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About
The latest technology, for every artist
Open Culture Tech makes the latest technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and digital avatars more accessible to artists in The Netherlands. Open Culture Tech is an initiative by Thunderboom and Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid.
What we do
• Hosting residencies to invite artists to explore new tech.
• Developing low-key and open-source tools with partners.
• Organizing concerts to showcase the potential of new tech.
• Sharing knowledge with the entire music industry.
Why?
There is a growing divide between established artists who have access to new technology and artists who do not. Working with technology is often expensive, complex, and requires a large network. These barriers are driven by a lack of fair and easy-to-use tools, example projects, and publicly available knowledge. This inequality ultimately harms the music sector because it creates an uneven playing field.
Period 2025/26
Between 2025/26, Open Culture Tech is hosting 6 residencies to produce 6 new open-source tools and 6 showcases in close collaboration with the following partners:
Superposition, AIxDesign, Wij Doen Dingen, Bureau Moeilijke Dingen, Bedrijf de Liefde and Chagall.
Period 2023/24
Between 2023 and 2024, Open Culture Tech has worked with over 10 artists and 3 dedicated tech companies to build the foundation for our toolkit, and produce 10 live show to showcase the potential of new technology.
You can check out our blog to explore the creation process and the results.
Together with artists, audiences, developers and designers
In working with new technology, many different worlds come together. It is about the creative expression of musicians on the one hand, but it is also about the perception of the audience. It is about designing interactive experiences (UX), but it is also about programming computer code.
Open Culture Tech brings together these different types of knowledge and experience in its toolkit, updates and community. Are you interested in working with our technology? Send us a message or sign up below!
Building on public values
Grimes clones her voice with AI, the Gorillaz are an AR experience in Times Square, and Travis Scott is an avatar in Fortnite. These world-renowned artists have the opportunity and resources to experiment with the most cutting-edge technology.
But how can we ensure that musicians in the Netherlands also have the opportunities and resources to work with the latest technology? In which artistic freedom, intellectual property, data privacy and the transparent functioning of technology are not lost?
Open Culture Tech is an initiative of Thunderboom, a foundation that is committed to the responsible development and application of new technology in the music industry. Based on public values, they – together with their partners – are building a future in which every musician in the Netherlands is given equal opportunities and resources to work safely and autonomously with the latest technology.
Open Culture Fest, the annual showcase festival organized by OCT.
Contact
Contact
For questions, comments or participation requests, please contact Thunderboom Records at joost@thunderboomrecords.com or max@thunderboomrecords.com.
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