Not only does classical music form part of the austrian identity as a cultural nation, but it is also an important factor for tourism and economy with an enormous financial potential. Nevertheless classics and art music are confronted with the prejudice of being unattractive, conservative, fusty and old fashioned. Not only for those reasons music theatres, concert halls as well as classic festivals have to face the problem, that new groups of audiences and young listeners can hardly be attracted. Though with Herbert von Karajan classics once had a pioneer for the Audio CD and digital storage media.

The Youtube-Orchestra, the „Twitter Opera“, transmission of opera productions from opera houses like the New York Metropolitan Opera to cinema screens worldwide, as well as the usage of social web and the Web 2.0 for marketing and promotion purposes show, that digital revolution has profoundly changed classical music and its production, distribution and reception. Nowadays classics appear attractive and modern and are starting to adapt business models to digital economy and to develop new ones.

Keynote speakers, just to name a few, are Thomas Königstorfer, Executive Director of the Bruckner Orchestra and Landestheater Linz; Stephan Steigleder, Director Digital - UNIVERSAL MUSIC CLASSICS & JAZZ, Berlin; Fabian Seydewitz, Head of Content – Hutchison 3G Austria GmbH; Helen Porter, composer and singer, Counterparts, London; Francoise Clerc, Cmor.tv, Classical Web TV-Channel: iclassix.tv; Gerrit Pohl, Project Director New Media, Axel Springer Media House Berlin and Michael Huber, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

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