{"id":20880,"date":"2026-04-24T12:24:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=20880"},"modified":"2026-06-11T10:01:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:01:18","slug":"the-price-of-being-an-artist-in-berlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/20880\/the-price-of-being-an-artist-in-berlin\/","title":{"rendered":"The Price of Being an Artist in Berlin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBerlin has been like a toxic relationship, like a toxic boyfriend or something,\u201d says Izzy Diaz. It\u2019s a strange way to describe a city that is still sold as a creative paradise, but for her, it feels accurate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Diaz, 22, moved from Hamburg to Berlin in 2021 to study Popular Music Performance at BIMM University. She now works part-time in a caf\u00e9 while trying to build a career as an independent musician.<\/span><\/p>\n

She moved to Berlin for the same reason many artists do. Freedom. \u201cIt\u2019s a very exciting city as an artist. It\u2019s like everyone is an artist here,\u201d she says. As a singer-songwriter working across indie, pop, and alternative genres, she found a place where creativity feels open and shaped by everyday life.<\/span><\/p>\n

That image of Berlin is not a myth. <\/span>After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, artists moved into vacant buildings and transformed them into studios, clubs and cultural spaces. Low rents and creative freedom helped establish Berlin as an international centre for art and music (Bader & Scharenberg, 2010; Tallentire, 2014).<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, the city offered something rare. You could live cheaply and focus on your work. It became known as a place where art came first and money came second.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that version of Berlin is getting harder to find.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRent in big cities is getting super expensive. If you\u2019re in the arts, that\u2019s not really helpful,\u201d Diaz says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Berlin remains one of Europe\u2019s largest creative centres, with more than 300,000 people working in its cultural and creative industries. Yet many artists still rely on part-time jobs and multiple sources of income to support their work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many independent artists, she is responsible for everything herself. Writing, recording, booking gigs, and promoting her work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe struggles that I’m having as an independent artist is that I’m really responsible for everything,\u201d Diaz says. \u201cYou have to be sending emails, you have to be at the events, talking to booking agents. You have to be really connected to the scene.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re just doing your silly little songs and you just have to believe that it matters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Without a manager, booking agent or record label, every opportunity depends largely on her own initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Berlin, that struggle has another layer. The city is globally known for its techno scene, with large clubs and international DJs shaping its reputation. But artists working in smaller, independent genres often exist in the background.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I arrived, I thought there was going to be more of this indie rock scene that I’m really into,\u201d Diaz says. \u201cThen I arrived and it was a lot of techno.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers have noted that Berlin\u2019s international music identity is strongly linked to electronic music and club culture, often overshadowing smaller music communities (Bader & Scharenberg, 2010).<\/span><\/p>\n

Indie music does not always have the same support, visibility, or financial opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo make a living out of music, it\u2019s complicated,\u201d Diaz says.<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduating from university, Diaz also lost the built-in community that had connected her to Berlin\u2019s music scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIsolation is probably the hardest thing in winter,\u201d she says. \u201cYou’re really alone in the process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, the city itself is changing. <\/span>Studies on culture-led gentrification have shown how rising rents and redevelopment are transforming neighbourhoods that once attracted artists because of their affordability (Crowe, 2015).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

In neighbourhoods like Reuterkiez, rising rents are affecting everyone. \u201cEverything is quite expensive now\u2026 even going out for a coffee,\u201d says one local resident. As more people move to Berlin, long-term communities are being pushed out. \u201cPeople who have been living here for ages will just move away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Diaz, this creates a clear tension. Berlin still offers inspiration and connection, but it is no longer the easy, accessible\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

space it once was. The cost of living is rising, competition is increasing, and not every artist benefits equally from the city\u2019s creative reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, she is not planning to leave.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI really felt like I belonged here,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s just a lot of people doing art here. So you\u2019re going to meet a lot of people doing the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBerlin has been like a toxic relationship, like a toxic boyfriend or something,\u201d says Izzy Diaz. It\u2019s a strange way to describe a city that is still sold as a creative paradise, but for her, it feels accurate. Diaz, 22, moved from Hamburg to Berlin in 2021 to study Popular Music Performance at BIMM University. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4151,"featured_media":20904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acls","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Price of Being an Artist in Berlin - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Price of Being an Artist in Berlin - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cBerlin has been like a toxic relationship, like a toxic boyfriend or something,\u201d says Izzy Diaz. 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