A lot has happened since 2000. The seed that was planted in Amsterdam, still home to MassiveMusic’s headquarters, started to branch out in 2004 when, again under the starry nights in Cannes: “We had business intercourse with some Americans,” jokes founder and CEO Hans Brouwer. As a result, MassiveMusic NewYork became a fact in 2005. LA quickly followed, opening its doors in 2008 and was soon working on tracks for high-profile clients. A year later, ex-MassiveMusic Amsterdam creative director Diederik van Middelkoop set up a Shanghai studio, becoming the first international music production company in China.

Earlier this year the company reached its ultimate highpoint when they were asked to do the music for Nike’s already famous football campaign ‘Write The Future’. Brouwer: “When we were selected to take part in this advertising saga, we realized this was the perfect crown on our 10 year anniversary.” MassiveMusic, being a music agency, specializes in writing and sourcing music for brands and their advertising campaigns, and for broadcast design and film.

The company chose a 10 year-old guitar virtuoso to star in their Cannes party teaser film. Brouwer: “Working in an industry that is focused on what’s new all the time, becoming 10 might be considered getting old. But when we see kids at the age of 10 master an instrument, we get excited. We thought this was a good way of saying: “Hey, we’re only 10. See what we can do in another 10 years from now.” Some 2,500 people are expected at the party.

MassiveMusic

The video above is “Se ne va” by the Italian pop quartet Millionaire Blonde, which I think could be a pretty strong summer hit (so much so that I just did the English lyrics, which is why I give them star billing!). If interested for licensing, get in touch with me. Click through for some other great music tips.

The MIDEM Talent section has a few artists that I think are really worth following. Variety recently picked out my three recommendations from a few weeks back: Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, French spiky girl group The Plasticines and Switzerland’s jazz singer Sophie Hunger. Check the Midem page for their shows.

I’d add to that a strong Canadian presence with notably Jason Bajada and Matthew Barber. Both are playing on the Canadian Blast night at Morrison’s on Tuesday 26. Stay tuned for more tips.

On the African front, check the conscious rap of Zulu Boy or the accomplished songwriting of The Parlatones (who appeared last year as well – how many times has this happened?).

Cape Of Good Dope 2 [Mixed] by africandope

To keep up with the changes, sign up for our RSS feed or Twitter. We will be announcing and explaining the changes, making sure that you can benefit from them. And to start off: the first word of advice is to either sign up for the early bird rate of €575 (excl. VAT) or via a country stand. BUMA in the Netherlands is already accepting submissions for the Dutch Sound stand. UK readers might want to attend Midem briefings. We’ll be looking at accommodation tips and the options for organising showcases over the coming weeks.

Attendance was also surely affected by the current financial crisis. On the show floor, however, the mood was more positive, with participants reporting longer and more productive meetings. “Who wants to talk to people that are scared?” as one participant commented on those that were absent.

The continued drop in CD sales has not yet been compensated by other forms of revenue, although Nokia was aggressively promoting the idea of Comes With Music and synch licensing was on everyone’s agenda. The other big recurring theme was the idea of strengthening the ties between the artist and audiences.

The presence of Russia was also important, although its artists failed to make a significant impression. Live acts that scored points included Northern Ireland’s Duke Special and Canada’s Ndidi Onukwulu and the UK’s Jamie Cullum.

In their blogs (see the sidebar), Ted Cohen and Gerd Leonherd are quite upbeat. They see a new approach to the business shaping up. After years of blocking access and ignoring possible partnerships with other media (such as online), the major labels seem to be finally coming around to the idea of engaging with the world rather than trying to control it.

Amazon is now selling DRM-free files (although of course 7Digital and eMusic have already been doing so successfully for some time). There is also talk of licensing music to major sites. It’s not mentioned, but the name Google is ringing in my ears.

So upbeat, they are! But of course this is the optimism of a business that is battered and bruised. Are they just clutching at straws? One of the big dangers is that some people are giving up. The temptation is to stop investing and see what happens. I’m not sure when that has ever worked. But what is true is that when people talk of the future these days they mean the immediate future, not something ten years from now. So now is the time to talk to the distributors, licensors, platforms, brands and media that have audiences. Nothing will happen without experienced professionals that are quick on their feet, plus a flow of exciting new music.

Midem 2009 will again provide the platform on which new alliances will be built. It’s going to be an interesting few days in Cannes next January.

To catch some of her music, visit Victoria Hart.

The third edition of the Music for Images conference and three listening sessions are organised in association with EuropaCorp – Recall, Activision and Zync Music.