Culture Goes Down the Drain!

Music is everywhere - on your phone, in the car, while cooking, while falling asleep. Yet hardly anyone asks where it comes from, who makes it, and who earns what from it.

"Culture Goes Down the Drain!" traces the story of commercial music: from its social origins to today's streaming reality, from a time when music was an experience to playlists, algorithms, and AI-generated songs. Why do musicians today need millions of streams just to pay rent? Why is music education disappearing - and what does all of this mean for society?

Music journalist Maik Pagels and concert pianist Andreas Oesterling combine live music with anecdotes, facts, and sharp insights into the music and media business. Pagels knows the industry up close: he is a music editor at Radio Bremen, was head of programming at VIVA/MTV in the 2000s, and spent many years in commercial radio at radio ffn. Together they examine what is being lost right now - and why it is worth listening more carefully again.