MIDEM Regroups For 2010

Having survived a year of economic downturn that saw its attendance drop more than 12 percent, MIDEM has announced it’s merging its MidemNet digital music event with the main conference.

The idea was first raised after this year’s conference, when event director Dominique Leguern said she’d be happy to match this year’s figures in 2010, citing a worsening global economy that has since sunk this year’s Popkomm.

For the first time since MidemNet was launched in 2000, accreditation to MIDEM will include automatic access to MidemNet.

In 2010, MidemNet will continue to offer its conference programme in the Palais des Festivals’ Auditorium Debussy (Jan. 23-24) and will extend the digital conference theme throughout the whole of MIDEM (Jan. 24-27).

In another new feature, MIDEM delegates will be able to visit a new MidemNet area, housed on the main exhibition floor. In this area, MidemNet Lab will showcase a selection of 15 of the most innovative and creative companies, operating in the digital music sector and chosen by a network of industry insiders.

Throughout MIDEM, these companies will make dedicated presentations of their activities and business models before entering into one-on-one meetings with potential partners. The new area will also host a MidemNet Academy with a series of digital education workshops covering a broad range of subjects from “An introduction to digital marketing” to “How to market your artist on Twitter.”