Name: Marc Feldes
Company: popup-records
Title: Music PR and Label Service Manager
Based in: Hamburg
Can you tell us a bit about the company’s history and its roster?
popup-records was founded in 2001 by Jan Köpke as a music label and promotion agency for the indie/tronic/alternative/pop music scene. Over time and several seismic changes within the music industry later, popup-records‘ team of seven is one of the leading PR agencies and label services in the independent music market in Germany, designing tailor-made PR campaigns in all media areas for independent artists and partners like BMG, Cooking Vinyl, Concord, Virgin, Nettwerk or The Orchard.
popup’s artist roster has always been primarily international, e.g. by working on and building campaigns for Seed to Tree (Lux), Daniel Norgren (SE), Carnival Youth (LT), Jonas Alaska (Nor) or Wanda (AT), who have made their first steps on the German market together with popup. Currently, label partners and artists from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Australia, USA, UK, Canada, Israel, South Africa, but also domestic beacons such as Bernd Begemann and Rhonda form the “popup network”.
And can you tell us a bit about the acts you personally work with at this moment?
At the moment, I work on the PR campaigns of The Haunted Youth, Freyr, Harrison Storm, Luca Fogale, Prince Jelleh, Deer Anna, among others. In the past, I took care of campaigns of Frank Popp Ensemble, Old Sea Brigade and many more.
What was the moment you decided you wanted to work with music?
The indie music scene and its artists have always been a major part of my life. I am constantly seeking to discover new aspiring artists as well connecting with people who share the same excitement about the genre. My interest in the indie scene originates from listening to indie bands from the early 00s such as The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys, which soon lead to follow my own musical endeavours with my solo indie rock project “Alrighty Aphrodite”, which is soon to launch.
However, in 2018, I saw the South African indie band Beatenberg perform at a small festival in Cape Town and was totally blown away. In 2019, when the band shared their plans of heading on a self-booked Germany tour, I took it upon myelf to connect with the band and organise their only concert in Baden-Württemberg. In the end, Beatenberg played to well attended concerts in Heidelberg, where I was living at the time.
That’s when I decided to properly follow my dream of working in the music industry. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in music business at the British and Irish Institute of Modern Music (BIMM), I am now working as a music PR and label service manager at Hamburg-based music PR agency, label service and independent music label popup-records. I currently take care of PR campaigns from domestic and international artists in GSA territory.
Which acts are you looking forward to seeing this year at SPOT?
Emma Elisabeth, Tender Youth, Julie Pavon, Mary Anne’s Polar Rig, Animaux Animé, superserious, and many more.
Best show you’ve ever seen hands down?
Beatenberg at Muizenberg Festival in Cape Town, South Africa