Michow’s Top Secret Oscars

Plans for this year’s German Live Entertainment Awards are to remain “top secret” until a press conference at Frankfurt Festival Hall Feb. 23.

The awards ceremony for what are now being described as the country’s “Industry Oscars” will be staged in the same venue March 20.

It’s the second year the ceremony is in the city since LEA executive secretary Jens Michow was tempted to move them from Hamburg by a sponsorship deal said to be worth 1 million euros per year.

The money comes from Production Resource Group, which felt the move to Frankfurt would enable the event to run alongside event technology show Prolight + Sound and the city’s annual music fair.

Michow’s staying quiet about which acts will perform and who will present the awards at a ceremony that’s becoming best-known for the criticism it regularly gets from top German promoter Marek Lieberberg.

Last year, Lieberberg’s company won three awards, one of which was announced in advance, but failed to turn up to collect the other two.

Lieberberg drew scathing criticism from Michow after referring to the ceremony as “a tired provincial burlesque” and saying the awards are “without any international importance.”

Although the shortlists for four of the awards have been announced, the others are being kept under wraps until the press conference.