Musikmarkt Chief Joins LEA Board

 Musikmarkt chief editor Stefan Zarges has joined the board of Germany’s Live Entertainment Awards, the annual music industry ceremony in which his magazine is a media partner.

At an April 27th LEA meeting at the offices of Industrie Und Handelskammer, a Hamburg-based trade association, he was voted on to the board of the 2-year-old event alongside Dieter Weidenfeld of Bureau Dieter Weidenfeld management company.

Weidenfeld, who represents popular German crooners including Howard Carpendale, Matthias Reim and Peter Kraus, becomes president of the board and Zarges a vice president.

They replace former board members Dr. Klaus Siebenhaar, a Berlin university professor, and legendary German concert promoter Fritz Rau.

Along with Bundesverband der Veranstaltungswirtschaft (IDKV) promoters’ association chief Jens Michow, who remains as managing director of the LEA board, Siebenhaar and Rau were members of the original steering committee that helped Musikmarkt set up the awards in February 2005.

Establishing themselves as a popular fixture in the German live music calendar within a couple of years, both have fulfilled their roles and are stepping down to make way for a more permanent board.

Rau is expected to maintain an active interest in helping to shape LEAs’ future.