Under the supervision of the Franco-Moroccan director Mohammed Ahed BenSouda, the international jury will be rating films from Ivory Coast, Niger, Namibia, Morocco, Tunisia, Haiti and elsewhere. Many of the films are co-productions and will all too often not get an official theatrical release in Europe.

The festival is also noted for its varied musical and fashion programme (come on, this is Cannes after all). Highlights this year include a N’Goni master at the opening gala at the Martinez (April 13), Kristo Numpuby’s (photo) highly-rated adaptations of George Brassens (Thursday, April 14), M’Toro Chamou on the 16th and Le Must du Jazz Tangora on Sunday 17.

Exhibitions and workshops complete the programme, which can be found at: Festival du Film PanAfricain

An interesting figure is that participants from the digital sphere were up some 30%. The combination of MidemNet, MidemNet Lab and the Open Spaces gave a new dynamic to the music side. It would be tempting to jump to conclusions, but let’s be honest: the vast majority of these services and apps are very speculative. None that I know are offering advances to content creators or publishers. Nonetheless, they will play a big role in future business. We just don’t know which ones. It looks likely that staying in business will require nurturing multiple mini streams of revenue rather than relying on sales alone (Dave Kusek says this differently in the slideshow below).

MidemNet Lab winners were Jammbox, Next Big Sound and Shuffler.fm. Rather than going into their individual merits, check the Midem blog.

What does a smaller Midem mean for visitors?

Coming back to the fall in attendance, it’s worth reminding old-timers that the days of Midem with 12,000 visitors are over because the industry has lost 50% in revenue since that time. So what does a smaller Midem mean for visitors? Well, far more availability for one. A smaller, closer vibe among attendees, greater openness and willingness to explore business. Can these be bad things?

Overall, the business is being pulled in two directions. On the one hand, revenue is increasingly being done around the artists (as opposed their individual products). So variations of the 360° model are very much on the table. Yet no solution can be found without bearing consumers in mind. Mastering the ways they discover and consume music are vital.

Labels are also becoming increasingly self-reliant in the early stags of a band’s career. Given the difficulty of securing physical distribution in the UK, European labels are increasingly looking at a combination of digital distribution and local promotion.

Unlike previous years when Latin music or metal dominated the market’s aisles, no one music trend really stood out. The jazz and classical section was one of the most busy. But this could be due to the fact that there are fewer trade fairs that cater to their genres.

And to kill a recurrent rumour, Midem is not moving to Barcelona for a simple reason. In what way would that bring in an extra few thousand visitors?

UPDATE:

I just read Berklee’s Dave Kusek’s summary of the music biz, which is just that: a good summary.

“Following the success of the Fringe programme last year, MIDEM 2011 will provide new talent with exposure to music executives both during the day and at night. By bringing the Fringe into the Palais des Festivals, MIDEM underlines that the creation of music and the development of new talent are at the heart of what the event stands for,” says Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM.

Click through for the full programme:

SUNDAY 23 JANUARY
Garrick Davis – Laughing Man Records / USA
www.myspace.com/garrickdavis
Paul Casey – Paul Casey Music Ltd. / UK
www.myspace.com/paulcasey
James Cottriall – Pate Records / Austria
www.myspace.com/jamesunplugged
Marion Corrales – France
www.myspace.com/marioncorralesmusic
Petti – Hotsak / Spain
www.myspace.com/pettibasque
Mangomad – Circular Records / UK
www.myspace.com/mangomad
Bauchklang – monkey. / Austria
www.myspace.com/bauchklang

MONDAY 24 JANUARY
Imaginary Cities – Canada
www.myspace.com/imaginarycitiesmusic
Sonia Brex – Piranha / Germany
www.myspace.com/soniabrex
The Astronaut’s Eye – Germany
www.myspace.com/theastronautseye
Abby – Snowhite / Germany
www.myspace.com/abbyband
Ya-Ha! – Ya-ha Musik / Germany

Brandt Brauer Frick - !K7 / Germany (our tip!)

www.myspace.com/brandtbrauerfrick
Marina Laslo – Russia
www.myspace.com/marinalaslo

TUESDAY 25 JANUARY

Ashley Hicklin – Ferryhouse Productions / Germany
http://www.myspace.com/ashleyhicklin
Maylee Todd – Do Right Music / Canada
www.myspace.com/mayleetodd
Jill Barber – Outside Music / Canada
www.myspace.com/jillbarbermusic
Ian Kelly – Frilance Musique / Canada
www.myspace.com/iankellymusic
Saidah Baba Talibah – CLK Creative Works / Canada
www.myspace.com/saidahbabatalibah
Art Of Fresh – Northstarr Entertainment / Canada
www.myspace.com/artoffresh
Sonnyboy – Artsoul Entertainment / USA
www.myspace.com/sonnyboyart

Bruno Crolot joins Reed MIDEM from Sony Music Entertainment France where he was VP Digital Sales and Business Development. He will report to Reed MIDEM Entertainment Division Director, Anne de Kerckhove.

