Midem attendance for 2018 was up by 9% over last year, according to organizers Reed Midem. The global music industry conference, which was held June 5-8 in Cannes, France, hosted 4800 delegates from 80 countries.
Despite the rise, Midem 2018 attendance was less than half of 2001, when just over 10,000 delegates registered. Even in 2015, 5500 made the trip to Cannes.
Still signs of music industry optimism were everywhere.
“The global music industry is currently writing one of its most exciting chapters ever, and this is reflected by the multi-generational Midem community. We have put artists and the creatives at the heart of the event,” Midem director Alexandre Deniot said in a statement. “We are committed to supporting high potential markets over the long-term and we have incredible input from industry thought-leaders who share their vision on the conference stages.”
In addition to a growing sector, Denoit credited new conference programs for helping to increase attendance: “In line with Midem’s commitment to the global music community we have introduced a multitude of new initiatives. In particular, the High Potential Markets Programme supports regional industries that have incredible talent and a desire to structure themselves; with Midemlab we recognise innovative tech solutions for the music industry; the Midem Artist Accelerator programme showcases young artists to international executives, and with the Songwriting Camp we are actively creating the songs of tomorrow.”
2019 Dates And A New Awards Show
The 2019 edition of Midem will run from June 4 to June 7 in Cannes. Debuting will be the Midem Music Awards, touted as the first “truly data-driven” international music prize celebrating both regional and global talent.