Midem 2018 news by MIDEM

NEWS

5 – 8 JUNE 2018 • CANNES, FRANCE • MIDEM.COM 2018_MIDEM_NewsAd_240x220mm_FINAL.pdf

041_COMMISSION EU_N_DEM

25/05/2018

13:49

BUSINESS

TALENT

AFRICAN FORUM

MISA WATANABE

SCOOTER BRAUN

Midem’s Africa tour ends with four-day showcase in Cannes

The 2018 Ralph Peer ll Award goes to Japan’s Misa Watanabe

SB Projects’ founder is first honouree of the Midem Hall Of Fame Advertisement

EU support for music Funding for music comes within the actions of Creative Europe - the European Union’s programme supporting culture and creativity. It includes:

Music moves

• cooperation between cultural and creative organisations from different countries • networks helping the cultural and creative sector to operate competitively and transnationally • platforms to promote emerging artists and stimulate European programming Creative Europe also supports the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), the European Music Awards for emerging artists. These awards celebrate new and border-breaking artists and aim at recognising their success in countries other than their own. In the context of Music Moves Europe, additional EU initiatives have been launched since 2017 to promote Europe's musical diversity and talent and to strengthen further the competitiveness of the sector. To learn more about these activities, visit the Music Moves Europe stand on Palais 4 or consult the European Commission's website (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe /actions/music-moves-europe_en).

045_SACEM_N_DEM

SACEM AFRICAN NIGHT POWERED BY

MIDEM BEACH WEDNESDAY JUNE 6 6 P M : COCKTAIL @ Pavillon France

Â© bzyxx

8:40 PM: ADANGO (Cameroon/Gabon) 9:50 PM: KIFF NO BEAT (Ivory Coast) 11:15 PM: YEMI ALADE (Nigeria)

Sacem Africa Night 240x310mm 05-18.indd 1

28/05/2018 14:28

WELCOME TO MIDEM

‘IT’S THE OPEN DOOR TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC’ Midem director Alexandre Deniot has introduced a number of new initiatives for 2018 and beyond. He spoke to the Midem News ahead of the event

: Artists and creativity are central to Midem. How is Midem 2018 focusing on these elements of the industry? A: Artists are more than ever at the heart of Midem. For example, through the Midem Artist Accelerator (MAA) programme, which is designed to support managers, agents, labels and publishers with their promotion strategy to grow the participating artists’ profiles internationally. We also have dedicated workshops, business and pitching meetings, and a daily business-driven conference programme over the four days of Midem. And Midem By Night presents three nights of concerts on the beach, gathering the MAA finalists as well as other talented artists from all around the world. The live sector is crucial to the industry and this year we introduce the first ever Live Summit, in association with Pollstar, to explore opportunities in this sector. As the Home of the Global Music Community, Midem gathers professionals and talent from more than 80 countries. It’s the open door to the world of music. Q: What can we expect from the conference programme this year? A: There will be plenty of opportunities to hear from the women and men who are shaping the music industry. With a keynote line-up that includes Scooter

Braun, founder of SB Projects; Jennifer Breithaupt, global consumer chief marketing officer for Citi; Concord Music executives Scott Pascucci, Steve Salm and Jake Wisely; Geffen Records’ president Neil Jacobson; Ben Schwerin vice-president of partnerships at Snap Inc.; BMG’s CEO, Hartwig Masuch; Oak View Group CEO Timothy J. Leiweke; and Bill Patrizio, president and CEO of Rhapsody International–Napster), Midem is a unique learning experience. I mentioned Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects. Scooter will also be the first-ever recipi-

ent of the Midem Hall Of Fame Award, which celebrates iconic personalities who have shaped the music ecosystem and the game-changers building tomorrow’s business. Q: New innovations of yours include the Songwriting Camp and the African Forum. What can we expect from these events? A: Over the four days of Midem we will bring together some of the most exciting and innovative songwriters and producers to collaborate and compose new music together. An international

superstar will lead the teams to write the next big hit and we will follow the creative process. The project will start on Sunday, June 3 and the exclusive tracks will be revealed in a dedicated session during Midem on June 7. A full documentary about the event will be broadcast after Midem. The Midem African Forum is the first in our new High-Potential Markets Programme, developed to support artists and the structuring of the music industry in these markets, by stimulating international exchanges. The upcoming Forum was preceded by our tour of Africa, which visited South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Republic of the Congo. This series of oneday events brought together African and international music professionals for meetings, conferences and debates, workshops and live showcases. We gathered over 400 professionals, staged over 50 concerts, and welcomed over 2,000 attendees to the shows in just 15 days. Q: What are your observations of the global music industry currently? A: The good news is that global revenue has increased by 8.1% in the past year, driven by a growth in streaming of 41%; digital now represents 54% of revenue. It’s an encouraging sign for the future of the global music market as it consolidates the trend of the previous year. Q: And we are to expect some fun on the beach this year — one of the benefits of Midem moving to June? A: Yes we are building The Midem Beach, a brand new area to network, pitch your company and discover new artists playing live. The area includes food, drinks and meeting spots, cabanas and a stage that will host clients’ panels and showcases. It’s your new chilled, cool spot to enjoy exciting music and inspiring content, and meet nice people.”n

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

042_RM BEACH_N_DEM

MIDEM BEACH PROGRAMME

Midem Beach is your new chillout and creative space to enjoy exciting music, discover inspiring content and meet nice people! The area will be located next to the Palais des Festivals and will open from 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.

TUESDAY 5 JUNE

WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE

THURSDAY 7 JUNE

DAY STAGE

SHOWCASE

CONFERENCES 9:30-10:00 Pitch - VIP Booking

In association with Ling

11:00-14:00 The Voice of China by Ling Part 1 - B Square - Jin Hu

11:00-11:30 Blockchain + AI = Bullshit Bingo or The Last Opportunity For The Music Bizz? Presented by Alissia Music

SHOWCASE

SHOWCASE In association with Ling

18:30-20:00 The Voice of China by Ling Part 2 Showcase & Award Presentation - Yao Band - Man Xin Wei Happy Hour & Cocktail

18:30-20:00 SEBRAE & Estrombo present “Brazilian Experience” Cocktail + Showcase Part 1 - Ricardo Imperatore / aka BoTECO eletro - Jana Linhares

CONFERENCES

9:00-10:00 Midem Breakfast & Special announcements by Alexandre Deniot, Midem Director 10:30-11:00 Pitch - Elrow 11:00-11:45 Pitch & Breakfast - Qwant MUSIC, the Only Music Focused Search Engine Powered by QWANT

# MIDE M

SUNRISE STAGE

20:00-02:00

MIDEM ARTIST ACCELERATOR T$HEGO - BIGSTAR LA DAME BLANCHE AKA

SEBRAE & Estrombo present “Brazilian Experience” Part 2 JOYCE CÂNDIDO

MIDEM MUSIC AWARDS THE LAUNCH Scooter Braun “Hall of Fame” Award

MIDEM ARTIST ACCELERATOR DAMIAN LYNN - BEZ AGAR AGAR

MIDEM ARTIST ACCELERATOR DYLAN WILLIAMS - HAUTE CLIENT LIAISON

SUNSET STAGE

20:00-02:00

SACEM African Night ADANGO - KIFF NO BEAT - YEMI ALADE

TAIWAN BEATS COSMOS PEOPLE - EVE AI DJ COOKIE

SUNSET STAGE 20:00-02:00 Music is GREAT presents British Music Night at Midem WILDWOOD KIN NINA NESBITT TOKIO MYERS In association with Music Is Great and BBC MUSIC

In association with SACEM, TRACE and La Copie Privée

Presented by Billboard and Iron Mountain

In association with BAMID, MOC and GCA

SURPRISE CLOSING PARTY BY ELROW

NORDIC PAVILION

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FULL MIDEM PROGRAMME, VISIT MIDEM.COM

CONTENTS WHERE BUSINESS HAPPENS GLOBAL MIDEM

When it comes to the international circulation of music Midem is at the centre of it all

MIDEM AFRICAN FORUM

Africa is the theme of Midem’s inaugural High-Potential Markest Programme

LIVE SUMMIT

Midem’s inaugural Live Summit focuses on a growing sector

SYNC SUCCESS

ANNIVERSARIES

WHERE TALENT SHINES 16

China celebrates 10 years at Midem. MUSEXPO’s Sat Bisla celebrates 30 Midems

NEW EC POLICIES

The 2018 Ralph Peer II Award goes to Japan’s Misa Watanabe

ARTISTS & MANAGERS 17

The European Commission is in Cannes to present the latest EU activities in the field of music

SCHOOLS AT MIDEM

MISA WATANABE

Welcoming the next generation of music business executives

Sync can bring important exposure to artists. But some experts advise caution

Artists and managers take to the stage to share their music business experiences

ARTIST ACCELERATOR

BRITS AT MIDEM

SCOOTER BRAUN

The SB Projects founder and CEO is the first honouree of the Midem Hall Of Fame

Taiwanese stars look to go global as they take to the Cannes stage

The first Midem Songwriting Camp aims to generate hit songs in Cannes

Britpop is back as the UK music industry reaches new highs

The Midem Artist Accelerator is an exclusive platform to boost the careers of emerging acts

TAIWAN SHOWCASE

THE NEXT BIG HIT

WHERE IDEAS GROW WOMEN IN MUSIC

Women are being heard but the industry says there is more to do

NEW BUSINESS MODELS

Business models are changing to fit the new-look music industry

FILM AND TV

WHERE INNOVATION INSPIRES 26

MIDEMLAB

Sessions examine the relationship between music, film and televsion

Twenty music/tech startups join this year’s Midemlab contest

MUSIC AND THE LAW

The first Midem Streaming Summit examines a sector expected to grow to $37bn by 2030

Midem Summits address key issues facing the industry in the digital world

STREAMING SUMMIT

SNAP MEETS GEFFEN

Snap’s Ben Schwerin and Geffen’s Neil Jacobson share the Cannes stage

BLOCKCHAIN

Germany’s new music service Alissia applies blockchain to streaming

THE OFFICIAL MIDEM NEWS • June 2018 DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS Paul Zilk MARKETING DIRECTOR Mathieu Regnault EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT EDITOR IN CHIEF Julian Newby DEPUTY EDITOR Debbie Lincoln HEAD OF GRAPHIC STUDIO Hervé Traisnel GRAPHIC STUDIO MANAGER Frédéric Beauseigneur GRAPHIC DESIGNER Carole Peres CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stuart Dredge, Juliana Koranteng, Gary Smith EDITORIAL MANAGEMENT Boutique Editions Ltd. PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Martin Screpel PUBLISHING MANAGER Amrane Lamiri PRINTER Riccobono Imprimeurs, Le Muy (France) Reed MIDEM, a joint stock company (SAS), with a capital of €310.000, 662 003 557 R.C.S. NANTERRE, having offices located at 27-33 Quai Alphonse Le Gallo - 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT (FRANCE), VAT number FR91 662 003 557. Contents © 2018, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 2 nd quarter 2018. ISSN 1147-6877. Printed on PEFC Certified Paper.

