Christian Mix-Linzer, CEO of Tracks & Fields in Berlin, is presenting a workshop today called ‘How to make music decisions for advertising’.

 
What will people learn from your workshop today? 
 
Almost always, music decisions are based on gut feeling and taste. This is of course an important element of the creative process, but we also need tools to help us make more sophisticated music decisions and find out what is really best for the film and the brand. The workshop will discuss some tools for making more objective music decisions, and how to implement them without limiting the room for creativity.

 
Can you give examples of bad music decisions?
 
The worst music decisions are either the ones based only on personal taste by a senior decision maker, or if someone at the brand or agency kinda wished they had done the cool new film by their competitor and therefore decide to use the same piece of music. This happens a lot more often than you would think, even though everyone knows differentiation is the single most important thing when promoting a product or service.

On the flipside, the great thing about music is that you can experiment a lot more and a lot cheaper than on the visual level. So the best music decisions are made when creatives and marketeers give music the space and attention to really let the film stand out.

 
Did you really start your own record label at the age of 16?
 
Music always played a major role in my life since my early teens. I was part of the DIY Punk and Hardcore scene as a kid, which was always driven by the principle that you have to add something to the scene and not just be a music consumer.

So I decided to start a record label after approaching a few bands that I thought really had potential. For the first release I actually glued a thousand vinyl sleeves in my bedroom by hand while my little brother was putting the lyric sheets inside. I didn’t really tell my parents what I was up to and they were kinda confused when boxes of vinyls started arriving and then leaving again.

“Record label” can sound like such a big word for a teenager, but when you just start doing things, you quickly realize that more things are within reach than you initially think.

 
Can you tell us about Berlin’s creative scene?
 
I fell in love with Berlin a long time ago because of its complete lack of rules and order when I arrived. The mindset was that everything was possible and that you can do whatever you want to do at any given time of the day or night. The city has grown up a bit, but this spirit is still in its DNA and that is what keeps attracting amazing talent and inspiring people from all over the world. I can’t think of any better place to work from!