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Open call for participation

Deadline: 14 September 2026

Take part in an innovation project for performers, bookers and venues in the field of contemporary & experimental music.

Do you work with contemporary music either as an artist (soloist or part of a group), as an independent concert organizer or at a venue? And do you want to test a new data- and AI-driven tool for planning international touring activities? Then apply for participation in the new TOURBUS EUROPA touring project.

About TOURBUS EUROPA

TOURBUS EUROPA is a European collaboration co-funded by Creative Europe, exploring new ways of organising international touring and collaboration in the field of contemporary and experimental music. The project is a collaboration between Art Music Denmark, jazzahead!, Föreningen Svenska Tonsättare, Tourbus AB and Lund University. The programme uses data-informed insights to identify potential touring routes, connections, and opportunities across Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. The purpose of the project is to explore how such insights and tools can support artistic and strategic planning and decision-making for touring artists and bookers.

In two parallel OPEN CALLs we are looking for…

OPEN CALL 1: Artists and ensembles

We are looking for 15 performers, groups, or soloists in total (five in each of Denmark, Sweden, and Germany) working within contemporary, experimental, or newly composed music.

You may apply if you

  • Work within the field of contemporary, experimental, or newly composed music
  • Have had international activity (e.g., concerts, collaborations, residencies) within the past 3 years, or are actively seeking to expand internationally
  • Are not fully dependent on established booking structures and are open to new ways of building connections
  • Are interested in reflecting on how you make decisions about touring and collaborations
  • Have the flexibility to explore new opportunities if relevant

You can be…

  • A solo performer
  • An ensemble (no formal organisation is required)
  • A composer-performer
  • A project-based constellation

What you gain…

Participants will have the opportunity to bring their own artistic practice into a real-life testing environment of the platform. This could involve, for instance, one or more of the following themes:

  • Where does it make sense for me/us to tour internationally?
  • Are we working in the right networks?
  • How do our current activities align with our artistic goals?
  • What new opportunities could we explore?

Read more about the program, eligibility criteria, participation requirements and how to apply via the form below:

APPLICATION FORM

OPEN CALL 2: Independent organizers and venues

We invite 15 venues or organisers based in Denmark, Sweden, or Germany (a maximum of five from each country) to participate in the programme.

You may apply if you

  • Present or programme contemporary, experimental or newly composed music
  • Have experience with or interest in international artists
  • Have influence on programming decisions
  • Are open to engaging with artists and opportunities beyond your existing networks
  • Have some flexibility in your future programming

This includes

  • Venue
  • Festivals
  • Curated concert series
  • Independent presenters

What you gain

  • New perspectives on programming and international collaboration
  • Access to new artistic networks
  • Opportunity to test new booking approaches
  • Exchange with European peers
  • Contribution to shaping future working models in the field

Read more about the program, eligibility criteria, participation requirements and how to apply via the form below:

APPLICATION FORM

HOW PARTICIPATION WORKS

Participants take part in a structured programme consisting of:

  • 3–4 group workshops
  • 1–2 reflection sessions
  • Testing selected ideas in your own organisation
  • Exchange with venues and artists across Denmark, Sweden, and Germany

Selected participants/groups will receive a participation stipend of €800. This stipend compensates for the required time to engage fully in the program and prepare for each workshop. For further information, read the application form of relevans to your background.

Deadline and time frame
The program involves participation in four learning sessions from October to April (exact dates to be announced).

The deadline for both open calls is 14 September 2026.

Applicants can expect an answer by week 41.

All applicants are reviewed by a panel consisting of  representatives from the partner organisations

Contact
Asbjørn Kleding, Art Music Denmark, Copenhagen 
asbjoern@artmusicdenmark.org,

Jakob Fraisse, jazzahead!, Bremen
fraisse@jazzahead.de

Anna Jakobsson, Föreningen Svenska Tonsättare, Stockholm
anna.jakobsson@fst.se

TOURBUS EUROPA is co-funded by Creative Europe

11 June 2026

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Meet us at jazzahead! 2026

TOURBUS EUROPA will be at jazzahead! 2026 trade fair in Bremen, Germany. This year, jazzahead!’s partner country is Sweden, making it a perfect moment for a project that connects music professionals across Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.

Conference panel

Brandon Farnsworth will be presenting Tourbus as part of the jazzahead! conference panel “Connecting the platforms: More collaboration for a greener future” on Thursday, April 23 at 14:00 in the Business Lounge (Halle 7, 1st floor). The panel brings together three digital platforms working to reshape live music touring: CooProg Music, Tourbus, and Better Live. Come say hi!

Where and when

You’ll also find us at the Pop-Up Village in the trade fair on Thursday, April 23 (stand 6A42A). Come say hello, learn about the project, and talk to us about how data can support touring, programming, and cross-border collaboration in live music. But also we’ll have candy that you can eat (we’re trying to find bus-shaped candy)

jazzahead! runs from April 22 to 25, 2026 at Messe Bremen, with the trade fair open April 23 to 25 and the Grand Opening on the evening of April 22.

What we’d love to talk about

Whether you’re an artist planning your next tour, a venue looking for fresh programming ideas, or an organisation working on music mobility, we’d love to hear from you. We’re particularly interested in connecting with music professionals who are curious about using data to inform their work, and who might want to get involved in the project down the line.

See you in Bremen!


TOURBUS EUROPA is co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme.

16 April 2026

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Welcome to Tourbus Europa!

Building Capacity for Data-Driven Decision-Making in the Music Sector

We are thrilled to announce the official launch of TOURBUS EUROPA, a Creative Europe project coordinated by Lund University. The project uses new digital tools, built on breakthroughs in AI and digital musicology at Lund University, to gather and analyse data about where musicians perform across Europe, helping artists find the right venues and plan smarter tours across borders. More than just new digital tools, TOURBUS EUROPA is a project about social innovation: working with musicians, venue organisers, and music organisations across Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, the aim is to co-create the new skills, collaborative models, and know-how needed for artists and venues to actually benefit from what these tools make possible.

This means helping artists find relevant venues, programmers discover performers, and policymakers gain data-driven mobility insights. The project also tests how “synthetic block booking”, or algorithmic touring recommendations, functions in real-world conditions. Bridging university research and music professionals with the help of music support organisations, the aim is to change how we book, organise, and measure live music.

Key activities

1. Conducting 9 workshops for musicians and venue programmers to develop digital skills and adapt organisational practices.

2. Running a pilot programme across 3 countries, putting the Tourbus tool into users’ hands to test synthetic block booking, gather feedback, and refine both the tool and the necessary social innovations.

3. Sharing insights through a resource kit, symposium, an improved Tourbus prototype, and a final report detailing the project’s findings.

The consortium brings together expertise in research, digital musicology, and music-sector support across the three countries: Lund University (Sweden, project coordinator), Art Music Denmark (Denmark), jazzahead! (Germany), Föreningen Svenska Tonsättare / Swedish Society of Composers (Sweden), and Tourbus AB (Sweden).

Open calls for artists and venues to participate in the pilot programme are coming soon. Stay tuned and sign up to our newsletter for more updates!

TOURBUS EUROPA is co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme. The project runs from 2026 to 2028.

Project coordination: Sanne Krogh Groth, Lund University

2 April 2026

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