An article from Horus Music CEO, Nick Dunn.
At the end of January, staff from Horus Music attended Midem 2012, making it the sixth year we’ve attended. The event is held in Cannes and is just like the film festival, but just for music.
A large number of people attended Midem 2012, including representation from 78 different countries. Over 3000 music companies attended, including both major and independent record labels, music publishers, artist managers, distributors, promoters, booking agents, accountants and lawyers and digital services who provide fantastic tools for artists.
In all the time we have been attending Midem you see a different focus and lots of new faces, as well as many old faces. It’s always great to catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while and meet potential business partners. I still get a great kick out of Midem just like I did the first year we attended. There is no question about hard work. You have to work hard before the event, during the event and after but the hard work does pay off – and that’s why we love it.
At my first Midem, I thought I would come home with loads of contracts in the suitcase and it was going to be easy. I quickly learned how wrong I was and it’s exactly the same in today’s market. Many years ago, deals may have been done quickly, but there were less artists aiming for the top. Today there is a great choice of talent but less money to invest, so you have to be very careful before you invest.
Setting yourself up in your home territory is vitally important because if you cannot make any noise at home, you have no chance overseas. Midem will quickly teach you that if you haven’t already understood that concept.
For Midem 2012, we produced a DVD which included 11 artists we wanted to present to our international contacts. Getting feedback of any kind is so vital – even if it’s not quite what you wanted. You would be a fool to ignore the advice on offer here.
The work goes on and will do for the rest of the year with the continuing of the conversations we began in Cannes. There are so many opportunities at Midem and it only takes one to suddenly change the world for that artist. I love speaking to people I haven’t met and introducing them to our music – you just never know what may happen next.
The number of artists going to Midem increases year by year. Midem is difficult because it is more business orientated. This is unlike other conferences with a performing focus with little business discussed until the event is over. However, I do believe artists can get success there, they just have to remember that Midem is firstly about business. Plenty of deals get started or even signed here, and there’s plenty of time to party afterwards.
All our international opportunities are attributed to Midem for which we are grateful. Without Midem, we wouldn’t have met many key people, and got our music heard or contracts signed. Artists need to do the same, and if they do, they will go far.
See you at Midem 2013. If you want to be in the music industry, you have to be on the pitch to play the game.
