Opus Festivals Gmbh

What Opus Festivals Gmbh does

Opus Festivals GmbH is a Stuttgart-based, owner-managed German private limited company (GmbH) founded in 1994 that produces live entertainment formats across music, comedy, and corporate events. The company's flagship asset is the jazzopen stuttgart festival, an 11-day music event held annually in July that draws more than 50,000 attendees across approximately 50 concerts on up to nine stages and is positioned among the top three Jazz and Beyond festivals in Europe. The company has built a portfolio of complementary formats including Couchsession (intimate artist-interview-and-performance shows co-produced with BigFM and Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg at the SpardaWelt Event Center in Stuttgart), Witzkraft (a comedy and cabaret series co-presented with Böblinger Kreissparkasse and Böblinger Baugesellschaft at the Sparkassenforum in Böblingen), and a Galas & Industry Events business that delivers end-to-end corporate concert production for clients such as Mercedes-Benz Museum, Siemens, Südwestmetall, Württembergische, and Züblin.

Revenue is generated across five streams: consumer ticket sales for the festival and other live formats, professional-services fees for corporate gala and industry event production, broadcast and streaming rights licensing through European public broadcasters (Arte, SWR/ARD family, 3sat), merchandise sales, and sponsorship-driven comedy programming. The company extends the value chain beyond live execution through its wholly-owned subsidiary Opus Arts & Entertainment GmbH (Opus A&E), which handles live streaming, TV production, merchandising, and image and sound rights marketing for the formats. Distribution combines direct B2C ticket sales, direct B2B sales for corporate clients (inquiries handled via [email protected]), channel partnerships with public broadcasters, and on/offline merchandise retail.

Operations are run by a lean 10-member core team covering production, operations, ticketing, marketing, project management, design, press, and film/TV production under Managing Director Jürgen Schlensog, supplemented by outsourced event production capacity and the Opus A&E subsidiary. The technology stack is non-proprietary and consists of standard event management, ticketing, broadcast, and marketing tools (Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, rapidmail newsletters, embedded social media plugins). There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary software platforms; the moat rests on 30+ years of artist and agency relationships, brand equity (two LEA awards in 2017 and 2018), and recurring broadcast and sponsor partnerships.

Name

Opus Festivals Gmbh

Legal name

Opus Festivals GmbH

Website

https://opus.live

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Opus Festivals GmbH is a Stuttgart-based, owner-managed live events producer that operates the jazzopen stuttgart festival (50,000+ attendees), the Couchsession and Witzkraft live formats, a corporate gala production business, and a broadcast/merchandising subsidiary (Opus A&E).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Event Production and Festival Management

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Concerts & Music Festivals (Livestreamed Performances) (MPAGAOAD), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Live event production
• Music festival organization
• Corporate event booking
• Artist booking services
• Live broadcast production

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Festival & Event Ticket Sales: Revenue is generated from ticket sales to the general public for the jazzopen festival and other live event formats.
2. Corporate Gala & Industry Event Production: OPUS provides end-to-end production services for corporate galas and industry events, including artist selection consultation, fee negotiation, contract drafting, and event coordination. Revenue is derived from production fees charged to corporate clients such as Mercedes-Benz Museum, Siemens, Südwestmetall, Württembergische, and Züblin.
3. Broadcast & Streaming Rights: Opus A&E produces live streams and TV broadcasts of Jazz Open concerts for Arte and ARD family channels (SWR, 3sat), generating revenue from broadcasting rights and content licensing.
4. Merchandising: Opus A&E develops and distributes merchandise products for its event formats (Jazz Open, Couchsession) to direct customers and distribution partners in both online and offline retail.
5. Comedy Format (Witzkraft): OPUS produces the Witzkraft comedy and cabaret series at the Sparkassenforum in Böblingen, a format co-presented with Böblinger Kreissparkasse and Böblinger Baugesellschaft, generating revenue through ticket sales and sponsorships.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Opus Festivals GmbH is a Stuttgart-based live event company that produces the jazzopen music festival (11 days, 50+ concerts, 50,000+ attendees), the Couchsession live interview-and-performance format, the Witzkraft comedy series, and end-to-end corporate gala and industry event production services. Its subsidiary Opus A&E handles live streaming, TV broadcasts for Arte/ARD, and merchandising.

Product overview

Opus Festivals GmbH is a flexible, owner-managed live event company with over 30 years of experience developing and executing live event formats ranging from music to comedy shows. The company operates several distinct products: jazzopen is the flagship 11-day music festival in Stuttgart attracting over 50,000 attendees; Couchsession is an intimate artist interview-and-performance format at SpardaWelt Event Center; Witzkraft is a comedy and cabaret brand at Sparkassenforum Böblingen; Galas & Industry Events provides corporate concert booking and production services; and Opus A&E (Arts & Entertainment) is a subsidiary handling live streaming, TV production, and merchandising for these formats. The portfolio spans music festivals, live talk shows, comedy events, and corporate entertainment, all unified by the company's expertise in marketing, booking, and event production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• jazzopen: Major jazz and music festival in Stuttgart, one of Europe's top 3 Jazz and Beyond festivals, featuring over 50 concerts across up to nine stages with over 50,000 attendees.
• Couchsession
• Galas & Industry Events
• Witzkraft