“MIDEM, Rethink Music and Connected Creativity will significantly benefit from Bruno’s knowledge of the music industry, combined with his extensive experience in the digital entertainment sector,” says Anne de Kerckhove. “In the transmedia age, MIDEM will increasingly bring together the international music community with the major players operating in the technology and digital media arena. An example of this will be how the music industry will be an integral part of the Connected Creativity Forum taking place during MIPTV in 2011.”

Midem has been one of Reed MIDEM’s flagship events, championing a new era in trade fairs that focus increasingly on its users’ needs and providing unsurpassed access to the people and information needed to move ahead in music. Unfortunately, it is also the sector that was first hit by the digital tsunami that is also now reaching the movie industry. Although attendance figures have fallen over the past five or so years, Midem has kept its position as the pre-eminent music fair and – significantly – a profitable one. The introduction of MidemNet has played a major role in its continued role in the industry.

Bruno Crolot has held a variety of roles in senior management, business development, marketing and strategy at Orange France Telecom, Noos and Universal Music France. He holds a degree in Business Management from Universite Paris 9 Dauphine.

His maverick style will continue to influence generations, and so Cannes can consider itself lucky to have hosted him briefly and that someone 42 years ago had the foresight to tape the show.

B&W photo: Jean-Luc Ourlin, courtesy of Flickr

MidemTalent showcases artists with established reputations in their home territories, and whose appearance at MIDEM will offer international visibility and the opportunity to find new worldwide partners. “Whether pop, rock, folk or electronic, all the major genres will be represented this year among these talented artists, each with undeniable potential for international success,” said Luc Charles, MIDEM’s Artistic Director. “Over two days, MIDEM will welcome some of the most promising names from Britain (Monarchy), America (Oh No Oh My), Belgium (Puggy), Ireland (James Vincent McMorrow, Yes Cadets), Italy (Malika Ayane) and France (Curry & Coco), plus a special guest from America, Saul Williams.”

It’s interesting that most of the bands are signed to major labels or publishers, and yet nonetheless have MySpace pages.

After a quick scan through the artists, our shortlist is: Yes Cadets, Malika Yanae and Puggy. Remember where you heard about them first. If you have other tips for Midem, please feel free to leave them as a comment. Last year’s tips proved very interesting. Click through for the line-up:

Korean pop at Mipcom 2010

On the eve of MIPCOM 2010, one of the words that seems to be coming back repeatedly is cross-platform. The trend has been growing over the past few years and is now reaching maturity.

Asked if he set out to be a pioneer in cross-platform content last year, writer/producer Tom Kring (“Heroes”) replied candidly, “No, I wanted to stay employed”. As the effect of instant availability kicks in worldwide, it is increasingly important to be available across media and build followers and revenue from various sources as people move way from traditional TV viewing. “It’s a quest to stay relevant,” said Kring. “We wanted to reach the audience wherever they are going.”

TV seems to be leading the path on this, rather than the more traditional cinema industry. This year, a number of projects are coming with a comprehensive platform strategy. These include sci-fi series “Resonance” from the UK and a umber of project from Armoza. “The support that we have been receiving, and the excitement and buzz that we’ve been generating with our 3.0 formats, has proven that cross-platform is the way forward,” according to CEO Ari Armoza.

Almost inevitably, the first division teams are coming with the biggest fire-power. Endemol will be unveiling a portfolio of programmes under the Hybrid banner that “cross over programming genres and media platforms.” They include “The Money Drop”, “Zoom” and “Timeline”.

The big goal is to try and connect with people using the power of social media, effectively blending the TV product into people’s live in ways that were unthinkable only five years ago.

What about the Wonder Girls? Well, every MIPCOM has its pop moment. This year’s hot ticket seems to be Korea’s Wonder Girls (photo). It’s not that I know anything about the group, it’s just that the sheer number of blog comments and Tweets about them shows there is some sort of latent demand there. They had a hit in the US with “Nobody” recently and will be appearing at the opening MIPCOM party, under the wing of Korea’s KOCCA.


Wonder Girls - Tell Me
envoyé par 99ca. - Regardez d'autres vidéos de musique.

Highlights include France’s Poni Hoax, Denmark’s The Raveonettes, the nutty Tune-Yards from the US and equally nutty Omar Souleyman from Syria as well as Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club. The closing night features electro-minimalist poster boy Popof.

Details on the Pantiero site.

Wed 11th/08

20H00 >> Errors
21H00 >> Local Natives
22H00 >> Poni Hoax
23H15 >> The Raveonettes

Thu 12th/08
20H00 >> The Death Set
21H00 >> tUnE-yArDs
22H05 >> Omar Souleyman
23H20 >> The Rapture

Fri 13th/08
20H00 >> The Bewitched Hands On The Top Of Our Heads
21H00 >> Quadricolor
22H05 >> Two Door Cinema Club
23H20 >> Foals

Sat 14th/08
20H00 >> Bot’Ox
21H00 >> Mondkopf
22H05 >> Zombie Nation
23H15 >> Popof

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

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