GERMANY (CelebrityAccess) – Deutsche Entertainment AG (DEAG) has launched District Live in a strategic move to bolster its presence in the hip-hop live event sector. The brand has been part of DEAG subsidiary Handwerker Promotions since 2022 but will be a standalone business.
The new company, headed by Alexander Handwerker, aims to enhance DEAG’s influence and operations in urban music and hip-hop. District Live represents the next phase in the company’s expansion strategy. District Live functions as a booking agency and tour promoter, focusing on emerging talents in the hip-hop scene. This new division enriches DEAG’s overall portfolio with a dedicated urban music segment.
“Alexander Handwerker, Managing Director of District Live, not only leads the new division with notable success but also founded the hip hop brand driven by his personal musical passion,” DEAG stated.
In its inaugural year, District Live reported selling 70,000 tickets. Its roster boasts promising newcomers like Tream, who has sold over 100,000 tickets for his second tour in 2024, and established artists such as rapper Bausa, scheduled for 17 shows across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in February 2025.
The company is also set to expand its influence in festival bookings.
Handwerker said, “With District Live, we are deliberately founding a brand to make urban/hip hop acts feel strongly represented and optimally staged. As a booking agency, we focus on up-and-coming artists at an early stage to be able to accompany them on their journey from the very beginning. We also work with established artists to further develop their performances, thus enabling them to achieve a new, unique standing in the scene.”
DEAG CEO Detlef Kornett highlighted the new venture: “We are particularly proud that this company, led by Alex Handwerker, has evolved from within our ranks. We wish Alex and District Live continued success and look forward to further collaboration across the entire DEAG group.”
Handwerker’s career includes studying event management in North Rhine-Westphalia and gaining diverse industry experience in Berlin with DEAG and Universal Music. He later joined his father’s company, Handwerker Promotion, where he spearheaded the founding of District Live within a year.
