Photo: Martin Huch
It is with great sadness that we bid farewell to Manfred Schütz, an outstanding visionary in the music industry and a formative pioneer of the independent music scene. The founder of SPV and founder and managing director of MIG Music passed away on January 3, 2025 after a long and serious illness at the age of 74.
Manfred was a driving force in the music landscape. With the founding of SPV in 1984, he created a platform that enabled independent artists and labels to be heard worldwide. SPV became one of the most important players in the independent label sector, particularly in the rock, metal and electronic music scene, and was for a long time the largest independent music distributor in Europe.
After leaving SPV, Manfred founded MIG Music. There he made it his mission to save musical treasures from oblivion. His immense knowledge of music resulted in many impressive and surprising releases. It was not unusual for us to receive emails from fans thanking us for the work of MIG Music.
Manfred was not only a music lover and businessman, but also an open and warm person. His office door was always open and he always had an ear for his employees.
We will miss Manfred. We are not only losing a boss, but above all a good friend.
We can only agree with the words that Ecki Stieg, friend and companion, wrote in his obituary: “Manfred is the departure of an ‘old school’ label boss with all his rough edges, who was also a true connoisseur and fan.”
MIG Music will continue to exist under the management of Tanja Michaelis and Volker Pape, in Manfred’s spirit.
Take care, Manfred!
