Pitches Wanted (Portals, Music) (US, UK, CANADA, INTERNATIONAL) | ~$250+ per article

This worldwide open call seeks proposals from writers and thinkers wishing to engage with the topic of Portals, as well as ongoing topics within independent music ecosystems and scenes. Since 2014, CTM Festival has curated a yearly magazine with the intent of providing a number of entry points into the annual festival theme, and to present voices, ideas, and content that extend beyond the presentation possibilities of a music festival. Over the years, the magazine has collected contributions from various music journalists, researchers, theorists, and artists, as well as poets and writers of fiction, activists, technologists, and photographers. The magazine was published in print during the years 2014–2019, and as of 2020 it has shifted to a purely digital format. The majority of previously printed articles have been republished online, with kind permission of the authors and artists involved. OPEN CALL. With the wish to expand our contacts, topics, and viewpoints, CTM is launching an open call to writers, thinkers, and artists wishing to propose a piece relating to CTM 2023. Proposals should link to topics evoked by the festival theme of Portals, as well as to ongoing topics within the independent music ecosystem such as sustainability, equity, access, cross-cultural exchange, technology and tools for production, music aesthetics and practices. Priority will be given to proposals from BIPOC authors/artists, as well as voices from diverse localities, practises, and communities. Article formats are flexible and can include essays, opinion pieces, research, interviews, fiction, speculative exercises, photo-based exposes, etc. Creative / unusual formats are possible but must be flexible and open to discussion with the editorial team, to accommodate the limits of CTM’s web architecture. Authors that we have previously published are welcome to apply with new proposals, however pitches for reprints are strictly not eligible. Selected authors will receive an honorarium for their article. Applications should be sent in English, however it is possible to write your full-length piece in a different language; We offer a translation budget to authors writing in a language other than English, and both original-language and English versions of the article can be featured side-by-side in the magazine. Please note that due to the capacities of our team, editorial and proofreading work will be done using the English-language version, which relevant changes then carried back into the original-language version. It is essential to include a minimum of one high-quality image or graphic with any article, to be used as a header image. Authors should suggest photos that they have the rights to use.
SCHEDULE / TIMELINE
- Application deadline: Sunday 15 November 2022
- Selected applicants notified: late November 2022
- Draft deadline: end December 2022 OR mid-February 2023
- Publication date range: January - early February 2023 (first draft deadline) OR March – April 2023 (second draft deadline)

CONFIDENTIAL NOTE: Reports indicate that this opportunity will pay €250+ per piece. It is recommended that you discuss the rate(s) with the editor prior to commencing work. CONTACT INFORMATION: Submissions: Via the webform. Website: https://www.ctm-festival.de/magazine