Artistes and music executives in the African music industry are set to discuss a number of aspects around the business of African music during the forthcoming inaugural ‘Midem Africa’ virtual conference slated for June 28 to July 1. Midem Africa will be the first pan-African digital music event of its kind dedicated to the continent’s most vibrant music markets, and will bring together music managers, songwriters, producers, directors, publishers and CEOs from different countries across the continent. The four-day itinerary, mapping the African music industries, will highlight the most exciting trends and opportunities, as well as provide key insights and practical tools to foster networking and accelerate careers and business amongst the most influential local music players and their regional and international counterparts. Talking of the upcoming event, Midem Director, Alexandre Deniot said the event will allow African professionals to benefit from real business opportunities, with support in education and professionalisation, and to highlight the continent’s talent. “It’s been great to see the conversations and connections sparked during the Midem African Forum series, which we’ve hosted on the continent for the last three years. It will be a truly unique event, accessible to all and free of charge and I can’t wait to see the music community connect with each other, both regionally and internationally,” he said. With a rich programme of conferences, competitions, networking events and live performances, music makers, cutting-edge technology companies, brands and talent come together to enrich the passionate relationship between people and music, transform audience engagement and form new business connections. On the event agenda, a pan-African Conference Programme will take place for leading artistes and executives from all corners of the continent to share their insight on the key trends and most exciting stories from their markets. The programme discussions will focus, but are not limited to, on understanding African markets and music consumption patterns, the creation of a pan-African music industry, the impact of digital and social media in the internationalisation of African music genres, and the African music tech ecosystem. An exclusive business accelerator initiative for artistes and executives focusing on talent development was also put on the agenda to explore the keys to success in the region’s industry, helping and supporting those in the sector to navigate an ever-changing but exciting environment. The initiative will create a platform for participants, including Rwanda, to learn more about how they can monetise their music in association with SmartistU and Synchtank, why entourage is key to success, how to promote their music in association with Fanbase Academy, as well as strategies to leverage business opportunities in association with Bridges for Music. It will also provide a networking occasion for global artistes and executives as one of the key factors to growing a career and levelling up business on the continent. Midem Africa delegates will, therefore, have the opportunity to network with over 12,000 members of the international Midem community on the platform by organising individual meetings or joining official networking sessions. Home of the Global Music Community, Midem is the world’s leading music business event, which unites, connects, serves and supports the global music ecosystem to exchange, create, play, forge relationships and shape the future of the industry. Midem Africa has become an African chapter for Midem which has for years been a leading event for the global music community which takes place every year in Cannes (France) since 1967, welcoming over 5000 attendees from 90 different countries. In June 2020, Midem launched its own platform, Midem Digital, which has up to date more than 12,500 members from 153 countries, who have experienced ongoing networking and on-demand inspirational and educational content focused on music business. The Midem digital platform aims to bring the global music community together online to stimulate discussion, share solutions, and achieve a better understanding of what is ahead for our industry in the post-COVID era, allowing participants to seize new business opportunities and network with relevant business partners on a global scale, thanks to international forums and masterclasses by music tech entrepreneurs and artistes, as well as conferences with key players in the international music community. Midem Africa is proud to count amongst its ambassadors and alumni leading artistes from the continent, from Femi Kuti to Yemi Alade, Nasty C, Kampire, Maleek Berry, Davido, Moonchild and many more.
