Frequently Asked Questions
Have you got any questions? Well, we have the answers. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, then just drop an email to faq@ravetheplanet.com
General questions
What exactly is a gGmbH?
According to German law, a “gGmbH” is a limited liability company which uses its income for non-profit purposes. Its non-profit status is indicated by the small “g” (short for German „gemeinnützig“ = charitable) in front of the abbreviation “GmbH” and defined by the German Tax Code (ger. = Abgabenordnung, AO).
Non-profit status applies if the purpose of a corporation (such as an association or a limited liability company) is to “selflessly promote the general public in material, spiritual or ethical terms”. (Section 52/1 AO). A gGmbH is also subject to the laws on limited liability companies and the German Commercial Code.
For more information in the German language, please refer to Wikipedia.
Why set up a non-profit limited company instead of a registering a non-profit society?
Compared to a non-profit registered society, a non-profit limited company can operate more effectively. Decisions can be implemented quickly and do not have to be confirmed in a general meeting of its members. We have chosen this legal form at Rave The Planet because we want to be directly involved with our projects, for the protection, preservation, maintenance, promotion and further development of the electronic dance music culture. The profits generated by the gGmbH will be used exclusively for charitable purposes and not shared as dividends to any shareholders.
How long has Rave The Planet been around?
We’ve been around officially since July 2019, but we actually got together shortly after the nineties berlin exhibition opened in mid-2018. This was a special multimedia exhibition about the 1990s in Berlin. We developed the special exhibition known as “30 Years of the Loveparade” together and, in the process, we realized that we all share the same passion for techno and the electronic dance music culture and recognized the problems that cultural locations are having in Germany. This is how we finally came up with the idea of founding Rave The Planet.
Why does Rave The Planet have three CEOs?
That sounds like a lot! It is, however, very easy to explain: We need the three CEOs because there is a lot to do in some very diverse areas. There is an extremely large number of tasks on the agenda, which range from exhibitions, PR, back office, communication, team organization, donation management, politics, association representation, to talks with clubs and artists etc. Each CEO must be able to responsibly and fully represent his own area. Our CEOs all work on a voluntary basis, which means that they don’t get paid and it’s going to stay this way.
What is Rave The Planet calling for and what are its goals?
We want to ensure that the electronic dance music culture is protected, maintained, presented, promoted and further developed, and also to have the electronic dance music culture recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. We also aim at having an official public holiday introduced for our culture and celebrating this with a living tradition of our electronic dance music: a new parade in Berlin that will carry forth the spirit of the original Love Parade.
What about transparency?
Right now, we are working on creating a transparency chart with every expense we have made so far. It will show exactly who was paid how much money and for what.
Who’s behind Rave The Planet?
You can meet our team on the „About us“ page. We’re a colorful bunch from different countries and the most diverse fields of activity. Our team is made up of students of architecture, cultural workers and artists, as well as successful entrepreneurs. We’re basically a bit of everything. This diversity gives us strength and plenty of expertise.
Why do the shareholders invest their time and money in Rave The Planet when they can't make any profit from it?
Not everything in life is about money. We believe that the idea and spirit of the electronic dance music culture enriches us. Some shareholders are also involved elsewhere as supporters, donors or sponsors, for example in the fields of data protection, environmental and animal conservation, sports and education, etc. We want to move things and make more things possible. There are lots of other entrepreneurs who also donate money without expecting anything in return. That’s great! It must also be possible to promote ideas privately and without any bureaucracy.
Questions on Fundraving
What is Fundraving?
Fundraving is a made-up word. It includes the words Fundraising (to raise money for a purpose) and Raving (to dance to techno music). The word Fundraving describes our special fundraising project to enable the new parade in Berlin. For further information, please click here.
What is a Fundraver?
Have you had the chance yet to make a donation in our online donation shop for one of our Fundraving model figures? If you’ve done this already, then you’re a Fundraver, too! Cool! If not, you can do it right here.
HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN DONATED IN FUNDRAVING SO FAR?
You can see how far the campaign has progressed directly at the model. Here on our website and in the online donation shop you can also see the current status of the donations in Euro and participants:
Can I just donate some money?
You’re more than welcome! Just take a look at our „Donations” page. You can find more information there.
Why do you need to sell 1.5 million model figures?
The is a symbolic number representing the 1,500,000 ravers* who peacefully celebrated together in 1999 — at the largest Love Parade of all time. We don’t actually need so many people to have another parade, but we’d like to see if people today are still interested in playing a democratic role in such things.
How long will the model be around?