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

043_SABRAE_N

Sebrae/RJ and Estrombo present

Brazilian Experience 6th June

7th June

Day Stage (Midem Beach) 18h30 - 20h: Sebrae & Estrombo present "Brazilian Experience"

Midem Beach - (Day stage) 9h: Midem Breakfast with Special Announcements

Cocktail & Showcase with:

Worldwide village 10h15 - 11h: Panel " W(orld) / Brazil!" Networking Hub 17h - 18h: Meet Brazil

Ricardo Imperatore

Jana Linhares

aka boTECOeletro (electro)

(Brazilian eletronic indie rock)

Sunrise Stage 20h - 20h40: Sebrae & Estrombo present "Brazilian Experience"

Visit us: Brazilian Pavilion P3.B10 Joyce Cândido (sambajazz’n’bossanova)

Management Consulting 6th, 7th & 8th June

BUSINESS

MIDEM: THE MEETING PLACE FOR THE GLOBAL MUSIC COMMUNITY When it comes to the international and cross-border circulation of music, repertoires and artists, Midem sits at the centre of it all. Gary Smith reports

HERE are numerous national pavilions confirmed for Midem 2018, including a first Indonesian pavilion, powered by BEKRAF, part of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy established especially to develop Indonesia’s creative industries. There will also be different regional spotlights as part of the programme taking place in the Worldwide Village conference room, and speed meetings in the Networking Hub. On top of all that, and for the first time this year, there will be four top Chinese acts playing on June 5 from 12:00-14:00 and 18:4020:00. These talented newcomers are the winners of the inaugural Voice of China Com-

petition by Ling, whose final was held last month in China. The Voice of China competition lasted four months, and from the total of 1,400 musicians who entered, four outstanding acts, chosen by a prestigious group of judges from China’s dynamic and rapidly growing music industry, will appear on the Midem Beach stage. These Awards and a Happy Hour are among the highlights of the first day of Midem. The diversity of acts and nationalities performing underscores the true international make-up of Midem. According to Xavier Cester Vidal of the Institut Catala de les Empreses Culturals (ICEC), Catalan acts and companies have been

regulars at Midem for many years: “Our main aim, as always, is to help Catalan companies —

labels, publishers, distributors — that gather at our pavilion to make the most of the event.

INTERNATIONAL PAVILIONS AT MIDEM NAME OF THE PAVILION • SOUNDS AUSTRALIA

BELGIUM

• BRAZILIAN PAVILION

BRAZIL

• CANADIAN PAVILION

CANADA

• CREATIVE CATALONIA

SPAIN

• MINISTERE DE LA CULTURE DU TCHAD

CHAD

• MINISTRY OF CULTURES, ARTS & HERITAGE

CHILE

• CHINA AUDIO VIDEO AND DIGITAL PUBLISHING PAVILION

CHINA

• MINISTERE DE LA CULTURE ET DE LA COMMUNICATION

FRANCE

• SACEM

FRANCE

• SCPP - SOCIETE CIVILE DES PRODUCTEURS PHONOGRAPHIQUES

FRANCE

• SPPF - LES LABELS INDEPENDANTS

FRANCE

• GERMAN PAVILION • INDONESIA PAVILION BY BEKRAF • SIAE-SOCIETA ITALIANA DEGLI AUTORI ED EDITORI • KENYA PAVILION (BRAND KENYA BOARD) • DUTCH PAVILION - BUMA CULTUUR

GERMANY GREECE INDONESIA ITALY KENYA NETHERLANDS

• NIGERIAN / AFROBEATS PAVILION

NIGERIA

• NORDIC PAVILION

NORWAY

• SOUTH AFRICAN PAVILION-IMEXSA

SOUTH AFRICA

• SWISS PAVILION

SWITZERLAND

• TAIWAN PAVILION BY GCA ENTERTAINMENT Nick Dunn, CEO of Horus Music

AUSTRALIA

• SABAM-BELGIUM PAVILION

• HELLENIC MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS

Amos Biegun, managing director, UK and global head of rights & royalties at Vistex

COUNTRY

TAIWAN

• BRITISH MUSIC AT MIDEM PAVILION • USA PAVILION

UK USA

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

BUSINESS WORLDWIDE VILLAGE

WORLDWIDE VILLAGE

A series of International Market Focuses are scheduled for the three days of Midem. Here’s what to expect:

THURSDAY JUNE 6

TUESDAY JUNE 5

10:00-10:15 Introduction to LatAm In association with IFPI

SPOTLIGHT ON LATIN AMERICA

MIDEM AFRICAN FORUM In association with

10:15-11:00 W(orld)/Brazil 11:00-11:30 Pasito a Pasito, Latin Urban Music Goes Boom!

10:30-11:15 Connectivity, Access & Music Distribution

11:30-12:00 Inside a Latin Hitmaker’s Mind: a Conversation with Visitante

11:15-12:00 Independence & Artist Development in Africa

12:00-12:30 Colombia: a Musical Goldmine

12:00-12:30 A Talk with Yemi Alade, the Queen of Afropop 12:30-13:00 Breaking Down Boudaries: Africa Express Case Study 14:30-15:15 A Conversation with Jean-Noël Tronc, CEO,Sacem (France) Presented by SACEM 15:15-16:15 African artists: the New Influencers of Global Music Presented by TRACE WEDNESDAY JUNE 6 SPOTLIGHT ON ASIA 10:00-10:30 Introduction to Asia In association with IFPI 10:15-10:45 Entering the Lucrative Japanese Market 10:45-11:30 India Beyond Bollywood 11:30-12:15 Stop! China Time! 12:15-12:30 Tales from South Korea’s Music Scene: a talk with Kim Hyungsuk 12:30-13:00 Taiwan: the Gateway to Asia Presented by Taiwan Beats PARTNERS’ SESSIONS 14:30-15:00 The Indonesian Music Market Opportunities Presented by BEKRAF 15:00-16:00 Africa - The New Music Frontier, Open for Business In association with Spotlight Management & Consultancy

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

BME – the Brazil Music Exchange, at Midem

Our hope is that they strengthen their existing relationships and create new ones,” he said. “A pavilion is a good tool in order to have more visibility. The companies also know they can use it as a meeting place, and we, as Catalan Arts, can offer all our visitors helpful information and an overview of the Catalan music industry. Alongside the pavilion, we also attend a lot of the conferences and panels during Midem, as they’re a good way to discover new trends and developments in the sector.” Amos Biegun, managing director, UK and global head of rights and royalties at the UK’s Vistex, is also a long-time exhibitor: “This year Vistex is exhibiting at Midem for the 21st consecutive year,” he said. “The focus is on our cloudbased solutions for rights management, royalty processing and collaboration. Midem is one of our most important trade shows and we are planning on another successful show.” For Sounds Australia export music producer Glenn Dickie, Midem 2018 is a special one: “This year we see the first Australian artist to be accepted as part of the Midem Artist Accelerator programme. We’re very excited to have the incredible Client Liaison performing to such

an esteemed international delegation. We’re positive they will continue to win over everyone with their infectious and eclectic electro pop,” he said. “Alongside that, as the longest running music conference, Midem provides a valuable environment for the Australian industry to do business, whether it’s developing new relationships, solidifying existing ones or hearing about where the industry is heading.” Nick Dunn, CEO of Horus Music is a fan of the event which helped get his company going: “Horus Music has been experiencing the vibrancy of Midem since 2006 where we secured some of our first contracts with major players like iTunes and since then we’ve attended each year. The company has continued to grow internationally and last year we were honoured to win the prestigious Queens Award for International Trade,” Dunn said. “We highly recommend Midem to anyone in the music industry, as what could be better than meeting so many amazing people and companies that share the same enthusiasm and passion for music? The core of this event is networking and you will surely gain a lot from Midem, be it connections, new business or knowledge.”n

12:30-13:00 How to Market Your Artists in Latin America GLOBAL INDIE VOICES In association with MPALA, WIN & Merlin 14:30-15:15 Enabling the Independents through Disruptive Tech 15:15-15:45 Being an Indie Artist: a conversation with GURR 15:45-16:30 Metal Music: the Lost Tribe? 16:30-17:00 The State of European Independence 17:00-17:30 Independence, Streaming & the Internationalisation of Music: a conversation with Charles Caldas FRIDAY JUNE 7 SPOTLIGHT ON EUROPE & NORTH AMERICA 10:00-10:45 How the New Generation does Business 10:45-11:30 Four to the Floor: Celebrating 20 Years of Techno Parade 11:30-12:00 Government’s Impact On Music in a Streaming World: a conversation with Cary Sherman 12:00-13:00 Midem Global Trends Wrap

BUSINESS

“

Abibou M’Baye:

“Africa’s been a trendsetter lately, and there’s no doubt it will be a creative leader in the next few years”

UMG Africa Ivory Coast’s Abibou M’Baye

IMEXSA’s Renneth Tshisikule

6060 Music Group’s Nosa Dag

Effyzzie Music’s Taiye Aliyu

Trace’s Olivier Laouchez

MIDEM’S AFRICA TOUR ENDS WITH FOUR-DAY SHOWCASE IN CANNES With its historical and modern-day influence on the beats of myriad international hits, Africa is the focus of Midem’s inaugural High-Potential Markets Programme. Juliana Koranteng reports

HE FIRST in a series of annual focuses on High-Potential Markets, Midem’s African Forum offers an exclusive opportunity for African and international professionals to use Midem’s four days to network, debate and showcase the value of the continent’s talent. The African Forum itself comes after Midem’s trailblazing fourcity roadshow to Johannesburg in South Africa, Nigeria’s Lagos, Ivory Coast’s Abidjan and the Republic of the Congo’s capital Brazzaville in April. This consisted of a series of oneday events attended by, among

others, local culture ministers and some 50 performers. Overseas industry decision-makers learned the importance of being on the ground to understand the continent’s different local music cultures and business practices. “I believe local independent labels have been mainly responsible for the creative content that Africa and the world currently enjoy because many internationals have not understood the market and culture, so have struggled,” said Nosa Dag, director of UK-based independent 6060 Music Group and the Afrobeat Network organisation.

“But the roadshow was the catalyst to opening the door for conversations, ideas and global partnerships. We hosted the Lagos leg and it had much impact as it attracted journalists, music-industry professionals, labels, artists, entertainment lawyers, government and diplomatic agencies, policy makers and influencers. It featured in over 15 national and regional media platforms in Nigeria and created awareness of Midem and its benefit to the industry.” Taiye Aliyu, CEO of Nigerian label Effyzzie Music, head of

content at management firm Rebel Movement and manager of Nigerian superstar Yemi Alade, also found the roadshow rewarding. “Midem is helping to enlighten and broaden our minds in the international entertainment industry,” he said. Research by Midem and French collecting society Sacem indicates Africa accounts for only 2% of the global recorded music revenue and just 0.7% of royalties collected worldwide. But the long-term prospects are massive. Sub-Saharan Africa’s one billion-plus citizens has the world’s highest youth population, according to the UN. The number of smartphone subscribers is predicted to reach almost 500 million by 2020 and mobile internet connection is expected to hit a 40% penetration by 2025, from 21% last year. Such diagnoses and the growth of streaming platforms have seen the major record labels, including Universal Music Group (UMG), return to Africa after being driven away by rife piracy decades ago. “We’ve got so many great talents, nobody will be surprised MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

BUSINESS if the next global hit comes from Africa,” Franck Kacou, Universal Music Africa’s record director, said. “It is safe to say that Africa’s been a trendsetter lately, and there’s no doubt it will be a creative leader in the next few years,” said Abibou M’Baye, Universal Live director at Universal Music Group Africa Ivory Coast. A combination of the major labels’ resources and the innovation of local entrepreneurs and artists will boost the market’s prosperity, said Effyzzie Music’s Aliyu. “Well-structured international labels bring in funds and experience, while independent labels like mine help show them the terrain and produce musicians who are rooted in the African culture.” Renneth Tshisikule, CEO of IMEXSA, the trade body supporting South African music exporters and host of Midem’s South African pavilion, explains why Midem was best

placed to organise the roadshow and the forum. “It is significant for raising awareness of the music business in Africa because of its ability to pull-in several African countries under one roof,” she said. “And discussions at Midem may result in additional research being done on work and business opportunities that have just opened up across the continent.” 6060 Music Group’s Dag is looking forward to the various African Forum sessions, for example Independence and Artist Development in Africa. On top of the conferences, there are the backto-back performances at the Sacem African Night concert on Wednesday, June 6, presenting Adongo, Kiff no Beat and Yemi Alade — whose hit Johnny is the most viewed video by an African act on YouTube — and the presentation of up-and-coming hit-makers Bez, AKA, Big Star and T$hego in the Midem Art-

ist Accelerator programme, will allow attendees to discover exciting new African talent. Supporting Midem 2018’s African ambitions are Trace, the youth-focused media conglomerate with several Afro-urban music TV and radio networks reaching 200 million people worldwide, and Sacem, France’s royalties-collecting society. “We believe the most efficient strategy to distribute music and make it known across Africa is to combine FM radio with a presence on the Trace channels,” Trace CEO Olivier Laouchez said. “Much progress has been made in recent years in the management of music rights, and some countries have effective structures, but more needs to be done to ensure proper collection and distribution.” Sacem represents a host of African creators, from legends including South Africa’s Miriam Makeba, Cameroon’s Manu Dib-

