KUPF OÖ - Kulturplattform Oberösterreich

What KUPF OÖ - Kulturplattform Oberösterreich does

KUPF OÖ - Kulturplattform Oberösterreich is a non-profit umbrella association (Verein) founded in 1986 and headquartered in Linz, Upper Austria. It represents 255 independent cultural initiatives across all disciplines (music, theater, film, literature, festivals, visual arts, community cultural spaces) that operate free from government, political, or religious affiliation. Its core services span four areas: (1) advocacy and political representation, including collective bargaining with AKM for up to 40% music copyright fee reductions for members and regional/national policy engagement through its dual membership in IG Kultur Österreich; (2) consulting and education, including 1-on-1 advisory on association law, tax, funding, and project management, plus the KUPFakademie (workshops and the co-developed Lehrgang Kunst- und Kulturmanagement with BFI OÖ); (3) content and platform services, including the quarterly KUPFzeitung magazine, the KUPFkulturjobs job board (claimed as the most successful in the German-speaking world), the 900+ book KUPFbibliothek, the KULTURTRANSFER podcast, and the Fair Pay Rechner tool; and (4) commercial services housed in the subsidiary KUPF Services GmbH, including KUPFticket.com and Kulturspenden.at. Revenue is derived from tiered annual membership dues (€60 to €480 per member based on member revenue), magazine subscriptions and advertising, education program fees, ticketing/donation transaction fees, group insurance commissions, and EU project grants. The organization is governed by an annually elected volunteer board of approximately ten members and operated by a professional office team of eight to ten staff.

Name

KUPF OÖ - Kulturplattform Oberösterreich

Legal name

Kulturplattform Oberösterreich (KUPF OÖ)

Website

https://kupf.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KUPF OÖ is a non-profit umbrella association founded in 1986 in Linz, representing 255 independent cultural initiatives in Upper Austria through advocacy, collective bargaining, consulting, education, a quarterly magazine, and a cultural-sector job board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership fees from 255 member cultural initiatives. Fees are tiered based on annual revenue of the member organization (4 tiers: €60, €120, €240, €480 per year). This is the primary revenue stream for the association's operations.
2. KUPFzeitung subscriptions and advertising: The KUPFzeitung is a quarterly cultural-political magazine. Revenue is generated through subscriptions and discounted advertising rates for members.
3. KUPFakademie education programs: Continuing education programs for cultural workers including workshops (e.g., on finance) and the 'Lehrgang Kunst- und Kulturmanagement' (Culture Management Training Program), developed in cooperation with BFI OÖ.
4. KUPFkulturjobs platform: The most successful culture job board in the German-speaking world. May generate revenue through job postings.
5. KUPFticket.com and Kulturspenden.at: Ticketing and donation services offered to members at preferential rates. The KUPF Services GmbH (led by Thomas Diesenreiter) operates KUPFticket.com. Revenue includes ticketing fees and donation platform fees.
6. Insurance packages: Group insurance packages (liability, legal protection, accident) offered to members at preferential rates.
7. Event services and publications: Publications (including the KUPFzeitung and CultHeRit publications), event organization (webinars, workshops), and project-based EU funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KUPF OÖ is a non-profit umbrella association (Verein) that represents, advises, and supports 255 independent cultural initiatives in Upper Austria. It delivers member-funded services including cultural policy advocacy, consulting (association founding, funding, tax/labor law, copyright), continuing education (KUPFakademie), the KUPFzeitung quarterly magazine, the KUPFkulturjobs job board, group insurance, ticketing (KUPFticket.com), and collective bargaining for reduced AKM fees.

Product overview

KUPF OÖ is a cultural platform and advocacy organization for Upper Austria's independent cultural scene, offering a portfolio of interconnected services including the KUPFzeitung (quarterly cultural policy magazine), KUPFkulturjobs (culture job board), KUPFakademie (education including online courses on AI and culture), KUPFbibliothek (900+ books), KULTURTRANSFER podcast, Fair Pay calculator, and consulting services. Related services include KUPFticket.com (ticketing), Kulturspenden.at (donations), and machtmissbrauch.help (reporting platform). The organization serves 255 member initiatives through advocacy, education, networking, and member benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KUPFzeitung: The leading cultural policy magazine of the organization, published quarterly.
• KUPFkulturjobs
• KUPFakademie
• KUPFbibliothek
• KUPFticket.com
• Fair Pay Rechner

Products and services

• KUPFzeitung Quarterly cultural-policy magazine (print and digital) covering current questions of cultural production in Austria; available via subscription and at newsstands, with discounted ad rates for members.
• KUPFkulturjobs Online job board for the cultural sector, described as the most successful culture job exchange in the German-speaking world; serves cultural workers and employers across DACH.
• KUPFakademie Continuing education programs for cultural workers, including workshops on finance and the 'Lehrgang Kunst- und Kulturmanagement' (Arts and Culture Management Training Program) co-developed with BFI OÖ, plus online modules (e.g., 'AI and Cultural Work').
• KUPFbibliothek

