Music Technology Hackathon: Los Angeles
Dates: Week of 21 January 2027 — dates to be confirmed
Location: Los Angeles — venue to be confirmed
Register your interest to hear when tickets go live.
Music Hackspace is bringing its music technology hackathon to Los Angeles, timed with The NAMM Show, the largest global meeting of the music industry.
Over two days, you'll join a creative community, take on a music industry challenge and turn your ideas into working prototypes for music creation, listening or performance. Winning teams will be invited to present their work at The NAMM Show.
The hackathon runs at a dedicated venue during NAMM week, outside the main NAMM Show area. You can arrive with a project idea or form a team on site — we'll help match participants into small groups (typically 3–6 people) so teams have a blend of skills across coding, music, and product design.
Throughout the weekend, mentors from Music Hackspace and industry partners will be available to support you in developing your prototypes closer to real-world products.
Dates, venue, challenges and sponsors are still being confirmed — register your interest below and we'll keep you posted as the line-up comes together.
This Hackathon needs you
The hackathon is open to anyone in the US and international music and technology community. You don't need prior hackathon experience, only curiosity and a willingness to collaborate.
We welcome:
- Producers, performers, and composers looking to prototype new tools and workflows
- Electronic musicians, artists and DJs excited by the intersection of tech and culture
- Audio and music technologists and developers
- Students and researchers in music, CS, and related fields
- Designers, product managers, and UX researchers
- Anyone excited about building tools for music
You don't need to code to be central to a team. We're looking for musicians and artists to act as creative leads; defining problems, curating sounds and workflows, and guiding the product vision.
Participation is open to adults aged 18+ only.
Highlights from our last event:
Register your interest
Registration isn't open yet. Register your interest and we'll email you as soon as tickets go live, along with challenge tracks, venue and schedule as they're confirmed.
Themes & Example Projects
Sponsor challenges and additional tracks will be announced closer to the event. What follows are some example themes to explore.
Creative Tools for Musicians
- Performance tools that extend instruments on stage
- Composition assistants and idea-generation workflows
- Experimental interfaces for live, collaborative improvisation
Instruments, Gear & Hardware
- New controllers, interfaces and playable hardware
- Software that reimagines the instruments on the NAMM floor
- Bridges between hardware, apps and the modern studio
New Listening Experiences
- Adaptive and interactive listening formats
- Spatial and immersive audio experiments
- Playful tools for discovering music in new ways
Accessibility & Inclusion
- Interfaces for disabled musicians and new audiences
- Tools that lower the barrier to music making
- Collaborative environments for remote or hybrid teams
Prizes & Opportunities
More prizes to be announced closer to the event.
Present at The NAMM Show
Winning teams will be invited to present their work at The NAMM Show — the largest global meeting of the music industry — sharing their creation with an international audience of manufacturers, artists, and industry professionals.
Recognition & Opportunities
A jury of music technology practitioners and industry experts will select standout projects to highlight. Selected teams may be invited to share their work in follow-up showcases, talks, or features across Music Hackspace channels.
Pathways Beyond the Weekend
The goal is not just a weekend demo, but to help promising ideas move toward real-world impact — whether as research tools, open-source projects, or commercial products. We'll share opportunities for continuing your work with the broader Music Hackspace community.
Mentoring
Teams can receive mentoring support throughout the weekend and beyond to help refine their project and plan next steps after the hackathon.
Jury
Our jury of music technology practitioners and industry experts will be announced soon. They'll evaluate projects across creativity, technical execution, and real-world product potential.
Mentors
Mentors are on hand through the weekend to help teams sharpen their idea, get unstuck, and plan what happens after the hackathon. Our mentor line-up will be announced closer to the event.
Schedule at a Glance
Day 1
- ~10:00 — Welcome, introductions and overview of the hackathon
- Team formation and idea pitches
- Hacking sessions with mentor support
- Evening check-in and informal demos
Day 2
- Final hacking sprint and polishing
- ~16:00 — Team presentations to the jury
- Feedback and results
This is an indicative outline. Exact dates, venue and times are still being confirmed and will be shared with all registered participants closer to the event. All times will be in Pacific Time (PT).
Code of Conduct
We are committed to a welcoming, inclusive, and harassment-free environment for everyone taking part in the hackathon.
Please read and follow our Hackathon Code of Conduct.
Intellectual Property (IP)
Who owns what you build
We want teams to build boldly, and we want this to be clear from day one:
- Your team keeps 100% ownership of what you create during the hackathon.
- Music Hackspace, NAMM, and sponsors do not take ownership of your project IP.
- You're free to continue developing your project after the event (open-source it, commercialise it, publish it, etc.).
Using sponsor APIs, SDKs, or tools
Many teams will use sponsor-provided APIs or developer platforms. That's welcome — just keep in mind:
- You still own your project code, design, content, and ideas.
- Your use of a sponsor's API or SDK is subject to that sponsor's licence and terms of use.
- If you want to ship your project beyond the hackathon, check the relevant sponsor terms first.
Organiser
Partners
This hackathon is run by Music Hackspace, timed with The NAMM Show, the largest global meeting of the music industry. Winning teams will be invited to present their work at The NAMM Show.
Sponsors
Sponsors and their challenge tracks will be announced closer to the event. Interested in sponsoring? Get in touch.