CANNES, France (CelebrityAccess) — Like a modern-day Lazarus, the annual MIDEM conference, has risen and appears to be on track for 2023.
According to Music Business Worldwide, the annual music conference brand has been sold to municipality of the City of Cannes by former owners RX France, Reed Midem’s parent company.
“In order to rediscover this emblematic event on the Cannes calendar, the City of Cannes is taking over the MIDEM so that it once again becomes the essential meeting place for music professionals from all over the world,” Cannes mayor, David Lisnard said in a statement provided to MBW. “Maintaining this show in Cannes represents an economic challenge for local employment and attractiveness for the destination.”
The annual conference debuted in 1967 and quickly became a major industry event, regularly attracting thousands of musicians, producers, agents, managers, lawyers, executives, entrepreneurs and journalists from around the world to attend the event.
However, in recent years, attendance at MIDEM began to wane until 2019, when the final event took place before it was forced on hiatus by the coronavirus pandemic.
Late last year, organizers announced “Due to the lasting pandemic and following a review of its activity, RX France has decided to no longer continue to organize the MIDEM event.” In a separate communication, MIDEM Director Alexandre Deniot announced that RX France and the city of Cannes were in “exclusive and advanced discussions for the latter to take over the MIDEM brand.”
