CTM 2024 is titled »Sustain« – a weird and fascinating word that touches opposite polarities of the contemporary experience as it speaks of the empathy and determination through which we survive, as well as of our anxieties, losses, and pains. In the word »sustain« we sense both what we are going through while hearing what needs to be done. It is as much a description as it is an imperative as it is a vocation towards more interdependent ways of life. With its 2024 edition CTM Festival asks what if »sustain« were a sound? What would it be like? Music is not only a refuge, but also a constant reminder of our desire to get closer to the brighter end of the spectrum. Looking at musical life and music ecosystems under the perspective of »sustain«, what ideals, ethics, and practices can we identify and discuss to make music a means to work towards something more sane, just, and sustainable?
Three open calls are now announced. Together with Deutschlandfunk Kultur – Hörspiel / Klangkunst and in collaboration with Goethe-Institut, ORF musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst, Ö1 Kunstradio, and tekhnē, the CTM Radio Lab seeks proposals from artists worldwide that engage with the emancipatory potential of technology in music and sound art. The Research Networking Day invites graduate and post-graduate students as well as independent artists conducting self-guided research to submit proposals for short presentations traversing the fields of audio, arts, media, design, and related theoretical disciplines. Writers and thinkers wishing to engage with the topic of Sustain, as well as ongoing topics within independent music ecosystems and scenes, are invited to submit proposals to the CTM Magazine.