The Fundraving model has been around since January 13, 2020. It will probably stay there until the end of the year.
When is it open?
The Fundraving model is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, as well as on certain Sundays. The public can access it, however, around the clock. Outside of the opening hours mentioned above, it is surrounded by a fence to protect it against vandalism.
What if I’d like to donate Victory Column or Brandenburg Gate?
Please feel free! Just get in touch with us at: info@ravetheplanet.com
When will it be possible to donate the Love Floats?
You can donate the Love Floats for our Fundraving model whenever you like. Just get in touch with us directly at: info@ravetheplanet.com
Why are donation receipts only issued from amounts larger than €200?
The law in Germany says that donation receipts are only required for amounts larger than €200. Adhering to this regulation saves us time and administration costs, which means that we have more money for our charitable projects.
Why is the Fundraving model in a shopping mall?
The location of the Fundraving model actually has a very special place in the club history of Berlin. The first Tresor Club used to stand right here and in fact our model stands on the exact location of what used to be the Tresor’s Garden. In the early 1990s, some legendary Love Parade after-parties were held here. Thousands of visitors and locals walk through the mall and, thus, this former location – and these are exactly the people we want to remind of days gone-by and attract. There is hardly a better place to do this. To gain acceptance for techno, we want to attract people who otherwise don’t come into contact with it.
But there are some other reasons that make this place special. It is
- right in the center of Berlin, in the district of Mitte,
- in close proximity to the political heart of Germany (opposite the German Bundesrat) and
- with around 22 million international visitors ever year, perfectly suited for a fundraising campaign of our size, as it enables us to reach a huge amount of people here.
Last but not least: with this location, we are also following the tradition of the Love Parade in Berlin. It used to start on Kurfürstendamm, West Berlin’s famous main shopping boulevard.
What else can I do? Can I support it in any other ways?
You’re already a Fundraver, but you’d like to do more? That’s awesome! Thank you very much.
The most important thing, of course, is to make as many people as possible aware of Rave The Planet and the Fundraving. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please feel free to like, and of course share, our posts.
Here’s more you can do if you like:
- You can print up our stubs yourself, cut them along the dotted lines and hang these in your local area – or course, only where you’re allowed to. 😉
- You can distribute information flyers. We’ll be glad to send them to you by post. If you’d like to know more, then just write us an email to edr@ravetheplanet.com
Do you have any other suggestions? Drop a mail to info@ravetheplanet.com
What will happen with the donations if the parade doesn’t take place?
If the fundraising does not raise enough money for the new parade, the collected funds will be used for Rave The Planet’s other charitable purposes in accordance with our Articles of Association, e.g. for UNESCO to recognize electronic dance music as Intangible Cultural Heritage, to promote art and culture, to protect electronic dance music, and much more.
Questions on Cultural Heritage
What is „Intangible Cultural Heritage“?
Intangible cultural heritage is a term that covers customs, music and festivals directly created as a result of human knowledge and skills. These are passed down through the generations, are alive and constantly undergo development. Unlike buildings or monuments, for example, they are not material and cannot be touched – this makes them therefore immaterial.
“It is an expression of creativity, conveys continuity and identity, shapes social cohesion and contributes to sustainable development.” (Translated from German)
This is how it is defined by the UNESCO, the organization that internationally coordinates and ensures the protection of cultural heritage.
Immaterial culturage includes:
- Cultural traditions and artistic forms passed on verbally, including language as a vehicle for intangible cultural heritage,
- performing arts, such as music, dance and theater,
- social customs, social practices, rituals and celebrations,
- knowledge and methods in dealing with nature and the universe,
- professional knowledge of traditional handwork techniques.
(Source: German Wikipedia)
The electronic dance music culture has already attained the status of intangible cultural heritage in the Netherlands. The techno culture in Zurich has also been on the UNESCO list of living traditions in Switzerland since 2017.
What’s the difference between “World Heritage” and “Intangible Cultural Heritage”?
The designation known as „World Cultural Heritage“, but also called UNESCO World Heritage, is awarded to monuments, buildings, sites, natural formations, landscapes, etc. of exceptional value. According to the states signatory to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, these can be protected. In our communication, we use the term „World Cultural Heritage” because we hope that our cultural heritage will one day become cultural heritage in Berlin as well as in the rest of Germany and gain recognition as World Cultural Heritage.
How should intangible cultural heritage help the electronic dance music culture?