MIDEM TOUR OF AFRICA In the build-up to the African Forum, Midem set out on a roadshow that visited cities in Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa and the Republic of Congo

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

ango and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, to contemporary icons like Fally Ipupa, Magic System, Flavour and Toofan. “Like Latin American music, which is really taking off internationally, notably thanks to streaming, there can be no doubt that the whole African repertoire will greatly benefit from such platforms,” Sacem CEO Jean-Noel Tronc said. UK/Nigeria-based Steve Osagie, principal partner at African-music consultancy Spotlight Media, is returning to Midem to highlight the global popularity of Nigerian music, including the Afrobeat genre. “The plans are to continue to showcase that Nigeria offers immense opportunity for companies, tech firms, labels and international artists open for collaboration,” he said. “It has been said that Africa will produce the biggest musical star. I say that a few of them are already here.”n

BUSINESS

INAUGURAL LIVE SUMMIT FOCUSES ON A GROWING SECTOR FOR MUSIC

IVE-industry trade-media platform Pollstar is the partner for the Midem’s new Live Summit, which takes place in the morning of Thursday, June 7, in the Palais des Festivals. The event comes at an auspicious time. At the end of 2017, Pollstar calculated that the 100 biggest concert tours that year collectively grossed $5.65bn in revenue, up 15.8% from the comparable figure in 2016. Those 100 tours alone sold nearly 67 million tickets, led by U2, whose live revival of their 1987 album The Joshua Tree grossed $316m in 2017 while selling just over 2.7 million tickets. Pollstar also said that 11 tours generated more than $100m worldwide that year, compared to seven in 2016. This growth is one reason why the live-music market is spurring some bullish predictions for the future. Consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has predicted that live revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships will reach $28.9bn by 2021, while an IFPI and Gold-

man Sachs study suggests it will grow to $38.3bn by 2030. Ray Waddell, president, conferences and publications, of Pollstar parent company Oak View Group, is in no doubt that these are heady days for the live-music market. “Never before have the opportunities for an artist to establish a global career with a healthy touring component been more robust,” Waddell said. Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke, is keynoting at Midem on Thursday at 18.30. Waddell said that Leiweke’s keynote, as well as the Live Summit earlier that day, will focus on how artists can capitalise on the prevailing trends around live. “We will explore these opportunities from various viewpoints, including cultural, economic, political, and artistic,” he said. Waddell is moderating the session The Current State Of Global Touring Opportunities (June 7, 10.00), that includes Live Nation Europe’s president John Reid; David Zedeck; global head, UTA Music, United Talent Aency (US);

“

Ray Waddell:

“Never have the opportunities for an artist to establish a global career with a healthy touring component been more robust” and OML Entertainment India’s business head Anuj Gupta during the summit. Reid’s participation comes shortly after Live Nation outperformed its own forecasts in the first quarter of 2018, with its revenues up by 19% yearon-year, and more than 50 million tickets sold globally for 2018 shows so far. “We continue to benefit from a global concerts industry that is structurally growing, with strong tailwinds for both supply and demand,” president and CEO Michael Rapino told investors as

Among the innovations at this year’s Midem is a new Live Summit, which will shine a spotlight on the thriving concerts, festivals and live branded activations sector. Stuart Dredge reports

Live Nation published its quarterly financial results. “The concerts segment continues to be the engine that powers the Live Nation ﬂywheel strategy, growing the profitability of the concerts business while also driving our sponsorship and ticketing businesses.” While plenty of column inches have been dedicated to the impact new technologies have been having on recorded music — from streaming to blockchain — tech is also a prominent factor in the live sector’s evolution in 2018. “For me the most interesting trend is how technology continues to permeate live music and, instead of diluting the fan experience as some had feared, instead augments live performance and ultimately helps develop more artists’ careers and sell more tickets,” Waddell said. “This is true across every aspect of the live music industry, including ticketing, branding and sponsorships, security, production, marketing and promotion, MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 11

BUSINESS

Oak View’s Ray Waddell

UTA Music’s David Zedeck

concessions, fan engagement and the in-venue experience.” Other topics due to be discussed at the Live Summit include the question of where the next global live-music trend will emerge from, taking in K-Pop, Latin American breakout artists and electronic music, with a panel including veteran promoter Harvey Goldsmith and William Morris Endeavor agent David Bradley. Other sessions will focus on the international festival marketplace — including speakers Leca Guimaraes, international festival director, C3 Presents – Brazil, and Andras Berta, international relations consultant at Sziget Cultural Management. Cutting-edge startups operating around the live industry will also feature. These sessions include representatives of Wyker, Tech12

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

Veteran promoter Harvey Goldsmith

OML Entertainment India’s Anuj Gupta

Live Nation’s John Reid

4team and Simpleboek. A Q&A on branding and sponsorship follows, featuring music industry branding expert Marcie Allen and First Access Entertainment’s Elizabeth Mitchell. “Clearly the music world has much to learn from the sports world in terms of tapping into and maximising the passion of fans around live events, and the reverse is also true,” Waddell said. On the other hand, the music industry leads the way in connecting fans with their favourite artists and engaging those fans on multiple levels before, during, and after the concert.” One technology likely to be under discussion at Midem is Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan initiative, which aims to ensure tickets get into the hands of genuine fans rather than touts.

“We’ve got a bunch of artists using it again this year. We think it’s part of an ongoing evolution of artists taking control of delivering tickets at their price,” Rapino told analysts in May. “Artists are always the great brand manager trying to find that sweet spot between monetising the show, as well as staying true to what the brand position is on pricing.” Some of the technologies around these markets –— virtual reality, for example — apply across both music and sports, even if it is early days for their application. Waddell said that there are plenty of lessons to share. “Both music and sports are very concerned about security issues and managing the secondary market,” he added. “And both are caught up in a whirlwind of

Oak View’s Tim Leiweke

positive disruption as smart venues and developing technologies completely revolutionise the live experience.” Midem’s Live Summit is hoping to bring together artists, agents, managers and festival executives, but also labels and publishers, as an opportunity to build bridges and understanding between two sectors of the music industry — live and recorded music — which have often operated as near-silos in the past. “We are in an era where live drives the music industry train as both a revenue-producer and a platform for artists’ engagement with fans,” Waddell said. “So those outside the live business who aren’t paying attention to what is happening with touring artists and live careers are pretty much missing the boat.”n

BUSINESS

Sync can bring considerable exposure to an artist, and occasionally, big money. But experts in the ﬁeld still advise caution. Gary Smith reports

YNC in the music industry is now the real deal, helping many new and established artists create a bigger awareness of their music by simply being attached to a product, a TV series or a film. Most media needs music, but pricing is an enduringly controversial area. Producers, agencies, music supervisors and the sync departments of music companies will be at Midem to discuss this and other newer challenges. According to Rupert Hollier, creative director, at music agency Redfive Creative, pressure to accept lower rates is a constant issue and has been for a long while: “The infamous ‘exposure’ argument versus the reality of the market and the power of a placement does have an affect on a license, and while budgets are recovering after a slump, especially in indie films, price is still key and sadly a lower one will generally win out if the track is near enough to the creative.” But Chris Clark, director of music at Leo Burnett Group, does not agree. “Personally I don’t see that, but it’s a delicate issue. I think it’s the responsibility of the agency music expert to get the client a great deal for great music, while also respecting the marketplace and fairness to the artist and/or rights owners. Fortunately, I have the privilege of

working on such a high volume of agency projects that I’m very confident in my marketplace knowledge and can initially attempt to strike a fair deal. I’d only push downward if the deal is at risk of falling apart,” he said. Sue Crawshaw, music supervisor at LA-based sync agency Pick & Mix, agreed that volume is the key here: “There’s pressure on sync fees due to general budgets and the volume of content that’s being produced. There’s been a gradual decline over the past decade and I think artists, labels and publishers are more willing to work with the music supervisors’ budgets and make those situations work rather than pass up on an opportunity.” And opportunities are growing due to more openness towards multiple genres: “Right now there’s a lot of urban music being used across all platforms and that seems to be crossing over into branding and advertising as well,” she added. Clark agreed: “It’s great to hear some marketers including more rap and hip-hop since it’s officially become the most listened-to genre. Brassy electronic pop continues to be desirable while trap is (finally) fading a little bit. Big, confident anthems with messages of either swagger or hope-and-community are always popular,” he said.

SYNC SUCCESS: IT’S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

“

Clement Souchithe community.” er, music superviRedfive’s Hollier sor at Creamiagreed: “For Sue Crawshaw: nal also sees sure it’s immore opportant portunity to try to than ever. build and “So many maintain styles and a relationmoods ship — if are now you have a syncable,” release, or he said. “Of decent discourse, there’s tribution then usually a track that you are out there everyone would like to and on the radar — then synchronise — especially in your publishers/labels and manadvertising campaigns, which agement will take up the fight. generates a ﬂeeting trend. Feel If you’re not in that position yet, It Still by Portugal The Man is a then building relationships with good example of exactly that supervisors is absolutely imporkind of phenomenon.” tant, as is striking the balance Given that most artists these between being firmly on their days would love to have their radar but also not appearing too music featured in films, or TV scattergun in your approach.” and advertising, what advice For Creaminal’s Souchier, “a would our experts give? Should good indie sync broker or indie artists hire a specialist representpublisher can make the differative? “I don’t think it’s essential ence for two main reasons. You but I think it helps the artist to must have enough material to have a sync agent, they have pitch to be considered by clithe relationships with the music ents, agencies, and music supersupervisors, they’re on the frontvisors, and you need to have a line,” Crawshaw said. “If you’re precise knowledge of this indusserious about getting sync it can try to negotiate the right fee and be a full-time job keeping relaconditions.” tionships going, and keeping up Janesta Boudreau, music superwith trends and pitching. A spevisor and sync director at Rockcialist can circumvent that and ing Horse Road/Coversion in they have the relationship within Canada, said knowing the true

“I think it helps the artist to have a sync agent, they have the relationships with the music supervisors, they’re on the frontline”

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 13

014v3_GCA_N_DEM

BUSINESS

Leo Burnett Group’s Chris Clark

Creaminal’s Clement Souchier

Rocking Horse Road/Coversion’s Janesta Boudreau

value of music is crucial. “I don’t think it’s so much the desirability of sync placements with artists as much as some music commissioners not realising the value of music, running out of budget, not assigning enough budget or not being given enough budget for their music needs,” she said, adding: “Artists: do not fall for the ‘It will give you exposure!’ line. If there is no music budget and you can’t even talk someone in to paying $50 or something for the minimal use of your song, walk away. Music has value so if there is no budget, there is likely very little exposure opportunity there either. As a member of the Guild of Music Supervisors, I am hoping we can get music commissioners to realise that both supervisors and artists should always, without exception, be paid

fairly for their work and not be an afterthought.” Boudreau points to cover versions as a popular area: “As owner of a cover songs sync catalogue I think I’m obliged to say covers. But hip hop, hybrids and kickass female empowerment song briefs come in frequently. And then there’s the ever-present ‘should sound like White Stripes’ or Kanye’s BLKKK SKKKN HEAD.” But, putting genre aside, it’s mainly about relationships, he added: “As owner of a sync agency, myself and my staff work every day building relationships, networking, getting briefs in, pitching, and looking for partners and for opportunities to place your music. We represent our artists to get the best fees for the proposed use, we protect them from unfair practices and we get

