DE LINK
De Link is a Tilburg-based Dutch cultural foundation, founded in 1986, presenting contemporary composed music through a bi-weekly concert series at Het Cenakel, biennial international co-productions, a city composer residency, festivals, and national Composer's Day programming for regional audiences, composers and musicians.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersTilburg, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DE LINK does
Stichting Artistieke Communicatie De Link is a Tilburg-based cultural foundation (stichting) founded in 1986 by Jo Sporck, presenting contemporary composed music in the Netherlands. The organization operates primarily from Het Cenakel, a former monastery chapel with strong acoustics, where it stages a core series of 15 concerts every two weeks on Tuesday evenings from September through April. Beyond the core series, De Link runs the Stadscomponist (City Composer) residency program launched in 2019, biennial international Eigen Producties co-productions with ensembles such as the Ives Ensemble, the annual free Tracking Tilburg mini-festival at LocHal, the Reflex series linking music with visual art at partner institutions, an Artist Residency program, and the Linke Soep showcase run jointly with Festival Kortrijk. The organization also coordinates Tilburg's contribution to the national Dag van de Componist, which spans 15 cities and 100+ composers.
The business model combines three revenue streams. Primary funding comes from Dutch governmental cultural subsidies administered through Kunstloc Brabant, Provincie Noord-Brabant, and Gemeente Tilburg, structured within the country's cultural governance codes (Governance Code Cultuur, Code Diversiteit & Inclusie, Fair Practice Code). Secondary revenue is generated through concert ticket sales (€15–€25 regular, €5–€10 student, plus subscription models) distributed via the De Link website, Ticketmaster, and partner discount passes (We Are Public, Meedoenregeling). A third stream comprises donations through the "Friend of De Link" membership program supporting young composers and special programs. Operations are overseen by a volunteer board (chair Mayke Nas, secretary Jan Franken, treasurer Arthur Kok) and a business manager, Renée Bekkers, with the broader staff complement reported at 14.
DE LINK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DE LINK
- Legal name
- Stichting Artistieke Communicatie De Link
- Website
- https://delink.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- De Link is a Tilburg-based Dutch cultural foundation, founded in 1986, presenting contemporary composed music through a bi-weekly concert series at Het Cenakel, biennial international co-productions, a city composer residency, festivals, and national Composer's Day programming for regional audiences, composers and musicians.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where DE LINK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tilburg
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
DE LINK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government Subsidies and Cultural Funding: Primary revenue from governmental cultural subsidies including Kunstloc Brabant, Provincie Noord-Brabant, and Gemeente Tilburg. Foundation governed by cultural codes including Governance Code Cultuur, Code Diversiteit & Inclusie, and Fair Practice Code.
- Concert Ticket Sales: Ticket revenue from concerts at various price points ranging from €15-25 for regular concerts, with student discounts of €5-10. Subscription models and discount passes available.
- Donor and Supporter Contributions: 'Friend of De Link' membership program where individuals make financial contributions to support young composers, piano tuning, and special programs. Managed by commercial leader Renée Bekkers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Regular concert admission |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard concert ticket |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Reduced price concert |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Regional concert venue |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | De Streek concert series |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Dag van de Componist event |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
DE LINK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
De Link is a Dutch concert organization for newly composed music in Tilburg, run by composers, musicians, and enthusiasts, presenting a 15-concert bi-weekly series at Het Cenakel from September through April, biannual international co-productions, the Stadscomponist city-composer residency, the Tracking Tilburg mini-festival in LocHal, the Reflex music-and-visual-arts series, artist residencies, and the Linke Soep showcase for emerging Dutch and Belgian musicians.
Product overview
De Link is a concert organization for newly composed music in Tilburg, led by composers, musicians, and enthusiasts. The organization operates primarily from Het Cenakel, a former monastery chapel, and offers multiple interconnected programs: the core De Link in Het Cenakel concert series (15 bi-weekly concerts September-April), its own international productions every two years, the Stadscomponist (City Composer) residency program, the annual free Tracking Tilburg mini-festival, the Reflex series connecting music with visual arts, artist residencies, and the Linke Soep showcase for emerging musicians. The organization also collaborates on the national Dag van de Componist (Composer's Day) event.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- De Link in Het Cenakel A series of 15 concerts held every two weeks on Tuesday evenings from September through April at the Het Cenakel chapel in Tilburg, featuring contemporary composed music created after 2000 by composers, ensembles, and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. Targeted at adult contemporary-music enthusiasts and students in the Brabant region.
- Eigen Producties (Own Productions) A biannual series (since 2020) of international co-productions involving commissioned new compositions, realized with international ensembles such as the Ives Ensemble and presented at De Link venues and partner locations including Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam and Galerie Marzee Nijmegen. For contemporary-music audiences and professional ensembles.
- Stadscomponist Tilburg (City Composer) An ambassador-style residency program, launched in 2019, through which a composer is appointed to promote contemporary composed music to a broad Tilburg audience, creating city songs and special projects. Past composers include Anthony Fiumara, Mathijs Leeuwis, Jacq Palinckx, and Nicoline Soeter. For general Tilburg audiences.
- Tracking Tilburg An annual free-admission mini-festival for new music held at the LocHal library in Tilburg, curated around the city composer and offering diverse programming to the general public.