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 40% reduction in AKM (music copyright) fees for member organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IG Kultur ÖsterreichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986KUPF OÖ is the regional member organization of IG Kultur Österreich (Austrian Association for Cultural Policy). Members of KUPF OÖ are automatically members of IG Kultur Österreich. The partnership provides national-level cultural policy advocacy, improved information flow on federal policy developments, access to IG Kultur's advisory services for federal and EU matters, discounts on events and educational offerings of IG Kultur, voting rights at IG Kultur's General Assembly. Only one membership fee is charged (the KUPF membership fee covers both). Thomas Diesenreiter serves as KUPF's representative on the IG Kultur board.
• BFI OÖ (Berufsförderungsinstitut Oberösterreich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKUPF OÖ co-developed the 'Lehrgang Kunst- und Kulturmanagement' (Arts and Culture Management Training Program) with BFI OÖ. Marlies Auer was responsible for developing this joint educational program at BFI OÖ from 2009–2023.
• AKM (Austrian Society of Musical Performing Rights)coreOthersKUPF OÖ negotiates collective fee reductions of up to 40% on AKM (music copyright) fees for its member organizations. This is a key financial benefit for members engaged in music events and performances.
• KUPF Services GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerA corporate subsidiary of KUPF OÖ managed by Thomas Diesenreiter as Geschäftsführer. Operates KUPFticket.com (ticketing service) and provides commercial services that complement the non-profit association's offerings. Questions regarding KUPFticket.com are directed to [email protected].
• European Democracy LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerena Humer led the European Balcony Project for European Democracy Lab in 2018, in collaboration with Robert Menasse and Milo Rau, implemented in over 200 European cities.
• EU (CultHeRit project)coreOthersCultHeRit is an EU-funded project on cultural heritage employment. Thomas Philipp serves as project lead. The project is in its final phase with publications and a closing conference held in Budapest. This represents significant project-based partnership with EU funding.
• Open Commons LinzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMagdalena Reiter, lead of KUPFakademie Online, previously led the Open Commons Linz initiative, demonstrating a connection between digital rights/open technology advocacy and KUPF OÖ's educational mission.
• Elfriede Jelinek Forschungszentrum (University of Vienna)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerena Humer led the FWF research project 'Ökonomie und Gender. Reflexionen kunstschaffender Frauen in Österreich von 1968 bis heute' (2014–2016) at this research center, indicating academic partnership and research collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Reso – Netzwerk für Kulturprojekte: Austrian network supporting cultural projects with consulting, networking, and capacity-building services — directly comparable to KUPF OÖ's consulting, academy, and peer-exchange functions for the independent cultural sector.
• Bundesverband Soziokultur: German federal association of soziokulturelle centers and initiatives — a membership-based umbrella offering advocacy, consulting, networking, and professional development for cultural operators, structurally analogous to KUPF OÖ's role in Upper Austria.
• Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V. Germany's national cultural policy association, comparable in mission to KUPF OÖ: advocacy, networking, and consulting for independent cultural initiatives, including publications, events, and policy engagement at federal level.
• IG Kultur Österreich: National umbrella association for independent cultural initiatives in Austria. KUPF OÖ is the regional Upper Austrian member organization of IG Kultur Österreich, and KUPF members are automatically members of IG Kultur — making it the closest structural peer.

Regional players

• Mit Kultur Ostschweiz: Regional cultural platform for Eastern Switzerland, providing consulting, networking, and information services to independent cultural actors — analogous to KUPF OÖ but operating in a different German-speaking region.
• LAG Soziokultur NRW: State-level umbrella for soziokulturelle centers in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Mirrors KUPF OÖ's state-level (Upper Austria) scope and service mix (consulting, events, advocacy) for independent cultural initiatives, but in a different region.

Emerging players

• Creative Austria: Austrian initiative focused on the creative industries and cultural entrepreneurship, overlapping with KUPF OÖ's education and capacity-building work (e.g. KUPFakademie) but with a more commercial/startup-leaning orientation.

Broad incumbents

• European Cultural Foundation: Amsterdam-based pan-European foundation funding cross-border cultural collaboration and advocacy. Comparable to KUPF OÖ's pan-European project activity (e.g. CultHeRit, European Balcony Project) at a much larger scale.
• Pro Helvetia – Schweizer Kulturstiftung: Swiss Arts Council — the public-sector national body funding and supporting Swiss arts and culture. Broader incumbent than KUPF OÖ, with overlapping grantmaking and advocacy functions at the national level.

Others

• Fonds Soziokultur: German funding body that finances soziokulturelle projects nationwide — an enabler/funder adjacent to KUPF OÖ's consulting and project-support role for independent cultural initiatives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/kupf.at
• Facebookfacebook.com/kupfooe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kupfooe
• Instagraminstagram.com/kupfooe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about KUPF OÖ - Kulturplattform Oberösterreich