MIDEM 2020 will open with a keynote address on the "importance of artist and label services", the conference has announced.
The Raine Group's Fred Davis, Downtown CEO Justin Kalifowitz and SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor will discuss the role these facilities can play, reflecting the June 2-5 event's focus on the subject next year.
“We’re delighted to host this amazing line-up of keynote speakers, which resonates with our artist-centric strategy and highlights the main evolutions currently reshaping our industry," explained MIDEM director Alexandre Deniot (pictured), who is launching the MIDEM Artist & Label Services Forum, a global platform dedicated to the issue, at next year's conference.
"By creating the first ever Artist & Label Services Forum at MIDEM, we aim to further serve the global music community and provide concrete solutions for new artists, entrepreneurs and the industry's needs,” he added.
Welcoming the focus on artist and label services at Cannes next year, on of the keynote spakers, The Raine Group's Davis, one of the biz's leading deal-makers, suggested the changing ways of doing business could have a significant impact on the biz.
“With DIY and independent artists representing the fastest growing segment of the industry in terms of revenues, growing 35/40% year-on-year, the music industry is facing a new turning point," he said.
"There is an exciting opportunity to further empower these artists and rights-holders and allow the entire industry to generate significantly more revenues. In this context, metadata is more than ever a critical issue we need to unify around. MIDEM is uniquely positioned to host such an important conversation as it welcomes all its stakeholders.”
Earlier this year Midem announced plans to launch a "data-driven" awards show for its 2020 edition.
Read Music Week's interview with Alexandre Denoit about Midem's wider aims.
By Paul Stokes