Sizzer’s Ilana Goldstoff

Pick & Mix’s Sue Crawshaw

to be their champion. I strongly believe in the value of sync teams for these reasons.” Ilana Goldstoff, music supervisor at music agency Sizzer, in Amsterdam, saids that visibility on streaming platforms and at live shows is as important as being represented: “I receive about 50% of the music that I place from representatives (publishers, labels, sync reps, managements). The other 50% I discover on Spotify, but also at live shows, music blogs and even in magazines, so it’s very important that you are visible and that you will get my attention somehow.” She added: ”Representatives are like quality filters. There’s so much music out there, but there isn’t time to listen to it all. The chance is much bigger that I’ll open an email from a publisher that I know on a per-

sonal basis and take the time to listen to the music that he or she sends me, because I know it’s not a waste of time,” she said. “We work for so many types of brands and campaigns, each one has their own story to tell in a different way with different music, so we’re looking for the good stuff in every genre, otherwise my job would be quite monotone.” And she added that there’s always big demand for hits and covers. “Let’s be fair, what brand manager doesn’t like to show off at a birthday party with the fact that they used that new, or nostalgic, big hit in their campaign?! On the other hand there are a lot of exciting creative campaigns where there’s room for unknown music in all sorts of genres. People like to be surprised and that can be done in many ways.”n

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 15

BUSINESS

TEN YEARS AT MIDEM SEES GROWTH FOR CHINA’S MUSIC BUSINESS

T’S 10 years since the Chinese delegation first decided it could best serve the needs of its growing music industry with a pavilion at Midem. In that time the Chinese music industry has grown significantly, with projections for this year estimating that it will generate over $1.1bn in revenue. According Jean Hsiao Wernheim, one of the organisers of the China pavilion, Midem has been a key element in driving growth: “The best moments business-wise were to meet the music companies who have been opened minded, who fully understand the Chinese market strengths and difficulties, and who have been willing to commit to a long-term plan to work with

Chinese companies. Midem has been the most important platform for many Chinese music industry people, in terms of finding relevant resources from a multitude of international companies. In terms of making business deals, finding the best production team, importing quality international music or exporting top Chinese music products, Midem is the best place for Chinese companies.” This year’s attendees have a broad range of business objectives. “More and more Chinese companies are becoming aware of the value of making deals with international mu-

sic companies,” Hsaio Wernheim said. “And so this year there will be various

Jean Hsiao Wernheim

FROM CDS TO STREAMING: 30 YEARS OF MUSIC

AT BISLA, founder and president of A&R Worldwide/MUSEXPO is celebrating his 30th year at Midem. British-born and now based in Los Angeles, Bisla has worked as a radio programmer, club booker, artist manager — and as A&R scout or consultant for Interscope, Atlantic, Epic, Columbia, Warner Bros. and many others. Bisla launched the fully independent Pangaea Entertainment Group in September 2006, which is home to A&R Worldwide, MUSEXPO and the Global Synch & Consumer Brands Summit. In addition, he has played a key part in the early discovery, development and signings of artists including Dido, Keane, 16

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

Muse, Adele, Coldplay, Temper Trap, Ting Tings, Lily Allen and many others. His passion for music and the industry remains as strong as ever: “My main objectives are to meet and engage with my peers from around the world,” he said. “Midem fosters a relaxed atmosphere in a focused setting where I can spend quality time conversing, teaching, engaging and learning.” Across those 30 years, he has seen an industry move from CDs to streaming alongside seismic changes in business models. ”Midem over the course of the past few years has become

goals for Chinese music companies. Some will be introducing their music products to the global market, while others will be introducing their services, technologies and content aimed at foreign companies who are looking to work in China. And of course there are several who will be bringing Chinese artists and music to the international market. There are also representatives of several Chinese cities who are there to introduce their local market who are seeking to combine music, film and tourism in order to expand their cultural and economic horizons.” n

more boutique, which allows me to absorb information more easily, as well as be involved in more buoyant

and fruitful meetings. In addition, the focus on emerging technologies, music innovation, new platforms and markets makes Midem a great place to be a part of our constantly evolving music eco-system,” he said. “Personally, I enjoyed Midem being in early January, because it set the tone for the year ahead. However, all things and events must evolve to remain relevant and to meet the needs of their constituents. As Midem is an important event, no matter when and where it is, I’ll be there!”n

Sat Bisla, founder and president of A&R Worldwide/MUSEXPO

BUSINESS

EUROPEAN COMMISSION SETS OUT NEW MUSIC POLICIES IN CANNES T HE EUROPEAN Commission is back once again at Midem to present the latest EU activities in the music arena, including the recent launch of the Preparatory Action: Music Moves Europe – Boosting European Music Diversity and Talent. This will be announced officially at Midem in a keynote (June 6, 17.30) by Themis Christophidou, the Commission’s director-general for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The initiative will also be discussed in Midem’s Music Moves Europe panel. “Last year we mainly wanted to make our presence felt and make sure that people from the European music industry were 035_SACEM_N_DEM

aware of Music Moves Europe. However, this year marks the beginning of a new initiative, and we are preparing the ground for the next generation of EU programmes, including the successor to Creative Europe,” Susanne Hollmann, deputy head of the Cultural Policy Unit, said. “This year is significant because we now have a starter budget of €1.5m, which we are using to test ideas for future EU funding for music post-2020, aimed at supporting and enriching the European music scene. Our ambition during Midem is to inform people about new EU policy developments with an impact on music and the new funding

opportunities.” She added: “In particular, we want to encourage people to send us their ideas and proposals in four fields: data collection, music export beyond Europe, training schemes, as well as online and offline distribution — including the discoverability of European music on digital platforms.” Last year the Commission introduced the Music Moves Europe European Playlists project, which features an aggregation of tracks supplied by Europe’s music export offices. The Commission also presented eight innovative startups active in the field of music data and music recommendation.

European Commission’s Susanne Hollmann

The four calls to implement the Preparatory Action on music were officially launched last month. Negotiations on the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (2021-2027), based on the Commission’s proposal of May 2, have started, and the Commission’s New European Agenda for Culture was adopted on May 16. n

Meet a French V.I.P* @ Pavillon France Stand P3.B38

Fre nch V.I.P

vanguard of independent Publishers

Matt Darti

Anteprima Prime

Philippe Manivet

Musigamy

Insertion French VIP 208x135mm.indd 1

Matthieu Morin

Hold On Music *Supporting and promoting the young independent publishers’ work by giving them a voice at major musical events, since 2011.

25/05/2018 11:27

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 17

033_UK TRADE_N_DEM

Work with the British talent behind the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest artists.

Marshall makes the most famous amplifiers in the world. Hand-wired for acoustic precision in the UK, their distinctive sound has been behind some of the biggest names in modern music for nearly 60 years. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one example of the reliability that the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5.5 million companies can offer your business. Find your ideal music partner at Midem 2018. Visit the UK stand at P3.A17 or trade.great.gov.uk

Marshall Amplification plc Milton Keynes, UK

BUSINESS

Daniel Findikian, director at EMIC

Oliver Sussat, director at ACM

Emilien Moyon, program director at Berklee College

WELCOMING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSIC BUSINESS EXECUTIVES Schools and students are an essential part of Midem, and have been since its inception. With prestigious music schools including the Valencia Campus of Berklee College of Music, EMIC, ESG and ACM attending the event, the professors who accompany their students to Cannes tell Gary Smith why they come

CCORDING to Gilles Bressand, director of the MBA Management of Music Production and Artistic Development course at ESG, there are multiple reasons to bring students to Cannes. “As part of an annual partnership with Midem, our students come for three main reasons: to attend the high-quality daytime conferences; to start building their first international professional network; and to gain a concrete idea of how the industry really works,” he said. “This immersion in an event such as Midem is a great experience for our students, and will benefit both them and their future employers, which is the main aim that we

have for our MBA students. We know that for any new element of the industry, an adaptation period is necessary in order to understand the issues and challenges. But most of all we believe that the learning period in our MBA is time that the employer will not have to pay for.” Emilien Moyon, program director and associate professor at the Valencia Campus of Berklee College, also sees networking as an important part of the experience. ”Midem is a powerful platform to connect our students with industry leaders, a unique opportunity for them to develop their network on a global scale,” Moyon said.

“I am excited about some of the initiatives that are taking place this year such as the Live Summit or the focus on Africa, which open new perspectives for our students about different areas of the business and emerging and exciting new markets.” Oliver Sussat, director at the UK’s Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM), agrees that being present where things are really happening is an essential part of the education experience. “At ACM, we don’t just simulate things in the classroom. We take our students to places and we are committed to making sure they get plenty of opportunities to experience and connect with

Gilles Bressand, course director at ESG

the real-world music business, live where it happens,” he said. “For many years, we’ve been proud to bring ACM students to Midem. Here, they not only get to network with, and learn from, music business professionals from all over the world, but actively contribute to new understanding and discussion about our fast-changing industry. ACM is a complete microcosm of the music industry and whether students choose to focus on music performance, songwriting, production, technical services or business management, it’s our belief and hope that there’s something for everyone at Midem. “ For Daniel Findikian, director at EMIC, it’s the possibility of future employment that inspires him and his students: “We are an MBA programme for the music business, so going to Midem is part of that programme. Our students can attend all the conferences and keynotes throughout the week, which will give them a better understanding of the international nature of the music business. On top of that, they can easily network with top executives and maybe also find their first job in the music business.”n

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 19

044_RM FT_N_COM

FIRST TIMERS’ PROGRAMME Open to all registered delegates DON’T FORGET TO VISIT YOUR “FIRST TIMERS’ HQ” AT MIDEM Located in the Midem Café, Palais 3, from Tuesday 5 June to Friday 8 June morning FIRST TIMERS’ MIDEM PRESENTATION, DISCOVERY TOUR AND WELCOME BREAKFAST Tuesday 5 June in Verrière Californie, Palais 5 9.30: Welcome breakfast 9.45: Welcome speech by Alexandre Deniot, Midem Director 10.00: Tour on demand

FIRST TIMERS’ SECOND DISCOVERY TOUR Missed the Tuesday Tour? To attend a discovery tour, sign up at the “First Timers’ HQ” in the Midem Café, Palais 3, for a second Tour on demand on Wednesday 6 June at 10.30 (meeting point at Midem Café).

FIRST TIMERS’ DEMO OF MIDEM ONLINE DATABASE Want to maximise all features from Midem online database? Please join us for exclusive demos. Tuesday 5 June, 15.00: online database demo in the Midem Café, Palais 3 Wednesday 6 June, 15.00: online database demo in the Midem Café, Palais 3.

FIRST TIMERS’ DAILY ACTIVITIES TO NOT MISS Looking to develop your network? Meet with professionals from different countries - including this year Brazil, Japan and Africa - & music industry sectors - publishers, lawyers, live, music supervisors… - in several series of five-minute speed meetings. All speed meetings sessions are taking place on Midem Networking Hub, Palais 1, from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 June. Don’t miss out: places are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Check out Midem daily conference programme for inspiration & learning and meet the speakers from sessions where they are available for speed meetings. Midem is also inaugurating this year a brand new area – the Midem Beach – which will be your new chillout and creative space to enjoy exciting music, discover inspiring content and meet nice people! The area includes hospitality (food, drinks and meeting spots), cabanas (beach customer stands) and three stages (to host panels and showcases) and is open from 8:30 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.

news_first_timer_240x310.indd 1

28/05/2018 14:18

IDEAS

WOMEN ARE BEING HEARD BUT THE INDUSTRY SAYS THERE’S MORE TO DO Midem put the global spotlight on the debate about equal opportunities for female executives with 2017’s inaugural Women In Music Brunch. And it’s keeping the subject very much alive this year, as Juliana Koranteng reports

IDEM has officially joined Keychange, a Europe-wide initiative started by the UK-based not-for-profit music investor PRS Foundation (PRSF), to ensure companies and organisations acknowledge women’s invaluable contribution to the business and embolden them to feel entitled to that recognition. “When PRSF ran a targeted fund in the UK called Women Make Music, we learned from our evaluation that the male-dominated workforce

and lack of female role models for the next generation was a huge barrier for the artists, composers and songwriters we supported,” PRSF CEO Vanessa Reed said, explaining what inspired Keychange. And Women in Music (WIM), the New York-based non-profit campaigning organisation, returns to Midem for female decision-makers and talent to mingle and exchange ideas and experiences that will boost their professional accomplishments.

