kuenstlerstadt.de

What kuenstlerstadt.de does

kuenstlerstadt.de GmbH is a German two-sided online marketplace that connects freelance artists and performers with event organizers seeking entertainment for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and festivals. Founded in 2015 by Ismail Gök in Bremen, the platform lists more than 16,615 registered artists across 14 main categories including photography, music, entertainment, dance, circus, models, film and theater, comedy, stylists, and visual arts, with deep subcategory granularity and city-level filtering across Germany and select international cities.

The platform is built as a self-serve web-based marketplace featuring customizable artist profile pages with images, video and audio portfolios, a national post-booking rating and review system, an internal messaging module that generates booking confirmations, and an Inserate (listing) feature that enables a reverse flow in which customers post requirements and artists apply directly, with SMS notifications to matching profiles. Development is fully outsourced to partner team neusta GmbH, which also acts as the primary technical investor. The platform relies on SEO-driven category browsing, social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), email newsletters, and curated event-type landing pages as its primary acquisition channels.

The business model is subscription-based on the supply side only: artists pay monthly fees across four tiers (Basic, Exposé, Professional, and a configurable Flex plan) calibrated to portfolio features and visibility, while customers use the platform free of charge. The platform acts as a pure intermediary, with all payment terms negotiated directly between artist and customer. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company operates with a core internal team of 1-10 employees plus the outsourced development function of team neusta.

Name

kuenstlerstadt.de

Legal name

kuenstlerstadt.de GmbH

Website

https://kuenstlerstadt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

kuenstlerstadt.de is a German online marketplace connecting freelance artists and performers with event organizers across 14 categories, monetizing via tiered monthly subscriptions on the artist supply side while customers book free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Artist Marketplace

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (MPACAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF), Full-Service Artist Management (MPAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Online artist marketplace
• Event entertainment booking
• Artist subscription platform
• Freelance performer directory
• Event vendor marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Duisburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Artist Subscription Fees: Artists pay for subscription plans (Basic, Exposé, Professional, Flex) to create and manage their profiles on the platform. The subscription grants access to profile features, subcategory listings, and the ability to apply to customer listings. Customers use the platform free of charge.
2. Platform Commission / Transaction Fees: The platform operates as a pure intermediary (Vermittler). The actual contract is between the artist and customer. Payment terms are arranged between artist and customer directly (cash or bank transfer). The platform earns revenue through artist subscriptions rather than per-transaction commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

kuenstlerstadt.de operates a two-sided online marketplace connecting freelance artists (photographers, musicians, entertainers, dancers, models, stylists, circus performers, etc.) with event organizers and private customers across Germany. The platform hosts 16,615+ registered artists across 14 main categories and hundreds of subcategories, allowing customers to search by category and city, view portfolios, read reviews, and book artists for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and trade shows. Artists pay subscription fees (Basic, Exposè, Professional, Flex tiers) to maintain profiles, while customers use the platform free of charge. The platform acts purely as an intermediary (Vermittler) without processing payments.

Product overview

Kuentslerstadt.de operates as an online marketplace platform for booking artists across 14 main categories: Fotografie (Photography), Musik (Music), Tanz (Dance), Film & Theater, Artisten (Artists), Comedy, Entertainer & Live Act, Designer, Stylisten (Stylists), Models, Produzenten (Producers), Malerei & Zeichenkunst (Painting & Drawing), Texter & Schriftsteller (Writers), and Sonstige (Other). The platform offers four subscription tiers - Basic, Exposé, Professional, and Flex - enabling artists to create and manage professional profiles with varying features such as image/video portfolios, subcategory listings, and promotional tools. Core features include an Inserate (listings) system for reverse bookings, artist profile pages, a rating/review system, and internal messaging with booking confirmation capabilities. The platform connects artists with event organizers seeking entertainment services for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations throughout Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• kuenstlerstadt.de Online Marketplace Two-sided online marketplace connecting 16,615+ registered freelance artists (photographers, musicians, entertainers, dancers, models, stylists, circus performers, and more) with event organizers and private customers across Germany. Offers 14 main categories with hundreds of subcategories, city-based filtering, portfolio display, customer reviews, and an inserate (listing) system for reverse bookings. Artists pay subscription fees; customers use the platform free of charge.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 16,615 registered artists and thousands of completed bookings on the platform
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GOP Varieté-TheatercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017GOP Varieté-Theater invested via a Media-for-Equity stake in spring 2017. This provides kuenstlerstadt with high visibility in all GOP venues and exclusive access to thousands of GOP artists who can be booked through the platform.
• Peper & Söhne GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the platform. Nature of partnership appears to be strategic/sponsorship relationship.
• RAUMPERLE GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner on the platform alongside GOP Varieté and Peper & Söhne.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Knot Worldwide: Global wedding planning marketplace owned by The Knot Worldwide (formerly XO Group), with WeddingWire as the European/German counterpart. A major competitor for kuenstlerstadt.de's wedding-and-events demand funnel, offering both vendor search and content/tools; broader scope and brand recognition.
• Eventbrite: Global ticketing and event platform that increasingly helps organizers source entertainment vendors. Tangential overlap — both serve event demand — but Eventbrite is organizer/event-side while kuenstlerstadt.de is entertainment-supply marketplace; comparable audience but different core transaction.
• Thumbtack: Large US local-services marketplace where event vendors (photographers, DJs, bands, event planners) are a significant vertical. Comparable marketplace model (paid lead/contact credits to pros, free to consumers) and SEO-driven category acquisition, but vastly broader scope (home services, lessons, etc.) than kuenstlerstadt.de.
• Fiverr: Global freelance services marketplace with a growing events-and-talent vertical (musicians, photographers, video). Comparable two-sided profile-and-search structure, but transactional/project-based pricing model and global rather than DACH-localized supply; tangential overlap on the creator/talent side.

Direct peers

• Backstage (Backstage.com): US casting and audition marketplace where performers create paid profiles and casting directors search/contact them. Highly comparable in the performer-profile-with-portfolio and search-contact mechanic, although more focused on acting/modeling than general event entertainment.
• GigSalad: US-headquartered two-sided marketplace for booking live entertainment (musicians, DJs, photographers, entertainers) for events. Closest direct competitor in product, audience, and mechanic — same horizontal artist taxonomy and customer-side search-and-book workflow as kuenstlerstadt.de, but North American instead of DACH.
• Gigmundo: German musician and band booking marketplace focused on live music acts for events. Direct competitor within kuenstlerstadt.de's Music/Bands subcategories, with similar subscription-based artist profiles and customer search workflow in the same domestic market.
• Fixando: European (Portuguese-founded) local-services marketplace covering event categories including photography, music/entertainment, and event planning across multiple European countries. Closest European peer in marketplace structure and event-services positioning, overlapping with kuenstlerstadt.de's category taxonomy.

Regional players

• Songkick: Live music concert-discovery and ticketing marketplace owned by Live Nation. Adjacent in live-music demand, but focused on concerts rather than private-event artist booking; useful comparable for SEO-and-discovery-driven audience acquisition in music.
• MyHammer / MYBLUES: German/UK services marketplace originally for home improvement, expanding into broader services. Same country (Germany) and comparable two-sided bid/listing mechanic to kuenstlerstadt.de's inserate system, with similar SEO-driven category acquisition — adjacent rather than directly competitive because event entertainment is not MyHammer's core vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kuenstlerstadt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/kuenstlerstadt
• Facebookfacebook.com/kuenstlerstadt
• Instagraminstagram.com/kuenstlerstadt_de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kuenstlerstadt.de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about kuenstlerstadt.de