Commitment outside the Company

Edel AG is a member of industry associations Bundesverband Musikindustrie, IFPI*, Bundesverband Audiovisuelle Medien (BVV) and also the book publishing association Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandel. The main activities of the associations in the audiovisual area including combating product piracy and protecting copyrights and intellectual property. CEO Michael Haentjes is a member of the international IFPI board and was chairman of the German Phonographic Associations (IFPI, Bundesverband der Phonographischen Wirtschaft, Deutsche Phono Akademie) between October 2005 and October 2007. A number of other members of Edel’s management are actively involved in various bodies and organizations which are financed solely by the contributions of the member companies. These activities also include cultural promotion and educational aspects such as the activities which Phono-Akademie conducts in conjunction with schools and universities. As well as this, Edel is a member of the European nonprofit organization Impala, which was established by independent labels and record producers. Impala represents the interests of the independent companies at the European level in the furtherance of cultural diversity and economic equality. In Hamburg, where Edel’s headquarters are located, we are also active as one of the founding members of Interessengemeinschaft Hamburger Musikunternehmen (IHM), which represents the common local interests of Hamburg-based companies active in all areas of the music business. This includes support for small companies and music clubs, the organization of industry meetings and joint activities with the Hamburg government.
Via its membership in numerous associations and lobbies, Edel AG is supporting a series of national and international aid projects both directly and indirectly. This includes the current “Du Bist Deutschland 2” campaign aimed at encouraging greater acceptance of children in Germany. in which the associations and companies involved contribute financial and personnel resources as well as communication facilities. On top of this, members of the Edel Group repeatedlyinitiate or support benefit projects via the income received from its publications. A further example is the children’s travel guide
“1000 Ideen für Kinder in Deutschland”, which is being produced in conjunction with the “Du Bist Deutschland” campaign for greater acceptance
of children.
Edel AG regularly supports charities and non-profit organizations with cash and non-cash donations. The company primarily supports cultural institutions and projects with a local link with the places in which it has offices, one example of this being the Beatles Square in Hamburg. Members of Edel AG’s management regularly take part in the SeitenWechsel project organized by Patriotische Gesellschaft von 1765. Here, executives from the corporate sector have a chance of actively participating in a welfare organization as a means of learning about its day-to-day activities and challenges and the diversity of its work. They are then able to plow this experience back into their own daily lives to enhance their social competence, their awareness of society as a whole and their ability to treat staff with greater sensitivity and consideration. The charities, which receive financial support from the companies for this purpose, use the programs to arouse awareness in the business community for their own achievements and to draw attention to their work.