The format
One weekend to make new ideas a reality.
A Music Hackspace hackathon brings together the brightest music technology talent — developers, musicians, researchers, and designers — for 48 hours of intensive, collaborative building. Teams form around sponsor challenge tracks, tackle real problems, and present working prototypes at the end.
The result is far more valuable than a demo: a living proof of concept, a community of engaged builders, and a clear signal of where the future of music technology is heading. For sponsors, it's one of the highest-return innovation investments available.
A trusted voice at the heart of music tech
Why trust us to deliver?
Founded in 2011, Music Hackspace has spent over a decade building the world's most engaged community of creative technologists — and deep connections across the industry.
World-class partners
We have collaborated with Ableton, Google DeepMind, Berklee College of Music, Stability AI, Muse Group, Audiotool, Algoriddim, ABRSM, and more — bringing industry credibility and trust to every event.
Deep community roots
Our 10K+ community is built on over 15 years of meetups, courses, and certified programmes. Participants come with genuine passion — not just CVs — and a proven track record of building ambitious things.
Global reach, locally rooted
Our Events — from London to Lisbon, Boston to Montreal — are always grounded in local culture and talent, while connected to an international network of mentors, partners, and opportunities.
Sponsors & partners
Why take part?
Accelerate your product development
Put your technology in the hands of the people most likely to unlock its full potential — and get real, working output in return.
Own a challenge track
Co-design a brief that maps directly to your strategic priorities. Participants spend the entire weekend solving your real problem — from workflow gaps to API adoption to creative tooling.
Get working prototypes
Walk away with proofs of concept built on your technology. Past challenge tracks have generated 8–15 project submissions — ideas your own team may not have imagined.
Direct API & SDK exposure
Your tools are tested hands-on by the people most likely to become advocates, contributors, and long-term users — under real creative pressure.
R&D you didn't budget for
Our participants don't just build with your technology — they stress-test it, push it in unexpected directions, and surface insights your internal team couldn't replicate. Every hackathon delivers a wave of genuine user research from an exceptionally engaged audience.
Why take part?
Elevate your brand
Activate your brand inside one of the most engaged communities in music technology — before, during, and long after the event.
Reach 10,000+ creative professionals
Music Hackspace's global community spans musicians, developers, researchers, and educators across every major hub in music technology.
Presence before, during and after every event
Your brand appears in event marketing, email newsletters, social media, and follow-up coverage — not just on the day of the event.
Media & Social Amplification
Music Hackspace events generate significant press and social coverage. Guest juror Richie Hawtin's posts from our Lisbon 2026 event were viewed over 700,000 times.
Stage and screen time
Platinum partners deliver a keynote or product demo to the full participant group. Gold partners present their challenge brief to assembled teams.
Why take part?
Access top tech talent
Discover your next hire, collaborator, or power user — in an environment that self-selects for exactly the right people.
Meet high-intent builders
People who spend their weekend building with your technology are exactly the kind of talent you want to know. These are future hires, advocates, and collaborators.
Long-term talent pipeline
Stay connected with participants through the Music Hackspace global network. Find your next collaborator, hire, or early adopter months after the event.
Evidence from Boston
Meet the Hackers
High-calibre, cross-disciplinary builders.
100
builders in the room
94% attendance rate
42
teams · 41 projects
built in 36 hours
158
on the waitlist
1.5× oversubscribed
+82
Net Promoter Score
4.8 / 5 satisfaction
Builder profiles
44%
were doing their first-ever hackathon
20+ orgs · 12+ universities
Berklee · MIT · Harvard · NYU · BU · Northeastern · UCLA
“Hackathons are an unbelievably effective way to get developers to use your technology.”
~ Harvard Business Review
Success stories
Satisfied hackers, satisfied sponsors.
Every Music Hackspace hackathon produces tangible outcomes for sponsors: prototypes, press, talent leads, and community activation. Here's what we delivered most recently.
Boston 2026Music Technology Hackathon: Boston
Berklee College of Music · AIMS Conference · June 2026
500K+
press & social reach
100
participants
43
projects submitted
5
challenge tracks
Challenge tracks from Google DeepMind, Stability AI, Suno, Ableton, and Muse Group. Co-hosted with the AIMS Conference — connecting AI, music industry, and academia under one roof.
Lisbon 2026Music Technology Hackathon: Lisbon
Unicorn Factory, Beato Innovation District · May 2026
700K+
press & social reach
75+
participants
28
projects submitted
4
challenge tracks
Challenge tracks from Algoriddim, Musiversal, and Derivative/TouchDesigner, set in the heart of Lisbon's emerging tech scene. A landmark first event in Southern Europe.
Get involved
Choose your tier of support.
All packages are designed to deliver measurable value. Reach out to discuss what's right for your goals and budget.
Only one available per hackathon. Owns the headline prize.
- ✓Your branded track & headline prize
- ✓6 teams guaranteed on your track
- ✓Jury seat & pre-event workshop
- ✓Winner prize package you define (in-kind)
- ✓First pick of standout teams
- ✓Logo displayed throughout event
Owns one challenge track.
- ✓Your branded track & named prize
- ✓3 teams guaranteed on your track
- ✓Jury or mentor seat & pre-event workshop
- ✓Winner prize package you define (in-kind)
- ✓First pick of standout teams
- ✓Logo displayed throughout event
Brand awareness, representation & prize.
- ✓Winner prize package you define (in-kind) — software licences, hardware, etc.
- ✓Logo on hackathon event materials
- ✓Juror seat and on-site representation
- ✓Cross-marketing opportunities & assets
Additional options
One-off options open to any tier.
Stack these on top of a sponsorship tier — or take one on its own. All are designed to create authentic engagement with the Music Hackspace community.
Training Workshop
Deliver a half-day skills workshop to participants before or during the hackathon. Your experts share knowledge; participants learn your tools and go on to use them in their projects. Recent digital workshops have attracted 300+ attendees.
EnquireContent Production & Promo
We produce branded content at the event — interviews, behind-the-scenes video, product showcase — featuring your tools and your team. The video is yours to use in your own marketing materials, as well as being distributed across the Music Hackspace community.
EnquireMentor & Company Presence On-site
Your experts join as hackathon mentors, giving participants direct access to their knowledge and building authentic relationships with the people who matter most to your community. Or have a dedicated area on-site to share merch or meet talent.
Enquire
Ready to be part of it?
Let's talk about how your brand can be at the centre of the next Music Hackspace hackathon. We can design the right package around your goals.