Call for applications: 2022 Music Tectonics startup competition

Now in its fourth edition, the competition forms part of the Music Tectonics conference’s focus on disruptive music innovation and aims to shine a spotlight on creative startups. It also seeks to facilitate the exchange of ideas and robust discussions.

The competition will culminate in a final pitch session during the conference which takes place in Santa Monica, California, from 25 to 27 October.

How it works

An expert panel will select 10 semi-finalists to pitch for a jury, including BandLab Technologies CEO Meng Ru Kuok, at an online event on 7 September. Four finalists will then proceed to demo their products and present their final pitches before the winners are announced.

The winners will be interviewed on the Music Tectonics Podcast, featured in a press release about the competition and receive a free badge for the 2023 conference. Music Tectonics is also offering three badge scholarships to startups for which the cost of a conference badge is a barrier to participation. Preference for badge scholarships will be given to founders who are from groups that are underrepresented in tech and music industry leadership.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following conditions:

• Startup should be be less than five years old.
• Have a working demo of a product, service, platform or a finished product.
• Be working in the music innovation ecosystem: creating, distributing, listening, or monetising music by managing rights or data, engaging fans, running live music events, and more.
• Purchase at least one conference badge to be eligible for the startup competition. Early Bird rates for badges are available until 11 August.

The application deadline is 29 July.

Interested candidates can apply here.

“Making space for startups to shine has been essential to my vision for the Music Tectonics conference from the get-go,” Music Tectonics founder and conference director Dmitri Vietze said. “When I founded my own startup, attending conferences was the single most important thing for my business. Besides, startups bring creative energy and future-thinking that everyone in the industry needs to tune into. It’s a win-win for everyone, not just the competition winners.”

Commenting on the contest, the winner of the inaugural competition Jacquelle Amankonah Horton said: “Winning the Music Tectonics startup competition completely catapulted my company. It was the first time I spoke publicly about my vision outside of moonlighting on the project, and the direct support I received from the judges, industry leads who saw or heard of me from this stage, and the amazing fellow attendee community is what led to me closing a $2.2m seed round from top industry companies just a few months later. So grateful and feel indebted to the MT family for this kick-off.”