“Very soon, we will be announcing a partnership to conduct the first study of women in the music industry that is primarily focused on the US,” WIM president, Jessica Sobhraj, said. “It mirrors a study done by our sister organisation, WIM Canada, and should provide a comprehensive view of the North American music industry.” Many Midem participants we spoke to ahead of the event acknowledge there is more to do to overturn decades-long prejudicial practices. “There has been

an increase in the representation of women but not women of colour,” said Judith Massia, CEO of Nigeria’s Rbellion.com, a global music-licensing agency specialising in African music. “In the world of Latin music, sexism is still incredibly prevalent. We need more men who aren’t afraid to step up,” head of content development at US-based Hispanic media group Spanish Broadcasting System, Bianca Alarcon, said. Jennifer Breithaupt, global consumer chief marketing officer at banking conglomerate Citi, works with high-profile acts including Beyonce, Jay-Z and U2 in its marketing campaigns. “Last year, only about 5% of CEOs at the US’ S&P 500 [stock-exchange] companies were women. This isn’t close to good enough,” she said. Midem Preview asked influential female captains of the industry for their views on how far women have come and how Midem is contributing to the debate.n

Vanessa Reed CEO of PRS Foundation (UK) “I’m optimistic that since the explosion of #MeToo and other social-media campaigns, it’s now impossible to ignore inequality across the creative industries, including music. Keychange deliberately involves men and women working together to come up with solutions because ensuring equal rights will benefit everyone. Events like Midem can sign up to campaigns like Keychange, which bring people together and demonstrate that it’s possible to achieve balanced programmes. The other priority is to encourage more women and under-represented groups to apply for senior and board positions.”

Jessica A. Sobhraj President of Women in Music (WIM) and CEO of Cosynd (US)

WIM is a non-profit organisation operating across North America and representing thousands in the sector; Cosynd is an online content-protection platform

“Thirty years ago, the mission was to improve the number of women in the industry, whereas today the goal is not only to continue to improve the ratio, but also to find ways to emphasise inclusivity and visibility. Movements like #MeToo and #SeeHer have been groundbreaking in making these conversations a part of everyday life. Visibility is the largest contributing factor to change here. The idea that ‘if you can see it, you can achieve it’ is so powerful, companies and conferences alike are taking heed.”

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 21

IDEAS Jennifer Breithaupt Global consumer CMO at Citi (US)

Breithaupt says: “Music is really core to Citi’s DNA and plays a leading role in both our campaigns and card offerings”

“As Martin Luther King Jr said, ‘We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope’, so I’m immensely hopeful about the future. Beyond that, research confirms that when companies embrace diversity and inclusion, not only is the quality of their employee base stronger, but the talent retention is extended. Also, women can benefit by proactively taking control of their professional identity and nurturing their individual brand. And an international event like Midem can help women further establish their voice as they offer their expertise and build their network.” Sammy Andrews CEO/founder of Deviate (UK)

Has been working in the industry for 17 years and is now CEO of 360 digital agency Deviate

“I know hundreds of amazing women smashing it across all sectors and, increasingly, they are being promoted and I genuinely believe when the last wave of old boys retire, we’ll see the next generation of leaders and many of those will be female. But there are wider issues at play, like equal maternity/paternity benefits that need implementing to remove the stigma from childbirth, and the need for more support and flexibility for women returning to work after having children and, of course, equal pay needs addressing widely.” Molly Neumann, Global head of business development of Songtrust (US)

Kick-started her career as a singer-songwriter during her college years, and is currently at Songtrust, the music-publishing tech platform operator

“I think it’s a responsibility of our industry to understand where we are today and set up goals for improvements that are realistic, attainable and measured. I hope the industry-wide organisations with access to executive leadership at companies across our business will do some of the hard work to have clarity on the gaps that exist today and help develop the future leaders of tomorrow.” Sandra Jimenez Head of music, LatAm, for YouTube and Google Play Music (Brazil) Has been working in the music industry for more than 20 years

“Latin America is still a region with more men as decision makers in all areas of the business. For instance, the urban genre is really popular in the region, but we have only a few female names in the top music charts. I am happy when I see talented young women such as Karol G, Natti Natasha, Cardi B, Becky G, Anitta and Ludmilla positioning themselves as leaders in this movement. Conferences such as Midem empower our voices and give us opportunities to discuss the imbalance.” Judith Massia Founder/CEO of Rbellion.com (Nigeria)

Has been in the business for 12 years, including stints at MTV and a senior positions at Sony Music UK

“As the #MeToo and the Time’s Up movement grow, I think that women’s role within the creative industries will change for the better. I think Midem can help by just continuing to have women on it panels and be part of the discussion.” Lara Baker Founder of The BKRY Consultancy (UK)

Has been in the industry since 2004, including 13 years at AIM, the UK’s indie-music trade association

“Things have improved. But women make up just over 50% of the population, so until that is reflected in business and at senior levels in business, then we all still have work to do. It takes the whole industry, men and women, to address this. Conference panels consisting entirely of men will get called out on social media. New UK regulations are exposing companies with gender pay gaps. Sexual harassment and bullying is a hot topic with many women speaking out and identifying perpetrators. Midem can help by committing to equality and inclusivity in its programming, and I’m glad that this issue is on Midem’s radar.” 22

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

IDEAS Awa Girard Founder/CEO of Deedo (France)

Has been in the industry since 2014 and, in 2017, founded Deedo, a pan-African streaming-music platform currently in France, Senegal, Mali and the Ivory Coast

“There have been some improvements but they are still baby steps. At the 2017 Midem, I met members of the WIM organisation. It was a real breath of fresh air seeing these wonderful and passionate women telling their personal stories and thriving to accomplish their respective endeavours.” Bianca Alarcon Head of content development at Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc and LaMusica App (US) Has been involved in the industry all her life

“I don’t believe there’s any other option than to be hopeful about the future. Women need to be given more opportunities in the industry. For this to happen, there needs to be a cultural shift in the attitude of many men, including Latinos, and their perception of women. All efforts to keep the conversation going will change the perception. Midem is an incredible opportunity for women to have a voice, to share their experiences, and be accepted by the industry.” Allegra Willis Knerr Vice-president, film & TV licensing at BMG US In the industry since 2006

“Conferences and events such as Midem can open doors and provide opportunities for women to share their experiences as executives, leaders and experts in their craft. These opportunities to speak and share offer both an industry education as well as a chance to inspire and be inspired by other women in positions of influence.” 30_MUSIKWOCHE_N_DEM

005_I MUSIC_N_DEM

reloaded

Online Music Education with Artists

Join our Network

musikwoche.de

www.imusic-school.com MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 23

036_RM APP_ N_DEM

Download on:

IDEAS

BUSINESS MODELS ARE CHANGING TO FIT NEW-LOOK MUSIC INDUSTRY

Amid the streaming-fuelled comeback for global music-industry revenues, some of the traditional models for the companies that make up that industry are evolving. Stuart Dredge reports

BMG’s Hartwig Masuch

Concord Music’s Jake Wisely

ITH the shakeup that the music industry has experienced over the past decade, many of the ways of doing business have changed too. Managers are taking on more of the tasks of a label; publishers are taking a more prominent role in artist development; and new firms are emerging that cross many of the traditional boundaries. Some of Midem’s keynote speakers will be addressing these opportunities. Ghazi Shami, CEO of innovative US hip-hop distributor and promoter Empire, will deliver his vision for music success in 2018 (June 6, 18.30) — fresh from signing a multi-year strategic partnership with Universal Music Group. Hartwig Masuch, CEO of the re-

surgent BMG, will also keynote (June 5, 18.00), addressing the topic of How To Build A New Music Company. “As a company not even 10 years old, the most important things driving BMG’s business are not market dynamics, but BMG dynamics. In 2017 we grew two-and-a-half times faster than the market,” Masuch said. “To put it another way, we would be growing rapidly even without the growth in the market driven by streaming.” Masuch will be talking about BMG’s belief that delivering for its artists and songwriters has been the key to its growth. “The music industry justifies its existence to the extent it benefits artists and songwriters — not the other way around,” he said.

“A lot of people pay lip-service to artists, but for us a real service ethic is hardwired into our culture.” Three executives from Concord Music — CEO Scott Pascucci; chief business development officer Steven Salm; and chief publishing executive Jake Wisely — will also keynote at Midem (June 6, 17.00). Their talk will focus on how Concord grew from a small publisher and label into a global independent music company, with acquisitions playing a key role. “One year after buying Imagem Music, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Boosey & Hawkes, we are happy to share the experience of a multi-di-

“

mensional merger,” Wisely said. Concord will also be talking about some of the positive industry trends that it sees backing up its bold acquisitions, including higher streaming rates for publishers in the US, and the wider growth of subscription streaming. “While there was never any doubt in the halls of Concord, that growth also sees the value of music being touted by bankers, institutional investors and alike,” Wisely said. “That is not only attracting buyers to existing catalogues and companies, but encouraging renewed investment in the next generation of songwriters, artists and composers.” There is plenty of positivity, then. But BMG’s Masuch in particular is expected to be somewhat controversial in some of his views on the industry, during his keynote. “What is surprising given the upturn driven by streaming is quite how few models and how little new thinking there is in the wider music industry,” he said. “There still seem to be some people who are hoping the 1990s are going to come back. They are not. On the contrary the trends which we see moving in our favour — more empowered artists demanding a greater say in their careers and a greater share of revenues — are if anything accelerating.” “Those people who embrace this new world have the opportunity to flourish. For those who don’t, the future is less clear.” n

Hartwig

Masuch:

“The trends which we see moving in our favour are, if anything, accelerating”

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 25

IDEAS

SESSIONS EXAMINE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC, FILM AND TV

IONSGATE, BMG and Concord Music will be among the companies taking part in Midem’s new Film and TV music track this year, with the rise of video-on-demand (VOD) services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on the agenda. “There appears to be no end to the means by which viewers are accessing entertainment, and this trend is not slowing down,” said Allegra Willis Knerr, vice-president of film and TV licensing at BMG US, and one of the track’s speakers. “It has led to a staggering increase in programming and a greater variety of media types by which it is consumed — some of

which the film and TV community is still in the process of defining.” Diversity will also be on the agenda, according to fellow speaker Kristen Agee, CEO of 411 Music Group. “I’m excited about the powerhouse women in music and female empowerment that had been trending for a couple of years now,” she said. “I only see it increasing, and that style of music is close to my heart.” The track will include an international premiere screening of hip-hop documentary Word Is Bond, and new technologies will also feature. “What will be the role played by blockchain technologies, which

we hear a lot about but still do not see actively in the process for artists/publishers/producers remuneration?” Alexandre Mahout, vice-president and head of music and publishing at EuropaCorp, asked. “In other words, what will the chain of dis-

EuropaCorp’s Alexandre Mahout

tribution of music for film and TV look like in an even more transparent environment?” Meanwhile, Concord Music’s vice-president of international sync and project development, Sara Lord, wants a “lively and honest” conversation about the sync market. “Yes, a sync can help break a developing artist or revive an under-used catalogue track, but it is also the music that can make or break a scene — it is a symbiotic relationship!” n

411 Music Group’s Kristen Agee

038_RM MUSIC INSIGHT_ N_DEM

Music Industry Insights Learn, share and get inspired by the biggest trends in the music industry with: Midemblog the reference platform for cutting-edge content from music industry influencers The Resources section with exclusive interviews, reports & white papers The Industry Trends Newsletter a monthly update on the music industry Find out more on www.insights.midem.com

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

BMG US’s Allegra Willis Knerr

IDEAS

MIDEM SUMMITS ADDRESS KEY ISSUES FACING ARTISTS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD The subjects of the value of music and artists’ entitlement to fair compensation for the digital use of their works take centre stage at Midem as top-flight legal experts examine related sensitive issues at this year’s Copyright Summit and Legal Summit.

