This is
Kick the flame

Our Approach 

As an independent music publisher with an international outlook, we work with artists from all kinds of backgrounds – each with their own stories, perspectives, and voices. 

What unites us is the desire for respectful, fair, and open cooperation—within our team, with our partners, and with the people whose music we manage and support. We want our actions to preserve and enrich the world.  
 
To live up to this responsibility, we need a minimum of values and principles. However, we also know that having a mindset is not a finished state and cannot be worked through like a checklist. Rather, it manifests itself spontaneously in everyday life, in decisions, in language, and in behavior—not always clearly, not always comprehensively, not always consistently. But above all, it is not indifferent, cynical, or opportunistic. Our work and our self-image as a music company are significantly shaped by the following guidelines. 


Collaboration on equal terms  
 We believe in transparency, trust, and flat hierarchies. Our collaboration is characterized by respect, openness, and mutual responsibility—regardless of position or role.   

We meet artists not as gatekeepers, but as reliable partners. We accompany creative processes over the long term and with genuine interest.    

 Our work naturally aims to commercially exploit the music entrusted to us. However, the artistic freedom and personal rights of our authors form the framework for this. 


For us, fairness means clarity and openness.  
We value economic transparency—in billing, processes, and communication with our artists and partners.  

No one should feel excluded or overwhelmed by contracts, participation models, or technical vocabulary. That’s why we take the time to explain the background, answer questions openly, and are always available for further inquiries. 

For us, trust is built through transparency and reliability, not control. And that’s how we measure ourselves.  


Mental health and work culture   
We believe that good work can only be done when people feel comfortable and secure - including mentally. A healthy work-life balance is our goal, both in our collaboration with our artists and partners and within our team.  Flexible working hours, working from home, and the option to work part-time are a standard part of our culture.   

 Our team treats each other with respect. Not everyone has to function the same way - we trust that each person knows best what they need at any given time. Those who are particularly challenged or stressed are allowed to  say so – and will be met with understanding. We firmly believe that this attitude helps us to make the most of our individual resources and contributes significantly to our good work.  

Our artists are not put under pressure either. Where deadlines are necessary due to external factors, we strive for stress-free, forward-looking planning. We respect artistic breaks and are then back on board as a reliable publishing partner. 


Sustainability starts small  

For us, sustainability is not a PR issue, but an urgent concern and a way of life – in our everyday work as well as in our structural work.  We take action where we have a concrete influence: we use technologies with the lowest possible emissions, avoid unnecessary travel, and prefer bicycles and public transport or, for long distances, the train.  

We use digital, paperless processes wherever possible and appropriate—e.g., for contract processing—in order to conserve resources. At the same time, we are aware of the energy and resource consumption of many digital tools and strive to use them responsibly.  

We know that even small decisions make a difference, and we embrace this responsibility. 


Creativity needs protection—especially in the age of AI 

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the music industry—and not always for the better. 

We are seeing AI-generated music increasingly replacing real musicians: in synchronization, in productions, and in the general perception of artistic value. AI delivers output quickly and supposedly cheaply – but at the expense of originality, depth, and above all, the existence of our cultural ecosystem. 

After all, AI-generated music is ultimately based on what humans have created before – often without their consent and without participation in the subsequent value creation. Its free availability destroys the market of the previously stolen creative artists.  

We therefore clearly side with genuine creative achievement and fight within the framework of our association memberships, but also within the scope of our own entrepreneurial freedom, for the preservation of the market, for copyright protection, and for appropriate remuneration.  

We are committed to ensuring that music does not become an insignificant commodity that can be reproduced at will, but remains an expression of personality, experience, and attitude. Technology can support, but it must not devalue. 


Responsibility that goes beyond copyrights 

As a publishing company, we bear responsibility for more than just copyright management. We create spaces for creative freedom where everyone can feel safe, heard, and seen. 

 We openly address injustices, stand up for fairness in the music business—and act accordingly.  

 We organize ourselves within industry associations and network with other economic and socio-political actors in related fields. We also encourage our artists to get involved and network. 


No stage for misanthropy 

We are concerned to see anti-democratic and inhumane attitudes spreading in Germany and around the world. As a music publisher, we stand for the opposite: openness, equality, diversity, and a free, democratic society.  

We work with people of diverse backgrounds, skin colors, identities, sexual orientations, and abilities—including queer and trans artists, BIPoC, and people with disabilities. For us, the focus is not on identity constructs, but on real people with attitudes, talent, and stories.  

Racism, queerphobia, anti-Semitism, anti-feminism, and any other form of exclusion have no place with us—neither in music nor in our interactions with one another. 

Error culture 

We strive for perfection in all matters, but we also know that mistakes can happen anywhere—in our daily work as well as in our interactions with each other. Our goal is to create a fear-free, constructive climate in which mistakes primarily trigger sustainable learning processes. 

Our ideal is a relaxed culture of error and feedback in which no one is afraid to express or accept criticism. We want people to speak to us directly when they notice something we can do better. 

Safer Space 

As a member of VUT, Kick The Flame has access to the Themis Confidentiality Office against Sexual Harassment and Violence. This applies not just to our employees but also to the artists we represent. 

If you’ve experienced or witnessed sexual violence in the course of your artistic work, you can get free legal and psychological counseling there.