Ostrock. Change in the role and function of East German rock music since the 1980s

The pop music of the GDR, spurned at the turn of the century, experienced a remarkable renaissance in the mid-1990s. Under the genre name "Ostrock" now very different musicians with East German background were marketed with varying degrees of success. In this project, the integration of East German rock music into the capitalist German music business was examined. With the end of the GDR, a large part of the infrastructure of the music scene, such as distribution channels, performance venues and state funding, was lost. This forced change reflected the project. At the same time, the cultural dimension of "Ostrock" was analyzed for the first time in this work. What function did the music take for the former GDR citizens? The source material was above all corporate files, music magazines and media with a specific East German reference such as the Superillu or regional newspapers. In addition, eyewitness interviews were conducted.