning of June.
2. The following points are asked for in the application form:
   • Business details & brief description or musician’s name and bio
   • Website or social media of company/musician + link to music
   • Have you had an Music Ambassador application approved before?
     If yes, when?
   • Destination, travel dates (from-to), travel distance and occasion of the trip
   • Initial situation, motivation and objectives (max. 1,000 characters)
   • Contribution of the trip to the sustainable networking of Berlin (max. 1,000
     characters)
   • Realisation & expected results (max. 1,000 characters)
   • Total costs and amount of the requested travel grant
   • Upload a detailed cost breakdown (xls/xlsx)
   • Voluntary information about your social positioning and identity and associated support requirements for funding / project implementation.
   • Why should you be appointed as Music Ambassador? (max. 2 sentences)

Financial Details & Conditions

1. There is no minimum or maximum application amount, but there must be an own contribution and/or third-party funding, as this programme can only provide a contribution towards costs. The travel subsidy that has been granted in the past usually ranged between 250 and 1,500 euros. Decisions on the amounts are made by the jury. Once the amount has been set in the jury meeting, it will not be changed (fixed amount).
2. The following expenses are eligible to be applied for:
   Travel and accommodation costs, admissions as well as fees for trade fairs, conferences, events or market development programmes, participation fees for creative programmes. This list may be extended in individual cases. The maximum rates of the Federal Travel Expenses Act and the Foreign Travel Expenses Ordinance must be observed; in particular for hotel bookings in the destination country.
3. The following items are not eligible: communication costs, fees from third parties, catering and hospitality expenses. Likewise, corresponding lump sums (per diems) are not eligible for funding under this programme.
4. The Music Ambassador Programme cannot contribute to proposals that include other state funds of Berlin. However, it can be combined with federal funds (e.g. GO! Export of the Initiative Musik).
5. If certain costs are covered by third parties or if further funding is requested from other sources, this must be indicated in the application.

1. Following the jury meeting, the applicants will receive information about the decision. The selected Ambassadors will receive an agreement including the destination & travel dates and the amount of the grant (net).
2. The Ambassadors will be given networking assignments for the trip. They will receive these by means of the above-mentioned agreement.
3. The Music Ambassadors undertakes to comply with the Code of Conduct set out by Berlin Music Commission and is aware that breaches of this Code shall have consequences that may extend to termination of the contractual relationship.
   The current Code of Conduct is updated regularly and the current version can be accessed on the BMC website. It will be handed out to the ambassadors alongside the agreement via email.
4. Ambassadors are required to attend a preparation and feedback meeting.
5. As part of the application for the Music Ambassador program, there is an opportunity to express interest in participating in Berlin Outbound. This is a platform by Musicboard Berlin aimed at the internationalisation and professional development of the Berlin music scene. Further information about this year’s edition, which will take place on August 27, 2025, as part of the Pop-Kultur Festival, will be published in May. A limited number of spots will be reserved for Music Ambassadors.
6. Payment will only be made after the trip has been completed and only after all required documents have been submitted in full:
   • A short report (1-2 pages), photos and proof of contacts made must be submitted within two weeks after returning from the trip.
   • The agreed grant will be paid out after proper invoicing. All costs actually incurred must be substantiated by receipts.
7. Use the hashtag #berlinmusicambassadors when documenting the trip on social media. Please tag the social media accounts of the Berlin Music Commission and Musicboard Berlin.
8. The ambassadors agree to act as contacts for Berlin-based companies and musicians interested in the travel destination. Upon request, they will share their expertise for future internationalisation projects and advise on the peculiarities of the respective market.