I see that MIDEM has announced dates for 2026, February 4-6. They are emphasizing the musictech and innovation for the moment. There will also be concerts, conferences and workshops to be announced at a later date. In the meantime: https://cannes-or-bust.com/2025/10/midem-2026-launch-of-a-new-start-up-village/

Thanks Michael. How was the feedback of the last MIDEM?

Good question: I don't know. I bought a ticket (hey were cheap) but when I downoaded the app I noticed that I coudln't reach out to other delegates. So I couldn't set up meetings in advance. As I had no release in view, I decided to "pass". It would have meant paying for flights and hotels without a plan. Not good. To extend the question further, I really believe in conventions and trade fairs. If anyone is serious about the French-speaking countries, for example, I really recommend the Mama Convention that is about to kick off in Paris. https://mama-musicandconvention.com/en/ Our mutual friend Allen Johnston was also involved in the MiCannes convetion (coincidetally in Cannes) last year. The dates are in June. Anyone reading this: can you recommend a good convention in your region?

Michael, the last Midem conference I attended was not conducive to doing business with other companies. No plans were made to have a centralized meeting area where meetings could be held, and more emphasis was placed on French-speaking companies only. I attempted to purchase advertising; however, there were no outlets available for conference attendees. Still haven't figured out why Live Nation has anything to do with Midem MiCannes was different, having multiple conference sessions that were attuned to today's global business and not to French-only businesses. There were nighttime events where attendees were able to attend and develop international relations. The host hotel had multiple areas for business meetings and social events. Everything was not perfect, but I was able to make new business friends, and my clients were able to expose their individual projects. Our Music2Deal / Music Specialist Networking Dinner was a major hit, and many attendees made GREAT business relations. My goal is to attend MiCannes 2026, have a networking dinner, and 3 showcases. I don't see anything that is available for me for Midem, especially since I don't speak French.

Here is the recap I sent to everyone at Midem that I could reach to include the Cannes Mayor's office: MIDEM MISSED OPPORTUNITIES Midem was built with independent artists and composers who desired to expand their reach. Giving other music industry companies the ability to find new artists, producers, musicians, projects and publishers. Marketing and advertising companies had a direct impact on the industry. Where is the original database for Midem attendees? Having run Canada Stand there for some 2 decades the prices are high & the badges/accreditation must be discounted all the way through the event or it is not manageable. They still haven’t understood Midem was built on the backs of the international indie music sector and the international export offices - many that sprang from their participation at Midem. These details were provided in surveys to the city of Cannes though it seemed the intel was never shared. There must be an online tool for communication between professionals, attendees, speakers, and corporations. Communication is the basis for our entire industry. Outreach must be specifically given to the Professional music community internationally. International Liaisons Performing Rights Organizations Publishers Distributors Niche Labels Independent Music Community Sales should include: Booth setups for corporations Booths for countries Small label / company booths Individual artist pods Information on advertising, digital signage, marketing, and promotion at the Midem event. mobile or web-based alerts and daily advertising and marketing opportunities for the attendees. There are no sessions on synchronization licensing, digital delivery, digital marketing, video creation, video marketing or promotion. No networking sessions. No publishing sessions or online communication portals weeks prior to the event. No sessions on new technology usage or applications. Too many French connections and no other international information. Where is the music for the attendees? Video received almost 65% of all streaming revenues yet there are no sessions available for streaming video services. Most importantly for an international business conference there was no quiet place to hold meetings between businesses. Missing this year was: Reggae, Calypso, and Island music companies. African House, Afrobeat, Ampiano and traditional music companies, Classical music companies Jazz, Neo-Soul, Lounge and Blues companies & catalogs Music from India Music from China Hip Hop companies International Delegations from countries other than France Finally International artists wish to perform in front of the Midem community, not regulated to a poorly structured and promoted showcase in the Palais. Allow winners of your Talent search to become the opening acts for your nightly concerts, thereby ensuring additional attendees and global promotion

H allen. Lots of this is just plain common sense. I'm surprised that the city of Cannes, which hosts Mipcom, The Film Market, the Festival of Creativity and more, was not able to enable this. There are people in the admin who know thiese things, as they have been doing it for decades. So why couldn't the new organisation integrate these fundamental issues into the planning? I can understand not all genres being catered for, as the new smaller Midem could never rival the event we knew for years. Classical music, for example, would probably require a dedicated team of its own. But how could they misssthe findamentals: getting people to connect; and learning new stuff? Good luck with MiCannes. Maybe we'll meet again. Onwards and upwards.

In Germany we have the Reeperbahn Festival which is done pretty good since a long time. But the focus is more on the Live Music Business and I think that it is still far away from being international as MIDEM was in its good times.

If anyone is into metal music, they are looking for bands: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMQ3urvRBzjwj8xXsi-GxKkgJIIVD6zmS-1x2peROCNc-pDg/viewform