Music Manager
Text & Photos: Olaf Adam
This article originally appeared in 0dB - Das Magazin der Leidenschaft N°2
Wolfgang Lücke looks back on quite a musical career. He financed his business studies working as a roadie, organized internationally significant skate and music events for the first German skateboard importer, and later was responsible for marketing at a large mail order company for musical instruments. After that, he managed Europe’s most important music fair in Frankfurt for 17 years. Since mid-2017, he has been steering the fortunes of the small speaker manufacturer Audio Physic in Brilon. Did something go wrong there?
"Not at all, on the contrary! As a music fan, I've always had a passion for quality music listening, and I've been a customer of Audio Physic for 16 years. I’ve even known my predecessor Dieter Kratochwil for over 30 years. When he decided, for health reasons, to step back a little, he approached me, and it all just came together."
With a Lot of Feeling
The move from the sprawling exhibition halls of the Main metropolis to the tranquil Brilon was not difficult at all for the Westphalia native, and he mainly sees the similarities between the industries. "Making music, listening to music, feeling music—for me, it fits wonderfully side by side and yet together. A high-quality musical instrument, like a Gibson guitar or a Steinway grand piano, excites me just as much as a high-quality loudspeaker," says Lücke. "And now I see myself not just as the marketer and seller of these high-end products, but also as the manufacturer. When I walk through production in the morning with all its sounds and smells, it’s simply a wonderful feeling."
So, for the manager, the new position at Audio Physic is less of just a job and more a true passion project. The aim is to enable others to experience their music as well as possible. By the way, for Lücke, that’s not necessarily a matter of money. "I can go to a small jazz club for 20 euros or to the Westfalenhalle for 200 euros. If the artist isn’t having a good night, the spark just doesn’t ignite. Music is emotion, both in making and listening. And if the system at home conveys that emotion, then it’s a good system, no matter how expensive it was. That’s why it’s important not just to develop based on frequency responses or other measurement values, but above all, by ear."
However, good quality comes at a price—even at Audio Physic. "We have over 30 years of experience and, as a small manufacturer, we’ve repeatedly managed to be truly innovative. But developments like our own chassis technology or the glass sandwich enclosures simply cost money. Audio Physic also stands for genuine handcrafted production made in Germany—development and manufacturing take place exclusively here in Brilon. And with great attention to detail—every single loudspeaker that leaves our premises, regardless of its size or price, is checked, measured, and finally signed by the responsible employee." It's all about the details when it comes to sparking that connection—whether with a guitar or a loudspeaker.