Our culture is peaceful, rich in knowledge and has a wealth of experience. We are calling for it to be placed under the protection of UNESCO’s Lists Intangible Cultural Heritage. This would bring numerous social and legal benefits:
BENEFITS TO SOCIETY
- Inclusion on the nationwide UNESCO list is a communicative and symbolic recognition of electronic dance music and club culture.
- The status of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” promotes awareness within society that the electronic dance music culture is an independent cultural form that has long outgrown its niche existence.
- Inclusion on the UNESCO list guarantees international attention and raises awareness of the need to protect and preserve this culture.
LEGAL BENEFITS
- Protecting the venues can be considered to be of higher priority than soundproofing, neighborhood protection and monument conservation. This restricts the discretionary powers of local governments.
- It does not automatically protect already existing clubs, but they are considered more worthy of protection.
- This certification increases the constitutional protection of art (see GG Article 5/3 of the German Basic Law). Protecting things of high relevance, i.e. culture and art, is of more significance than protection of the individual.
- When opening a new club, the status of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” ensures significantly lower hurdles and restrictions.
- Inclusion on the nationwide UNESCO list paves the way for state subsidies and support from other charitable organizations. The status of “Intangible Cultural Heritage” can bring tax benefits, e.g. generally 7% instead of 19% VAT
Fragen zum Spendenshop
How much of the money for each model figure is used as a donation?
This depends on the model figure and where it is to be placed on the model. For a donation of €5, for example, one „Love Lucie“ can be placed on the “Street” area. A little over 80% of this goes straight to our charitable projects. If you want to place Lucie directly at Victory Column, however, you’ll have to donate €100. The amount used for the Fundraving is of course much higher.
Can I have the model figures also delivered to me at home?
Unfortunately, not yet. The model figures represent your donations for our charitable projects (world cultural heritage, protection of clubs, new parade, etc.) and will be glued to the Fundraving model by our model makers directly on site in Berlin.
Why doesn’t the figure belong to me after I’ve purchased one?
The figures are a donation and do not constitute a commercial sale. As a non-profit company, this is a significant difference. Seen in this way, the model figure is merely symbolic.
Why isn’t the payment confirmation sent from Rave The Planet?
Payment providers, such as PayPal, want to minimize their own risk (tax, reclamations, etc.) when dealing with non-profit companies and, therefore, unfortunately don’t permit the special kind of donation payments that we’ve thought up. That’s why we work in partnership with Womemos in the donation shop. They present the donations in a transparent way and, after deducting the payment provider’s fees, directly pass them on to us. With great support from PayPal, however, we are working on issuing a joint confirmation. AmazonPay does not wish to support us!
How can I make a complaint about a product?
You can find detailed information on this in the terms and conditions of our online donation shop under „V. Right of cancellation for consumers”.
Questions on the new parade
Will there really be a new parade?
Because our project depends on the success of the fundraising, this is completely up to you. In other words: if and when the new parade will take place depends on how much we’re able to collect through your donations. So, join in right now and use our online donation shop to donate a model figure. By June, we’ll let you know for sure.
Will the new parade also be called „Love Parade”?
As the trademark on the name of „Love Parade” does not belong to us: No. But we’d be really happy if this could change.
What do the victims of the Love Parade in 2010 think about it?
We invited three representatives from the LoPa 2010 e.V. victims’ initiative to visit us for the launch of Rave The Planet and to the press conference for the fundraising model’s opening. They had a look around and everything was explained to them. They also personally glued their mini ravers to the model.
In a television interview on Duisburg’s regional channel Studio 47, Nicole Ballhause (spokeswoman for the LoPa 2010 e.V victim’s initiative) replied to the question of what the victims thought of Rave The Planet as follows::
„If this project takes place in Berlin and under the direction of Dr. Motte, none of us have any objections.”
You can see the clip from Studio 47 here (in German):
Will the new parade be carbon neutral? What about particulate pollution?
We are working on strategies to protect the environment and avoid litter. Our goal is to organize a parade that is ecological and sustainable.
What about security?
Ensuring the safety of the people taking part is our top priority. The security concept has already been drawn up and is currently being examined by the authorities.
How will it differ from the old Love Parade?
Your donations and participation in the Fundraving will enable our project to be independent of any sponsors. They are of course still welcome to join in! But as our goal is to throw a parade that’s free of advertising, they will not be visible at the parade.
The only advertising that we actually want is for culture itself, e.g. for clubs and festivals, DJs, labels, etc. After all, our aim is to present the diversity of the electronic dance music culture.
Kultur selbst, also z. B. für Clubs und Festivals, DJs, Labels usw. Es geht uns schließlich um die Darstellung der Vielfalt der elektronischen Tanzmusikkultur.