Music Thing’s Tom Whitnell put out the word that Steim - the Dutch experimental music organization behind the Cracklebox - needs help to avoid getting shut down by the man: Steim is the Amsterdam-based electronic music lab best known around here for inventing the Cracklebox. They’ve done a great deal more - lots of work on experimental interfaces, touch, gesture etc. And now, Steim is in trouble: Things are not well at STEIM. We are in the danger of losing our structural funding from the government, based on a review from the advisor board which called us ‘closed and only appealing to a niche audience’. The outlook isn’t exactly bleak, but at the moment our future is unclear.” If you’re part of the ‘niche audience’ for Steim (i.e. you enjoy doing interesting musical things with electricity) then please click here and spend two minutes filling out an email form to write a letter to the Dutch government. Thanks!

	Read more at Synthtopia
	www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/05/22/dutch-electronic-music-geeks-need-your-help/