Products and services

• jazzopen A major music festival held annually for 11 days in July in Stuttgart, evolved into one of Europe's top 3 Jazz and Beyond festivals with over 50,000 attendees across approximately 50 concerts on up to nine stages. Features jazz club stages and a main venue at Schlossplatz, hosting world stars and newcomers.
• Couchsession An intimate live format co-produced with BigFM and Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg at the SpardaWelt Event Center in Stuttgart, featuring big-name artists interviewed on a couch before performing on stage. Past artists include Clueso, Mark Foster, Lena, Rea Garvey, and Milky Chance.
• Witzkraft A comedy and cabaret brand presenting popular German comedy and cabaret artists at the Sparkassenforum in Böblingen, co-presented with Böblinger Kreissparkasse and Böblinger Baugesellschaft. Featured artists include Bernhard Hoëcker, Christine Eixenberger, and Sebastian Pufpaff.
• Galas & Industry Events Corporate and private concert organization service providing worldwide access to artists, including consultation on artist selection, complete production execution, fee negotiation, contract drafting, and event coordination. Reference clients include Mercedes-Benz Museum, Siemens, Südwestmetall, Württembergische, and Züblin.
• Opus A&E (Arts & Entertainment) Wholly-owned subsidiary Opus Arts & Entertainment GmbH that extends live events to screens worldwide through live streams and TV broadcasts of Jazz Open concerts for Arte and ARD family channels. Also manages merchandising, image and sound rights marketing, and distribution of merchandise products through online and offline retail channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 festival attendees per year across ~50 concerts on up to nine stages over 11 days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BigFMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPUS and BigFM jointly produce the Couchsession live format at the Stuttgart SpardaWelt Event Center. The format features intimate artist interviews followed by live performances, with big names presented up close and personal to the audience.
• Sparda-Bank Baden-WürttembergcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg supports the Couchsession format as a sponsor, enabling the presentation of big-name artists at the SpardaWelt Event Center in Stuttgart. The bank serves as the named venue sponsor.
• ArtecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArte regularly broadcasts live streams and TV recordings of Jazz Open concerts. The partnership extends OPUS's content reach across European audiences through Arte's pan-European broadcast network.
• SWR (ARD Family)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSWR, a member of the ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), regularly produces and broadcasts Jazz Open concerts as part of its programming, extending reach to German-speaking audiences across the ARD network.
• 3sat (ARD/ZDF Family)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor3sat, the cultural channel of the ARD/ZDF broadcasting cooperation, airs Jazz Open concert recordings as part of its cultural programming.
• Böblinger KreissparkassecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBöblinger Kreissparkasse co-presents the Witzkraft comedy and cabaret series at the Sparkassenforum in Böblingen. The regional savings bank serves as a primary sponsor of the comedy format, which features popular German comedy and cabaret artists.
• Böblinger BaugesellschaftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBöblinger Baugesellschaft co-presents the Witzkraft comedy series alongside Böblinger Kreissparkasse, providing sponsorship support for the regional comedy format at Sparkassenforum Böblingen.
• Opus Arts & Entertainment GmbH (Opus A&E)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpus A&E is a sister company to Opus Festivals GmbH that extends live event experiences to screens worldwide through live streaming and TV production, manages merchandising, and handles image and sound rights marketing for Jazz Open and other formats.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Karsten Jahnke Konzertdirektion GmbH: Hamburg-based independent concert and festival promoter behind events like Elbjazz and JazzBaltica. Direct comparable as a German promoter focused on jazz and curated music formats, with a similar boutique-to-mid-scale festival operating approach.
• DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG: German listed live entertainment company producing concerts, tours, and festivals across rock/pop/classical/jazz. Closely comparable business model (artist booking + production + ticketing + venue partnerships) and similar target corporate clients in the DACH market.
• FKP Scorpio Konzertgesellschaft mbH: Largest independent German festival and concert promoter, operating Hurricane, Southside, Deichbrand, and many others. Directly comparable as a German independent festival/concert promoter with marquee international headliners and a similar artist-booking-driven model.
• Cobra Kultur GmbH: Independent German live entertainment producer and festival organizer (e.g., Im in Love with the 80s). Comparable as a mid-sized independent festival/event producer in the DACH market with a curated music focus.
• MLK Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur: Long-standing German concert promoter for global touring acts and large-scale live events. Comparable on artist-booking core, marquee international roster, and corporate event production capability in Germany.
• Melt Festival GmbH: Independent operator of the Melt Festival at Ferropolis, one of Germany's flagship electronic/indie music festivals. Comparable as an independent German festival organizer running a single annual headline event with tens of thousands of attendees.

Broad incumbents

• AEG Presents (Europe): Global concert and festival promoter with European touring presence and venue operations (e.g., affiliated European arena programming). Comparable at the artist booking/promotion layer, though materially larger and broader than a single-festival operator.
• Live Nation Entertainment (Germany): World's largest live entertainment company with German touring/promotion presence. Comparable on festival/concert promotion economics, though operating at vastly greater scale and breadth than Opus Festivals.
• CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA (Eventim Live): Europe's largest ticketing and live entertainment platform, owning Eventim Live as its promoter arm with massive scale, national ticketing infrastructure, and venue partnerships. Comparable end-customer live events but materially larger and broader in scope than Opus's festival/concert focus.

Emerging players

• North Sea Jazz Festival / Mojo Concerts: Dutch operator of the North Sea Jazz Festival and other European jazz/music events. Comparable as a European jazz-anchored festival promoter with international headliners and curated programming, providing a regional mirror to jazzopen from outside the German market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jazzopen/?locale=de_DE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opusgmbh/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/jazzopen_stuttgart/?hl=de

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Opus Festivals Gmbh