Looking back, one thing led to another, but when I started studying German Literature in New York in the mid-1980s, it wasn’t yet foreseeable that I would one day discover the production music industry. And lo and behold, now I’ve been in it for more than 30 years.
After completing my M.A. in 1991, it became clear to me that I would much rather work in the music industry. Having relocated to Germany in 1993 after gathering some real life music business experience in NYC including roles at ICM Artists, Todd Rundgren’s Secret Sound Studios and Private Music, a new musical journey began in 1995 with the French music publisher Koka Media. I stumbled upon an advertisement in a German newspaper – a relic from the pre-internet era – which stated that Koka Media was seeking a sales & marketing professional to develop business in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
I recall thinking that working for what appeared to be a professional and chic outfit based in Paris just might be something I could see myself doing. And so it came to be that the Koka Media crew wound up offering me the job, I gave notice to an artist booking agency and my new life in the production music business began in Munich of 1995.
After a good run at Koka Media, the owners sold to BMG in 2003. One of the original Koka partners offered me some shares in a new enterprise called Kapagama GmbH, so I wound up dodging the corporate bullet and began representing a wide range of top tier production music labels. Subsequently, Kapagama was sold to Universal down the line, but this time around DNA MUSIK GmbH was born. And that was in 2010. Why the name DNA MUSIK? Because I believe there is an existentially vital connection between Life and Music. If DNA can be considered “The Essence of Life“, then DNA MUSIK can simply be defined as “The Essence of Sound“. With a great deal of passion and dedication, I continue to work with my amazing team to find, represent and produce outstanding professional production music in all styles and musical genres for our clients. I am so grateful to be creatively involved with so many wonderful colleagues and artists.
Warmest regards, Annette Mainka