Listen to Berlin 2026 opens the application phase. All genres welcome – deadline April 28th
The Berlin music scene is once again getting another stage: the application phase for Listen to Berlin 2026 is officially opened.
The Berlin Music Commission’s initiative is aimed at musicians from the capital and offers an essential platform for current pop music from Berlin.
Application deadline and target group
Artists can apply now; the deadline for entries is April 28, 2026. Musicians aged 22 and over as well as up-and-coming acts between the ages of 14 and 21 in the Youth category are eligible. Submissions can be made by solo acts, duos and bands as well as by labels, producers or publishers. The most important requirement: The center of life of the acts must be in Berlin.
By applying, acts automatically qualify for several formats within Listen to Berlin: compilation, live formats and awards. Additionally, all genres of popular music are welcome – from indie and hip-hop to electronic and R&B.
These are the requirements
The requirements are clearly defined: Cover songs are not permitted. In addition, the track should have been released from April 1, 2025 at the earliest or should still be unreleased.
It should also be a professional, release-ready recording with high-quality mixing. The Berlin Music Commission takes care of the final mastering.
In addition to the studio recording, stage presence also plays an important role. Applicants must be able to present a 20 to 50-minute live set with their own songs and do without covers. Acts that make it onto the compilation will then also be considered for live formats.
Youth category: support for young talents
Special rules apply to young acts: the age limit is between 14 and 21 years. For bands, the average age must not exceed 21 years, and minors require a declaration of consent. In total, three of the 21 spots on the compilation are reserved exclusively for youth acts.
Further conditions of participation
The rights holders provide the song license free of charge, and the GEMA fees are covered by the Berlin Music Commission. However, acts that were already featured on the previous year’s compilation are excluded from participation.
Why it’s worth applying
Listen to Berlin is considered an important seismograph of the capital scene. The compilation and the associated live formats not only offer visibility, but also access to a professional network from industry, media and event organizers. This makes the initiative one of the most relevant funding formats for Berlin pop music.
Olaf “Gemse” Kretschmar, Chairman and Managing Director of the Berlin Music Commission, said: “In a time when everything has to go viral, we are committed to sustainable development. LISTEN TO BERLIN is not an algorithm, but a resonance space. For 19 editions, we have been creating a development chain that not only makes artists visible, but also able to act. COMPILATION, LIVE, AWARDS and YOUTH intertwine and form a development chain – from the first release onwards “From stage practice to artistic and entrepreneurial independence, especially in a time of rapidly changing markets, media logic, revenue models and AI-generated mainstream, we consciously focus on sustainable development and artistic substance. The fact that acts like Moderat, Bonaparte, Kat Frankie, Dota and Sorvina became visible here early on shows that this funding logic works – because it takes personalities seriously and creates perspectives.”
All application details can be found on the official Listen to Berlin website.
