c/o pop Festival and Convention 2025

The 21st edition of the c/o pop festival took place in Cologne from 23rd to 27th April. Since 2004, the festival has been bringing both national and international acts from the musical genres of electro, indie, hip hop/rap and related categories – established artists as well as national newcomers – to Cologne stages. Long before their breakthrough, acts such as The Whitest Boy Alive, Moderat, Roosevelt, Dillon und AnnenMayKantereit played at the festival, thus demonstrating that the c/o pop festival is the perfect springboard – for international success too. Highlights of the festival programme include label evenings as well as showcase and networking events where labels, musi-cians and other key players can get to know each other. The c/o pop Convention – the first industry gathering of the year for the music industry and collaborating sectors such as the digital economy and games – will take place alongside the festival. Keynote speeches, talks, presentations, workshops and training sessions will provide a practice-relevant look into the future. The c/o pop Convention is viewed as a platform for networking and collaboration between bands, artists and the allied ecosystem; the programme is complemented by VUT Indie Days Köln and TINCON Köln.

In addition to attending numerous concerts, participants in the visitors’ programme also took part in other c/o pop events: the c/o pop Convention, the showcase programme, label evenings and networking events offered the guests an opportunity to talk to international professional audiences as well as regional players from NRW. Visits to other relevant institutions in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as exclusive meetings and discussions with c/o pop organisers and musicians, rounded off the visitors' trip.