WO KEY sessions during the Midem Copyright Summit are The Value Gap Debate: How The EU Is Changing The Game, and Copyright Reforms in North America: What Next? They will delve into pending revisions to existing copyright laws in both regions, in-

LaPolt Law’s Dina LaPolt

cluding the need to seal the value gap. This refers to the legislative loopholes, including safe-harbour provisions, which rights owners say billion-dollar streaming services are exploiting to pay insufficient royalties. “There is a mismatch between what the platforms are making from the content compared to what they are returning,” said Frances Moore, CEO of international music trade body IFPI, which recently announced that global music revenues had grown to $17.3bn in 2017. “This is the third consecutive year of growth after 15 years

of decline, but we’re only twothirds of what we were then,” she said, illustrating why legislation to seal the value gap is essential. Helen Smith, executive chair at Brussels-based international independent music association IMPALA, hopes the EU’s pro-

Music Canada’s Graham Henderson

ber, said the planned directive is a positive move but must be robust to prevent streaming platforms finding new loopholes. “Such services communicate to the public, which is why they should be obliged to sign copyright license agreements,” he said.

IMPALA’s Helen Smith

posed Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market will help resolve the issue. It is currently being debated by the European Parliament and EU member states. “The directive intends to clarify the copyright situation of user uploaded services (streaming platforms). It’s really more of a copyright question than a safe-harbour one. But by clarifying the copyright, the directive will address the value gap,” Smith said. Florian Druecke, chairman and CEO of Germany’s Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) and a Midem Advisory Board mem-

unmatched works, where the songwriters are unknown.” The Value Gap: Its Origins, Impacts And A Made-in-Canada Approach, a book by president/ CEO of trade orgranisation Music Canada Graham Henderson, also focuses on the “mismatch of music consumption and payment to creators”. He said weak provisions in the Canadian Copyright Act, which the government is reviewing, have been hurting artists. “As currently worded, it does not enable performers on sound recordings or record labels to collect royalties when their recordings are used in soundtracks,” he said. Midem’s Legal Summit session on Re-thinking And Closing The Value Gap will centre on a new book by the International

Footprint Music Group’s Studio Legale Associato Della Gatta Paul Kempton Travostino Bottero’s Massimo Travostino

In the US, California-based attorney Dina LaPolt, of LaPolt Law, welcomes the new Music Modernization Act (MMA), a bill being debated in Congress and said to be the US’ first to truly tackle the need to compensate music creators fairly. LaPolt said: “The MMA is effectively addressing the gap. This is the first legislation where everyone is in agreement, including music creator groups, music publishers, performing rights organisations, record labels, and digital platforms. It obligates digital services to pay on all exploitations, even for

Association of Entertainment Lawyers (IAEL) called Finding The Value In The Gap. “It will consider what is meant by ‘value’, whether safe harbour is the only problem, how the courts, legislators and rights holders have reacted, and the role of data in creating a co-ordinated strategy in the digital era,” said Paul Kempton, managing director of UKbased Footprint Music Group, who is editing the book with Massimo Travostino, partner at Italy-based Studio Legale Associato Della Gatta Travostino Bottero, and IAEL president Jeff Liebenson. n

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 27

031_RM AFRICAN FORUM_N_PDF

TALENT

THE 2018 RALPH PEER II AWARD GOES TO JAPAN’S MISA WATANABE Misa Watanabe is to receive the 2018 ICMP Ralph Peer II Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Music Publishing during Midem. She was selected from nominees submitted by ICMP member organisations in over 70 countries. She spoke to Julian Newby ahead of the Award ceremony

ISA Watanabe has been at the top of the music publishing industry for decades. She founded Watanabe Music Publishing In 1962, with her late husband Shin Watanabe. It was the first company in Japan to offer full copyright administration services for every music title registered in the country, and it has been pivotal in providing economic stability to Japan’s music publishers. Watanabe Music Publishing was instrumental in breaking Queen in Japan, contributing considerably to the British rock band’s international success. The company also oversaw the licensing of music catalogues of David Bowie and Deep Purple, among many global names. Watanabe started in the music business working at a US military base in Japan, as a translator and artist booking manager. “My first unforgettable memory of those early days would of course have to be meeting my future husband, and lifetime companion, Shin Watanabe, who at the time was the leader of his own jazz band, Shin Watanabe’s Six Joes,” she said. It was a passion for both music, and business, that decided her career path. “I was raised by parents who loved music and all du ing my youth I was accustomed to being surrounded by music,”

she said. “I felt there were limitless opportunities in the entertainment business, and though there were both very fun times and some very hard times along the way, as I kept overcoming each challenge as it came, the business side naturally became a part of my life.” In 1970, Misa became the popular music producer of the Osaka Expo World’s Fair where she was able to feature Sammy Davis Jr as

the opening act, as well as secure appearances by Andy Williiams, Marlene Dietrich and other international music stars. Following her success at the Osaka Expo, she helped to launch the Tokyo Music Festival, one of the first ever international music events in Asia. When asked about the big acts she has represented over the years, she said it was impossible to name a favourite. “Many might not know that I had a

fondness for Caterina Valente, who I think was one of the first all-round artists, who was equally adept at music and dance.” She added: “I can recall her husband and manager, Eric van Aro, actively promoting both the master rights and publishing rights that he controlled, and that served as a great lesson, if you will, in establishing the business practice and foundation of our own music publishing company.” And her enthusiasm for the business today is as strong as it ever was. ”The tremendous growth of digital and streaming is of course contributing to globalisation and is creating tremendous opportunities for music around the world,” she said. “I believe there will always be change, and there will always be issues that publisher’s will need to deal with, but if there is one constant, it is that there will always be a need to create wonderful music and to deliver that music to people around the world.” Midem has been central to Watanabe’s business and for many years the start of the event was marked by a sake ceremony on the MPAJ stand. “In the early days of Midem, there really was not anything that one could call Japanese. We wanted to bring in some kind of Japanese element,” she said. “One of the main attractions of our company’s annual New Year’s Eve party was the traditional breaking of the Japanese sake barrel, and after some considerable hardship, we managed to bring a sake barrel from Japan to Cannes and start the sake ceremony tradition.” She added: “I am deeply touched to find that the ceremony is considered to be an important part of Midem’s history.” ICMP chair Chris Butler said of Misa Watanabe: "She is quite simply a trailblazer and her achievements since the 1960s have enhanced the livelihoods of songwriters and publishers in her home country and abroad."n

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 29

TALENT

ARTISTS AND MANAGERS SPEAK OUT This year, a number of artists and managers are taking to the Midem stage to share stories about their experiences in the music business. Gary Smith met some of them ahead of their visit to Cannes

RTISTS and managers play a huge part in making Midem a dynamic hub, buzzing with creativity and business knowhow, and this year some of them get the chance to recount what it is like to be an artist today. Ryan Leslie, US artist and founder of SuperPhone, is a Grammy-nominated recording artist, multi-platinum music producer, and avid technologist. In addition to logging studio time with Madonna, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Beyonce, he is the architect and ultimate case study for his company Disruptive Multimedia’s simple CRM for creators, a Twilio-enabled product called SuperPhone. “I believe that the greatest satisfaction for any artist comes from discovery and consumption of the works that they create. Today more than ever the channels available provide a powerful pathway for increased exposure,” he said. “At the same time, a greater number of channels and outlets, yields greater complexity as each channel has its own respective optimal communication elements. Advances in technology enable artists today to actually own the relationships that they are building and invest in direct

channels that will enable them to continue the dialogue with their audiences irrespective of any shifts in social-media platform popularity.” According to Emma McGann, artist, ambassador and partner at the UK’s YouNow/Rize, digital tools make life easier, but also more complicated: “There’s a wide selection of tools available today that help artists grow, market themselves and reach wider audiences, but with this access the market does become more saturated,” she said. “There’s tons of new music out there everyday. So more than ever, artists have to focus on what makes their sound and image unique to cut through the noise. Thinking outside the box is a necessity regardless of what tools you choose to use.” China-based DJ and artist manager Allyson Toy agreed: “The age of interconnectivity has its ups and downs, but ultimately I feel it has complicated the role of a music manager. One of the obvious advantages of the digital age is the ease and speed at which you can create and distribute music and connect with fans, which has in many ways made music discovery more democrat-

ic. We’re less reliant on traditional music industry gatekeepers like record labels or radio, which is great for independent artists,” she said. “On the flipside, with the relative speed and ease of content creation, the volume of output is higher than ever, making it a considerable challenge for individuals to cut through the noise, and even if they do, they then have to maintain fans’ attention. The role of an artist has morphed into that of a music maker, and a public persona that requires a constant dialogue, upkeep, and steady output.” According to Annabella Coldrick of the European Music Managers Forum: “Being a manager is more complicated than ever. The proliferation of digital services from music streaming to socials and the data that goes with them offer artists greater possibilities to connect with and build their fan base, at a lower cost than ever before. However the bandwidth to sift between these and the time required to execute strategies puts increasing pressure on the manager and illustrates how important it is to stay informed with changes in the industry and consumer behaviour.” She added: “Excit-

ing new developments including the use of blockchain for music streaming and ticketing may well be the next great leap forwards, but we’re not there yet. Keeping an eye on future trends while focusing on present opportunities is essential for all managers.” Few DJs have had such a dramatic impact on both their local community and indeed a whole nation as South African DJ and producer Black Coffee. His success has seen him adopted as a symbol of positivity in his home country. Black Coffee had his first big break in 2015 when he won the Breakthrough DJ Of The Year award at the DJ Awards in Ibiza. Black Coffee said that the life of a DJ has changed dramatically with digital technology. He remembers carrying flight cases of records around the world when he started out. “But today I carry memory sticks which are backed up in the cloud in case anything happens, which is great,” he said. “Also, as an artist today, with social media you can connect directly with your audience, allowing you to communicate anything about what you’re doing, and the greater the numbers, the more you grow your career.”

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 31

Online database Visit Midem.com

TALENT

DJ and artist manager Allyson Toy

Annabella Coldrick of the European Music Managers Forum

DJ and producer Black Coffee

Emma McGann, artist, ambassador and partner at YouNow/Rize

Artist manager, Juan Paz

Artist and owner of Roaring Girl Records, Miranda Mulholland

Ryan Leslie, artist and founder of SuperPhone

Nigerian artist Yemi Alade

Artist manager, Juan Paz, said the availability of data is a positive element of the industry today. “I became a manager in the digital age of music, so I am used to looking at stats on a daily basis, but I guess that before, relying only on instinct must have been difficult and perhaps unproductive. Certainly, there was data and information, but not with the immediacy and accuracy of today. Having access to this information supports a more transparent management-artist relationship, which drives confidence, and that is perhaps the most important factor in our job.” He added: “The challenge is that the business has become extremely complex with too many aspects and little details to look at. Sometimes 24-hour days are not enough!” Nigerian artist Yemi Alade saiddirect contact with fans is another positive: “It’s satisfying that you have a platform to reach your fanbase much more easily

and quickly. It’s such an exciting time to be an artist, especially in Africa, where there are so many talented and creative musicians who are breaking boundaries.” For artist and owner of Roaring Girl Records, Canadian-born Miranda Mulholland: “The digital revolution promised the elimination of the middle man but it has actually delivered the exact opposite. While there are some advantages to being able to target audiences, the companies that have inserted themselves in the middle of that exchange, taking advantage of artists’ hard-won relationships with their audiences and exploiting their loyalty, make it frustrating. Artists are told that discoverability is the reward for making your music available for fractions of cents. But in essence, the marketplace has changed the way listeners consume music. Passive listening is now the norm. My hope is that the ephemerality of live musical experiences recovers and grows its value.”n

“

Allyson Toy:

“The role of an artist has morphed into that of a public persona that requires a constant dialogue, upkeep, and steady output”

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 33

034_BL PROD_N_DEM

PARIS - NEW YORK MONTREAL - VANCOUVER MORE THAN 15.000 PEOPLE ...