- Reflex A concert series linking contemporary music to current visual-arts exhibitions, organized in collaboration with North Brabant presentation institutions such as PARK (expositieruimte) in Tilburg and Hilvaria Studio's in Hilvarenbeek. For audiences interested in cross-disciplinary programming.
- Artist Residency A residency program for artists providing opportunities for artistic development and performances in the Tilburg and Brabant region. Targets composers and musicians developing new work.
- Linke Soep A showcase featuring the most talented and challenging contemporary musicians from the Netherlands and Belgium, presented in collaboration with Festival Kortrijk. Targets professional musicians, ensembles, and contemporary-music audiences.
- Dag van de Componist De Link organizes the Tilburg programming of the national Dag van de Componist (Composer's Day), which takes place across 15 Dutch cities and involves over 100 active composers. Includes concerts in Tilburg (e.g., the €25 event at Hasseltse Kapel) and free activities.
- Rumoer An activity listed on De Link's homepage among its range of programs, presented alongside the Het Cenakel series, Stadscomponist, Eigen Producties, Reflex, and Artist Residency.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15 concerts per season every two weeks
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DE LINK
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
DE LINK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DE LINK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- Fontys Music & Performing ArtscoreEducational partnership for masterclasses and joint programs. Collaborated on masterclass with violinist Joe Puglia and vocalist Keren Motseri.
- Festival KortrijksecondaryCross-border collaboration for Linke Soep showcase, selecting promising contemporary musicians from the Netherlands and Belgium.
- Witte RooksecondaryCo-production partner for Kroniekschrijvers aan Tafel, a short film project with sound artist Eveline Vervliet and violinist Delia Ramos Rodriguez.
- Ives EnsemblecoreInternational ensemble partnership for co-productions. The Ives Ensemble performed the first international composition commission by De Link (Cassandra Miller's Perfect Offering) and subsequent joint productions including performances at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam and Galerie Marzee Nijmegen.
- Willem Twee Studio'ssecondaryCollaboration with 's-Hertogenbosch colleagues for Electronic Extravaganza, two evenings of new electronic music.
- PARK (Expositieruimte)secondaryPartnership in Reflex series connecting contemporary music with visual art exhibitions at PARK in Tilburg.
- Hilvaria Studio'ssecondaryPartnership in Reflex series connecting contemporary music with visual arts at Hilvaria Studio's in Hilvarenbeek.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DE LINK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Holland Festival: Amsterdam-based international performing arts festival covering music, theatre, dance, and opera. A larger, broader incumbent in the Dutch festival landscape whose contemporary-music programming overlaps with De Link's niche.
Direct peers
- Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival: UK's leading international festival of new and experimental music, presenting premieres and commissions. Directly comparable to De Link in its commissioning and international ensemble-focus model.
- Donaueschinger Musiktage: Historic German festival for new music, run by SWR Experimentalstudio, with a defining role in commissioning 20th and 21st-century works. The most prestigious peer in De Link's commissioning category, though at a much larger scale.
- Wien Modern: Vienna-based annual festival dedicated to contemporary composed music, presenting leading international ensembles and commissions. Closest large-scale Central-European peer to De Link's Eigen Producties and Het Cenakel series.
- Ultima Festival: Oslo-based biennial festival for contemporary music and sound art. A Northern-European peer with comparable programming of international ensembles and Norwegian/Scandinavian commissioning.
- MaerzMusik: Berlin festival for contemporary music and sound art at Berliner Festspiele. Comparable focus on commissioning, premieres, and presenting international guest ensembles in a multi-venue city setting.
- Klarafestival: Brussels-based biennial festival for chamber and contemporary music at Flagey. Belgian peer presenting international contemporary repertoire, with comparable curation and pricing structure.
- November Music: Annual contemporary-music festival in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, presenting newly composed music. Most direct Dutch peer to De Link — both are regional contemporary-music presenters in North Brabant with similar programming depth.
- Gaudeamus: Dutch organisation dedicated to contemporary composed music, including the Gaudeamus Muziekweek. Closest national peer in focus (new music only) and in commissioning activity, and a complementary co-funder of the Dutch contemporary-music ecosystem.
- Transit Festival: Leuven-based festival for contemporary music, presenting international soloists and ensembles in intimate venues. Closest Belgian peer and a direct collaborator with De Link via the Linke Soep showcase.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DE LINK social profiles
Digital presenceDE LINK compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
DE LINK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DE LINK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
DE LINK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DE LINK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DE LINK
What does DE LINK do?
De Link is a Dutch concert organization for newly composed music in Tilburg, run by composers, musicians, and enthusiasts, presenting a 15-concert bi-weekly series at Het Cenakel from September through April, biannual international co-productions, the Stadscomponist city-composer residency, the Tracking Tilburg mini-festival in LocHal, the Reflex music-and-visual-arts series, artist residencies, and the Linke Soep showcase for emerging Dutch and Belgian musicians.
Is DE LINK a public or private company?
DE LINK is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was DE LINK founded?
DE LINK was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DE LINK based?
DE LINK is headquartered in Tilburg, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does DE LINK make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Subsidies and Cultural Funding is the primary driver. The others are concert Ticket Sales and donor and Supporter Contributions.
Who are DE LINK's main competitors?
Holland Festival is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wien Modern, Ultima Festival, MaerzMusik, Klarafestival, November Music, Gaudeamus and Transit Festival.
Does DE LINK have an API?
No public API is recorded for DE LINK.