Reunified Berlin, Battle for the City’s Music Soul (1990 to the Present)

Abstract

This chapter examines how the creative, cosmopolitan new open city of reunified Berlin, against a wave of globalization and gentrification, is affecting its musical soul. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification process since the 1990s, it highlights that Berlin became home to one the world’s most famous and hotly contested, music scenes along the Mediaspree. Exploring obstacles in its music industry and urban sociability, it notes that reunified Berlin became a battleground between urban developers and music activists. As musicians settle in the city with hopes of pursuing creative work, it contends that affordable, livable and creatively connected Berlin is on the decline. The chapter concludes by suggesting that Berlin’s position in the geopolitical world, amid a push toward a music and technology paradise mantra, is under threat.