2 CONTINENTS 3 COUNTRIES / 4 CITIES CONCERTS, SHOWCASES, CONFERENCES, SPEED MEETINGS, MASTER CLASS ... ROY AYERS (US) • SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 (NGR) WAX TAILOR (FR) • JOE BATAAN (US) RAASHAN AHMAD (US) • SOUL REBELS (US) KEREN ANN (ISR) • BRIAN JACKSON (US) TONY ALLEN (FR) … For professional meetings 2018 register : Infos : pnyhfestival.com Contact : prod@blmusicprod.com

TALENT

EXPERTS AND TALENT COME TOGETHER

AT THE MIDEM ARTIST ACCELERATOR The Midem Artist Accelerator, the exclusive platform giving emerging acts from various countries a rare opportunity to boost their careers on the international stage, returns for its fourth edition. Juliana Koranteng reports

Vevo’s Emmylou Prevett

Creativeman Productions’ Yoshinari Hirayama

ROM more than 600 submissions, the 11 Midem Artist Accelerator (MAA) finalists are from France, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia, Switzerland and Cuba. They were selected by Midem’s Artistic Committee, a jury of leading industry executives. Additionally, they are supported by South African DJ/producer Black Coffee, who is MAA 2018’s artist ambassador and a Midem keynote speaker. By the time they leave Cannes, each finalist will see their music promoted digitally worldwide by Midem and made available on an exclusive vinyl compilation album and playlist. MAA jury members tell us about the unique experience of working with ambitious emerging artists. “Having the winning title, or even a runner-up position of the competition, in their resume, would hopefully go a long way

VIMN Africa’s Alex Okosi

and open a lot of doors,” said Yoshinari Hirayama, promotion and marketing manager at Japan-based concerts-promotion powerhouse Creativeman Productions. Emmylou Prevett, the UK-based creative content manager, France, at global music platform Vevo, explained how the MAA brings decision makers and new talent together. “Being part of the jury made me personally aware of their names, sounds and backgrounds, things I would maybe have not come across outside of Midem,” she said. “They are now on my radar.” She also emphasised the invaluable education to be gained by the participating acts. “I feel that, more than ever, artists and music experts need to have a conversation as they sometimes don’t understand the amount of work and energy involved in marketing campaigns or promo-

Billboard’s Leila Cobo

tions created by labels and music platforms.” Alex Okosi, executive vice president and managing director of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa and BET International, is impressed by the way the event is redefining the international reach of the industry today. “This year the spotlight at Midem Artist Accelerator is on Africa’s bourgeoning music scene. At VIMN Africa, we launched our first channel for Africa, MTV Base, as a platform to elevate contemporary African musicians across the continent,” Okosi said. “We’re now seeing the incredible impact that African music is having on global youth culture as it permeates international markets.” These up-and-coming artists also add to the Midem experience, said Leila Cobo, the USbased executive director of Latin

OkayAfrica’s Abiola Oke

content at Billboard magazine. “They bring their music and the awareness that there is a vibrant music community in so many different places,” Cobo said. They in turn broaden their horizons after networking with highly experienced experts, she added. “Social media and global streaming are continually touted as the great equalisers, but there needs to be a major promotional machinery at work for acts to cut through the clutter and be seen and heard.” Ultimately, the MAA contestants should understand they are at Midem to raise awareness for their talents and work, said Abiola Oke, CEO/publisher of OkayAfrica, a digital portal dedicated to African culture and music, and Okayplayer, a dedicated streaming platform. “They should bring their stories, enthusiasm for music and an ear to learn,”Oke said.n MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 35

TALENT

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE MAA FINALISTS? Previous MAA finalists include Scottish act Be Charlotte, now signed to Columbia Deutschland/Sony Music Germany, and UK-born, Denmark-raised singer Iris Gold, who secured a global deal with Playground Music Scandinavia. Some of this year’s, who are attending Midem for the first time, tell us why their participation is a game-changer for them Agar Agar

French indie electro-pop duo

“We have gained a good reputation in France and would like to develop our career internationally. This is a wonderful opportunity to make connections and increase our international network. It will also allow us to develop our career, boost our sales and export our work to new audiences.”

AKA (who is also known as 3rdWrldBoss)

South African hip-hop and R‘n’B artist “I have been hearing about Midem for several years and, finally, I will be getting the chance to learn, share and network with key international industry players in Cannes. Instead of sending them a resume, I saw the accelerator programme as a great way to showcase my talent to them. I have conquered Africa, having performed all over the continent. It’s now time to actively work on other territories and Midem is the place to start.”

BigStar

South African rapper “My project and visions are something I believe we can export, so the MAA programme serves as an awesome platform to connect and network internationally. It’s all part of a bigger plan.”

Damian Lynn

Swiss singer-songwriter/pop act

“It’s a great opportunity to meet people from around the world who work in the same business. I’m looking forward to getting feedback on my music for taking the next steps.”

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

TALENT Dylan Williams

UK hip-hop/R’n’B artist

“When the Accelerator programme was explained to me, it was a no brainer. To be given the opportunity not only to attend, but also to perform and receive invaluable advice from figures that have shifted culture and changed lives is incredibly exciting. It will aid my growth as an artist and [help me to] reach people who were not aware of my music before.”

Haute

French R’n’B/hip-hop duo “We think it is a massive chance to meet potential collaborators, both in terms of music and business-wise. We are also looking forward to the workshops to learn more about the industry and how to market an artist to his or her public more efficiently.”

La Dame Blanche

Cuban R’n’B/hip-hop singer

“I’ve already performed at other international events, but this is my first time at Midem, which I and my team believe will be the one to help us make new contacts and reach promoters worldwide. That is really important for me as an independent artist touring all year long.”

T$hego (Tshegofatso Ketshabile)

US-born South African R’n’B/hip-hop artist

“This will be the first time I will be performing outside of Africa. For the past four years, a former manager has been recommending that I attend Midem for me to start exporting my music. As much as we make great music, if we don’t have the right channels and the people who can help us exploit those channels, we won’t get far. This is a chance to have a shot at this.”

Also at the MAA as finalists are Nigeria-based Bez, Client Liaison from Australia and France’s Hyphen Hyphen. MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 37

TALENT

TAIWANESE STARS LOOK TO GO GLOBAL AS THEY TAKE TO THE CANNES STAGE

AIWANESE stars will once again be taking to the stage at Midem, as part of the Taiwan night on June 7. The performers have been chosen from winners and nominees at this year’s Golden Melody Awards (GMAs), which are among the most prestigious music awards in Asia. These artists’ fame has already extended beyond Taiwan.

Cosmos People

DJ Cookie, one of the performers this year, has more than 630,000 fans on Facebook, and has played regularly in countries like the US and Japan. DJ Cookie will be joined by Eve Ai, who won the Best Female category in the 2018 GMAs, as well as by Cosmos People, who were nominated in the Best Musical Group category. Ed Yen, team leader and crea-

tive director of GCA Entertainment, which is co-ordinating the showcase, said these and other Taiwanese artists are capable of global success. “Apart from those inside Asia, there are 100 million Chinese people around the world, and most of them are located in Europe and America. That’s why our artists go to Paris and London to perform,” Yen said.

DJ Cookie

Eve Ai

THE NEXT BIG HIT MAY BE MADE AT MIDEM

NE OF the next global hits could be created during the first Midem Songwriting Camp in Cannes. The camp will host a project for up to 13 talents to write a collection of new original songs with the potential to be international bestsellers. It kicks off on June 3 inside four pop-up studios near the Palais des Festivals. Songwriters from all corners of the world will work round-the-clock during four rigorous days, with established producers, to write a series of possible winners. Ten of the recorded songs, available as master recordings, will be 38

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018

played during an exclusive sesworking with UK music publisher sion on June 7 and a short film DWB Music on the venture. documenting the experience International singing stars, lawill be available after Midem. bels, publishers, plus TV shows “Midem has focused on labels, and films will be offered the oppublishers and the disrupting tion to perform, license, distribtech startups over the years. ute and/or sync the end results. But none of those sectors would have a business without the song. Now Midem is providing those creators with an international platform,” said industry veteran Eric Vandepoorter, whose consultancy Alexine Business Solutions is Elvis Crespo Emyli

He added that past Taiwanese artists showcasing at Midem have found global recognition, with artists Mayday, Jolin Tsai, Alin and DJ Rayray all using their performances as the launchpad for partnerships globally. “Midem is a very positive experience for Taiwanese participants and artists. Each year, we are here to present Taiwan’s music and technological resources with people who really understand the value of creative ideas,” Yen said. “Taiwan is located at the centre of Asia, and has an open mind to co-operate with anyone who wants to work smart. Midem is a great platform to find global partners.” n

GCA’s Ed Yen

Artists participating include: Elvis Crespo (US/Puerto Rico); Celso Fonseca (Brazil); Yemi Alade (Nigeria); Ash Hicklin (UK); Emyli (Japan); Jaran Hereid (Norway); Jeroen Swinnen (Belgium); Lister (France); Maria Mathea (Sweden); Carlos Okabe (Japan); Pete Barringer (UK); Sayen (Spain); and Thomas Boulard (France). n

Celso Fonseca

TALENT BRITPOP IS BACK AS UK MUSIC INDUSTRY REACHES NEW HIGHS

HE BRITISH music industry is riding high this year, after recorded-music revenues for 2017 reached levels not seen since the heyday of Britpop. The celebrations extend to the Music Is Great Presents: British Music At Midem showcase on Tuesday, June 5, returning after a successful series of performances last year. This time around, the three featured British artists are Tokio Myers, Nina Nesbitt and Wildwood Kin. Phil Patterson, music sector specialist at the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), said it will be a vibrant showcase for British talent. “It’s a very strong line-up,” he said. “We’ve got three acts that are very different in style,

and we’re very happy to be supporting this new up-andcoming talent.” Midem has already proved a valuable stage for British artists. One of last year’s performers, Scottish band Be

Charlotte, recently signed a major-label deal with Sony Music’s Columbia imprint. “They were part of the Midem Artist Accelerator programme, and the mentoring and other aspects of that were so important for their development,” Patterson said. Midem has done a great service for new acts with the Accelerator programme, he said. “It’s invaluable for up-and-coming artists.”

