MUSIC AMBASSADOR

Information & Notes

• Information & notes
  Natural and legal persons are eligible to apply. The target group includes Berlin-based players along the entire music value chain. The programme is intended to help individual players and small and medium-sized companies to establish contacts in the international music business and thus promote their growth in the long term.
• Applicants must be based or resident in Berlin.
• Only one project per applicant/company will be subsidised.
• The trip must take place between 1 April 2024 and 31 November 2024. All trips outside this period cannot be considered.
• The trip must be settled by two weeks after the trip, but no later than 5 December 2024.
• It is not advisable to specify several different destinations to choose from. If a destination is targeted again, new criteria and starting points must be listed in which their sustainability is emphasised. A focus will be placed on less established, not regularly visited events & markets.

Application process

• Application procedure
  Applications must be submitted by 18 March 2024, 11:59 p.m. at the latest, using the digital application form. Applicants will receive an automated confirmation of receipt. Applications by post or email cannot be considered. If technical problems occur during submission, please take a screenshot and notify us immediately by e-mail to: musicambassador(at)berlin-music-commission.de. The link to the application form and the template for the statement of costs are available on this website.
• The following points are requested in the application form:
  • Company data & brief description of the company
  • Has an MA application already been approved? If yes; when?
  • Destination, travel dates (from-to) and reason for the trip
  • Initial situation, idea and objective (max. 1,500 characters)
  • Realisation & perspective (max. 1,500 characters)
  • Total costs and amount of the travel grant applied for
  • Upload a detailed cost breakdown (xls/xlsx)
  • Why exactly should your trip be subsidised? (max. 2 sentences)

There is no entitlement to a cost subsidy. The decision will be made by a jury of the Berlin Music Commission’s Board of Trustees. Applicants may not be part of the jury themselves.

Financial details & conditions

• Financial details & conditions
  There is no minimum or maximum application amount, but there must be a personal contribution and/or third-party funding, as this programme is a cost subsidy. Once the amount has been determined in the jury meeting, it will not be changed (fixed amount)
• The following items can be applied for:
• Travel and accommodation costs, admissions and fees for trade fairs, conferences, events or market development programmes. This list can 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.
• The following items are not eligible: communication costs, third-party fees, catering and hospitality expenses.
• Corresponding lump sums (additional catering expenses) are also not eligible for funding under this programme.
• The Music Ambassador Programme cannot subsidise projects that include other state funds. However, it can be combined with federal funding (e.g. GO! Export from the Initiative Musik).
• If certain costs are covered by third parties or if further funding is applied for from other sources, this must be stated in the application.

Procedure / Billing / Evidence

Following the jury meeting (end of March 2024), the applicants will be informed of the decision.
The selected ambassadors will receive an agreement containing the destination & travel dates and the amount of the grant (net).
The ambassadors will be given networking assignments for the trip. They receive these by means of the above-mentioned agreement.
The ambassadors are obliged to take part in a preparation and feedback meeting.
Payment will only be made after the agreement has been signed, the trip has been completed and 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 of returning from the trip.
The agreed grant will be paid out after a proper invoice has been issued. All costs actually incurred must be supported by receipts.
When documenting the trip on social media, the hashtag #berlinmusicambassadors should be used. A link to the BMC social media accounts is welcome.
The ambassadors agree to act as a point of contact for Berlin companies interested in the target country and to share the resulting expertise for any future internationalisation projects on request and to provide information on the peculiarities of the respective market.