New MIDEM director Alexandre Deniot has told Music Week that the Cannes show will not be making any rash moves to boost its audience after last year’s attendance feel, stating that it is all about “quality not quantity”.
Last year, the show’s attendance slid from 5,500 in 2015 to 4,400, although it is worth noting that 2016 MIDEM director Jérôme Delhaye claimed that this was at least partially due to cancellations caused by flooding in Paris.
In his debut MIDEM outing, Deniot claims that he will be working hard to drive up visitor numbers this year, although he does maintain that the success and the relevance of the show does not rest solely on an increased attendance.
“We work to make sure the numbers are increasing but we are aware that over the last 20 years there are fewer people working in the music industry, so of course we are impacted by this,” Deniot told Music Week.
“We are a B2B music event, not a festival. It’s only for industry professionals. I was recently in the US and people were saying that the great thing about MIDEM is that it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. It’s a premium event and you have the right people there and that’s how people like it.”
He continued: “People appreciate that when they go there they are having the right conversations. Rather than having 30 meetings they maybe have five but they will all be good ones. It’s really about quality, so we have to make sure we have the right speakers and the right themes.”
Deniot also claimed that the show is now more vital than ever due to the ever-evolving nature of the market.
“The business is more complex than it ever has been,” he said. “Everything is moving so fast, and we are here to help all of our partners. We are the biggest international music platform in the world, and it’s our duty to support and serve the industry.”
You can read our full interview with Deniot here and in the latest issue of Music Week, out now.