Wildwood Kin

Tokio Myers

Patterson hopes that this year’s trio at the British showcase will also be able to capitalise on their exposure to the industry attendees from around the world. “Ultimately, we want to be opening the doors to new markets for British artists and British music companies,” he said. “We’re excited about the diversity we’ll have on show at Midem this year.” n

Nina Nesbitt

2017 YEARBOOK A YEAR-ROUND

NETWORKING TOOL

PICK UP

YOUR COPY

AT THE REGISTRATION AREA (PALAIS 0)

THE INTERNATIONAL B2B MUSIC MARKET

WHO’S WHO MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 39

020v2_VARIETY_N_DEM

Congratulates

Scooter Braun Midem Hall of Fame Award

We Proudly Support

012_SXSW_N_DEM

TALENT

SCOOTER BRAUN IS FIRST HONOUREE OF THE MIDEM HALL OF FAME

COOTER Braun will be the first-ever recipient of the Midem Hall of Fame Award during the Midem Music Awards on the evening of Thursday, June, 7 at the Midem Beach. The founder of SB Projects is being honoured in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the music industry and to creativity as a whole. Braun will also join the Midem Conference Programme in a keynote conversation (June 7, 17.30), during which he will discuss how he has successfully built SB Projects through a series of ventures in music, film, television, technology, brands, culture and social good. As one of the entertainment industry’s leading entrepreneurs and innovators, Braun has a roster of the top pop culture icons under his management, record label and publishing companies, that include Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Usher, Karlie Kloss, Tori Kelly, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Black Eyed Peas and Martin Garrix. Braun has broken more new artists than any other music executive in the last decade and now has expanded his reach by establishing a fund, which in-

vests in some of the largest management, media, and rights companies in the industry. But he has a clear approach to artist management and is aware of how fame and adulation can get in the way of success. “We aren’t made to be worshipped as humans,” he said. “I think that’s why we see so many great artists crumble, because as humans we are made to serve each other.” In music Braun has always encouraged a collaborative approach: “As a music industry, if we remain in competition then we die,” he said. “We have to understand that we’re all in this together. Collaboration and synergy, it’s one of the most important things out there.” SB Projects houses a film and television production division, which enjoyed early success with its first documentary film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. The division also executive produced the hit CBS show Scorpion, which is currently in its fourth season. SB Projects also continues to impact new verticals under its tech incubator, Silent Labs, which holds investments in Uber, Spotify, Songza, Casper, Waze and Pinterest, among other companies. n

PARTICIPATE PARTICIPATE AT SXSW SXSW2019 2019 JUNE 25, JUNE 25, 2018: 2018:

Showcasing Artist Showcasing Artist applications, applications, PanelPicker PanelPicker applications,and applications, andFilm Film submissions submissions accepted accepted

AUGUST 1,1,2018: AUGUST 2018:

Registration and Housing open Registration and Housing open

“Whether innovative new “Whether ititisisinnovative new technology, riveting video technology, aariveting video game, game, a memorable film or a a memorable film or a song that song thatthe willlives touch the lives will touch of billions, billions,SXSW SXSWshines shines a light a light where realpower power resides — where real resides — in in creative people.” –ASCAP creative people.” –ASCAP

MN M N PPVV

March March 8−17, 8−17, 2019 2019 SB Projects’ Scooter Braun

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 41

sxsw.com sxsw.com

037_RM CONNECTED N_DEM

Visit Midem.com

INNOVATION

STARTUPS BATTLE FOR MUSIC’S RICHES

NumberEight’s Abhishek Sen

Deezer’s Aurelien Herault

WowTune’s Franck Nazikian

WENTY music/tech startups will be hoping to impress the judges of this year’s Midemlab contest — presented by Deezer — and follow in the footsteps of past finalists including SoundCloud, Kickstarter and The Echo Nest. The 2018 finalists are spread across four categories and will each pitch their products to panels of industry experts during Midem. “Midemlab gathers the most innovative music-tech startups every year, and is a fertile ground to find new partners, generate ideas and launch new initiatives,” said Aurelien Herault, chief data and research officer at Deezer. Finalists are well aware that the contest has historically been an effective launchpad for startups hoping to build relationships with the music business. “We’re very excited to be part of Midemlab this year. If there’s any indication from previous years, there will be some of the best music startups in the world participating, and we’re honoured to be part of that group,” said Alec Ellin, CEO of finalist Laylo. “Being a finalist at Midemlab, a benchmark in the music industry, is a strong market recognition,” added Franck Nazikian, CEO and co-founder of WowTune,

which will be launching its supercharged Karaoke App at Midem. The jury for this year’s Midemlab includes executives from Sony Music, Ticketmaster, Google, Deezer and Facebook, among other industry figures. Scott Sellwood, head of commercial music publishing partnerships at Facebook, expects the contest to make plenty of waves. “Music thrives on innovation. Artists are always pushing boundaries. Fans are always looking for new ways to connect to their favourite music,” he said. “Startups that deliver innovative services to artists and fans or address thorny industry challenges will always find willing and creative industry partners.” Per Roman, managing partner at GP Bullhound — another of the judges for this year’s competition — believes that forging ever-stronger partnerships between startups and the industry is crucial in 2018. “Music is a digital experience today, which means it must always be at the forefront of innovation to stay relevant. Those companies who can harness innovation will win,” he said. “Technology is now driving the music industry. We are entering an era where the competitors in subscription-based music access — like Spotify and

Apple — will battle for global market share. This will drive investments and acquisitions of smart startups and help grow the ecosystem.” Abhishek Sen, CEO of Midemlab finalist NumberEight, added that the music industry has a “new openness” to working with startups, having moved on from some of the tensions of the past between the music and tech worlds. “Technology is seen as an enabler, rather than a threat,” he said, while agreeing with Roman on the financial outlook. “The recent Spotify IPO demonstrated that the financial community is also less nervous about music as an investable vehicle and that is exciting for the next generation of music/tech startups.” Roman has some to-the-point advice for the startups pitching at Midemlab. “Make sure you can explain what your business does in one single sentence. Be focused. Be clear. Be simplistic,” he said. For Sellwood, self-awareness from the startups will also be key. “Entrants reaching this stage will likely have strong ideas, but can the company articulate where they fit into the ecosystem, where their greatest challenges lie and how they will address those challenges?”n

GP Bullhound’s Per Roman

“

Per Roman:

“Those companies who can harness innovation will win”

MIDEMLAB 2018 FINALISTS BY CATEGORY Music Creation & Education • AIVA (France) • MXX (UK) • Skoove (Germany) • Taplyrica (UK) • Voice Magix (Spain) Music Discovery & Distribution • Boreas (US) • Laylo (US) • Lickd (UK) • Listen! (France) • Louise (France) Marketing & Data/Analytics • Asaii (US) • Gigz (France) • Muso.AI (US) • NumberEight (UK) - Seated (US) Experiential Technologies • Enhancia (France) • Flexound (Finland) • Jooki (Belgium) • Landmrk (UK) • WowTune (Hong Kong) MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 43

009_RM HEBERGEMENT_N_DEM

Need help with your accommodation for the next shows? Our dedicated team can provide you with • The best rates and conditions in Cannes or nearby

• Secured bookings and centralised payment

Book your next stay with our online booking platform: midem.b-network.com

INNOVATION

SUMMIT LOOKS TO FUTURE OF STREAMING Midem is presenting the inaugural Streaming Summit on June 5 and a keynote by Bill Patrizio, president and CEO, Rhapsody International-Napster, on June 7. Gary Smith meets some of the Summit’s participants

TREAMING is the fastest growing segment of music consumption. Goldman Sachs expects the recorded music streaming market to be worth around $37bn by 2030.

In this context Midem is holding the inaugural Streaming Summit on June 5 and a keynote by Bill Patrizio, president and CEO, Rhapsody International-Napster on June 7.

Rhapsody International-Napster has been in the music streaming subscription business since 2001, and as a result has data on paid user/subscriber behaviour that spans 16 years. “What we

have witnessed is truly remarkable,” Patrizio said. “Listeners have consistently increased their consumption and are increasing the breadth of music they enjoy, discovering new genres and artists based on AI and smart algorithms that personalise their experience and drive satisfaction. As for my keynote, I will share my perspective on Rhapsody International-Napster — where the company is today, look back at an amazing journey and offer a vision of where the company is headed for the future.” According to Pete Downton, deputy CEO of European digital music and radio services platform 7digital, we are approaching an inflection point for music and the pace of change will be much faster than the music and radio industries are currently prepared for. “The digital music services we have today are amazing resources but have historically

7digital’s Pete Downton

Deedo’s Awa Girard

Tencent, South Africa’s Thabiet Allie

Deezer’s Alexander Holland

Fuga’s Pieter Van Rijn

Anghami’s Rami Zeidam

MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 45

001v2_AZUR HELICO_N_DEM

Your helicopter transfer NICE - CANNES

160e/pers SAINT-TROPEZ

MONACO

Your helicopter flight between Nice and Cannes 7min

Car service in Cannes

Handling Service at Nice airport

1 cabin bag (Extra luggage : +50â&#x201A;¬/bag)

CANNES

NICE

LY O N

COURCHEVEL

BOOK YOUR FLIGHT +33 (0)4 93 90 40 70 & info@azurhelico.com

www.azurhelico.com

INNOVATION

“

lacked depth and main chalcontext around lenge will be the songs,” to find a model Scott Cohen: Downton that will equalsaid. “Smart ly benefit all speakers stakeholders.” and voice Thabiet Allie, recognition CCO, music, are helping at Tencent, to bring digiSouth Africa, tal music to the sees great opmainstream, leanportunities on the back listener in their continent in the long homes, while the continterm: “Globally the music ued convergence of radio and industry has seen great results streaming puts curation skills from changes in consumer beand discovery at the heart. The haviour as a result of streaming next battleground for streamservices. Africa is no different, ing services will be the car, and although we face some chalvoice is sure to play a significant lenges. These include factors role, to enable seamless, handslike the high cost of mobile free discovery on the move.” data, smartphone penetration Awa Girard, founder & CEO of and copyright protection.” pan-African streaming service Scott Cohen, founder and Deedo, agreed: “Streaming service-president, international, vices are already playing a major at distribution company The part in our daily routines. WhethOrchard, sees parallels with the er it is video, music or gaming, early web: “Streaming music the frequency with which we use has changed consumption in these services is rapidly growing. the way that Google changed Studies show that a billion peothe web. The moment someple will have access to wi-fi in one thinks of an artist or track airplanes by the end of this year. they instantly listen to it. No In Africa, 660 million people will waiting or remembering or be equipped with smartphones spending additional money,” by 2020 representing half a bilhe said. “Search has changed. lion Iinternet connections. The In the days of record stores

“Streaming music has changed consumption in the way that Google changed the web”

people searched alphabetically. In the download world it was about genre. Now it is so much more complex. It is based on the user habits, mood and history. I believe streaming services will add more content beyond songs. This could be everything from interviews to videos which will create a richer consumer experience.” For Alexander Holland, chief content and product officer at France’s Deezer, investment is still key. “Subscription audio streams now represent more than half of overall digital music revenues annually,” he said. “At the same time, global penetration is still low but growing faster than ever. We are already profitable in a number of our key markets, but continue to invest in growth through marketing, new content genres, original content and by developing our editorial capabilities.” For Pieter Van Rijn, CEO of Dutch musci tech company Fuga, it’s about the metadata and voice recognition. “Following Spotify’s free-tier changes I can see bundle pricing and pricing structures altering in the coming years,” he said. “To achieve a better focus on publishing rights payouts we will

FIVE YEARS AFTER LAUNCH CAP DIGITAL HAS SOME SUCCESS STORIES TO TELL

RENCH tech label Cap Digital was launched at Midem five years ago. It is now the biggest cluster in Europe and one of the largest innovator collectives in the digital ecosystem, with 1,000+ members located in Paris. Cap Digital has been organising the French Tech Delegation at Midem since 2013, and on the occasion of its fifth

anniversary, head of content Mathilde Neu takes a look back, and forward. “If we had to pick one major success story from the last few years on our pavilion, it would be Niland, a startup we brought to Cannes during our first years, where they met Spotify — a meeting that changed a lot of things since they were bought

by the streaming service and are part of the family,” Neu said. But it’s one success among many others. “We’ve seen companies evolve, and we feel proud when we see them succeed,” Neu said. “The startup Wyker, for instance, is launching the first version [of its concert app] this year and the company has been with us for

need better metadata alignment between compositions and recordings. I would also hope to see improvements in YouTube’s returns to licence holders. Spotify will continue to enhance their video offerings and I would expect to see new metadata requirements around voice-recognition technology.’ Rami Zeidam, vice-president, partnerships, at Anghami, a leading music streaming company in the MENA region, agreed with 7digital’s Downton. “Technology will have major influence on the evolution of music streaming, with smarter phones, smarter car dashboards, and the maturing of smart speakers,” he said. “The accessibility to music on the go, in the car and at home will become ever easier, and more engaging. Smart speakers and connected devices will allow high consumer engagement beyond the screen, and advanced technologies will allow further social functionality at scale within music platforms. Anghami today is experimenting and seeing potential with [a number of technologies] which we believe will place music streaming services in the midst of the social sphere.”n

a while now. The most exciting thing right now is that we are at a moment where ideas are proliferating, and finding solutions for the music industry is not really an issue, but we have to find ways to collaborate with other fields.” If asked to pinpoint vibrant areas of the industry right now, Neu said “immersion in music is getting attention from professionals and the public. The fact that our startups this year are either specialised in sound diffusion or artistic management is key: we need to accustom ourselves to new customs.”n MIDEM NEWS JUNE 2018 47

039_RM PARTNERS N_DEM