"Artists should learn and know what their rights are so that they can define their own value and that of their music." - Stephan Benn

On 29 June, Stephan Benn, lawyer and 1st Chairman of the LiveInitiative NRW e.V. (LINA) // Gloria, Cologne, was a guest at the Gewölbe in Paderborn for a panel discussion. The discussion partner was Philip Kersting, research assistant and doctoral candidate in the "Popular Music and Media" teaching and research area, and the event was moderated by Prof.in Dr.in Beate Flath.

It quickly became apparent that the value of music is not so easy to define. A distinction can be made, for example, between emotional and economic value, whereby the focus during the discussion was more on the economisation of music and the change in the perceived value of music - also and above all due to digitalisation - and what the value of music has to do with its "utility". Stephan Benn also addressed copyright and neighbouring rights, for example; Philip Kersting had a lively discussion with the panel and the audience about when artists began to be regarded as brands and what this approach entails. The result was an exciting exchange between legal, scientific and artistic perspectives. Stephan Benn closed the panel with the statement: "Artists should learn and know what their rights are so that they can define their own value and that of their music".