BERLIN (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Popkomm Berlin is underway, and with 886 exhibitors from 57 different countries, this year's Popkomm is more international than ever.
Held on the Berlin Festival Grounds from September 19th – Sept 21st, the event is expected to draw more than 15,000 industry professionals including artists and music managers, promoters and publishers, as well as many experts from areas associated with music.
In recent years, Popkomm has focused on France, Spain and Brazil, but this year, its Germany's turn, with regional displays in the exhibitor hall. Previous years have seen a focus on France.
This year's conference will feature keynote addresses from Federal Minister for Economics Michael Glos, who talked about the importance of the music industry for the German economy, while Carl Leighton Pope will outline the risks inherent in the concert business, as well as the opportunities that it offers. Other speakers at the conference: Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, Katie Melua’s producer Mike Batt and the manager of Die Fantastische Vier, Andreas "Bär" Läsker.
Additional seminar topics include: Artist-Generated Business – Power to the artists, Pop TV today – friend or foe of the music business? DRM is dead – long live DRM! Market overviews of developing markets and numerous other subjects.
Awards will again be presented at this year’s Popkomm for innovative business ideas. Eight finalists, from Australia, Israel, Luxembourg, Spain, the USA and Germany, will be presenting their projects to the judges and the public this afternoon at the Screening Session of Popkomm-IMEA. The panel of judges for this award is made up of industry experts, investors and venture capitalists as well as music industry journalists from all over the world. The patron of the Popkomm-IMEA 2007 is Germany’s top rapper Samy Deluxe.
The Popkomm Music Festival begins this evening. Over four nights 450 acts and DJs from 35 countries will be bringing new sounds to Berlin. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
