Peter Gabriel will receive the award at a gala dinner for industry executives at MIDEM in Cannes on Monday 28 January.

“Peter Gabriel is an outstanding musician with an international following of millions. He has also pioneered innovative methods of distribution in the digital environment and has explored new business models for his music and that of fellow artists. Throughout his career he has shown that music transcends pure entertainment and can be put to the service of important issues such as human rights,” says Paul Zilk, Chief Executive Officer of Reed MIDEM.

“At the heart of MIDEM are the people who make music. The MIDEM 2008 Personality of the Year, Peter Gabriel, has always been at the cutting edge of the music industry, both artistically and as a producer and promoter. He is an immensely accomplished musician and one of the most complete artists of his generation,” comments Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM.

“MIDEM has long been the central get together for the music business. I am honoured to have been offered the Personality of the Year Award and look forward to coming down to Cannes in January 2008,” says Peter Gabriel.

In a career spanning five decades Peter Gabriel has earned a worldwide reputation as musician, writer and video maker. He co-founded the group Genesis in 1966 at school. He went on to make seven albums with Genesis before leaving in 1975 to embark on a solo career. He has since made 11 solo albums. In addition, his film soundtrack works include Birdy (1984); The Last Temptation of Christ (1989); and Rabbit Proof Fence (2002). In 1980 he conceived and co-founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance), principally presenting festivals and providing education on cultures of the world.

Peter Gabriel’s activities in the field of human rights include coordination of, and participation in the Human Rights Now! tour which took place in 1988 with Amnesty International. In 1989, he conceived and co-founded Witness.org, which pioneered the adoption of video and on-line technologies in human rights. In 2000, he conceived and co-founded the Elders.org with Richard Branson, which Nelson Mandela launched in 2007.

His business interests have been in the field of music, media and technology. In 1987 he founded the Real World group of companies – Real World Studios, Real World Records, and later Real World Multi Media and Real World Films. In 2000, he was co-founder and board member of OD2 (On Demand Distribution), which became the leading European platform provider for the distribution of on line music (acquired in 2004 by Loudeye of Seattle, Washington). In 2005, he acquired Solid State Logic with David Engelke, the world’s leading manufacturer of mixing consoles for music recording, broadcast and post-production.

Peter Gabriel became involved with theFilter.com in 2005, a filtering system that is the key to finding the right music, films or video amongst the unlimited choice available on the Internet. In 2007, he co-founded We7 – a music destination which, for a few seconds worth of advertising, uniquely gives fans free music, allows advertisers to put their message across, and enables artists to get paid.

Currently, Peter Gabriel is developing projects on the visual language for the Internet and environments for storing memories.

Amongst awards he has received are the Man of Peace award, presented by the Nobel Peace Laureates, and the “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres”. He has received various lifetime achievement awards and BT’s digital Music Pioneer Award, as well as four Grammy awards for his music and video work.

Peter Gabriel is intending to release a studio album in 2008 for which he has explored new business models, concluding an arrangement with UK based Ingenious Ventures to market and distribute his next album in North America.

The MIDEM Personality of the Year Award was created in 1989 to pay tribute to exceptional careers and contributions to the international music industry. Previous recipients include Nesuhi Ertegun, former President of the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), producer and musician Quincy Jones, Jan Timmer, President of Philips, Jean-Loup Tournier, Chairman of the Board of French copyright society SACEM, Arista President Clive Davis, Atlantic Records founder and co-chairman Ahmet Ertegun, Frances Preston, President and CEO of BMI, noted composer and producer David Foster, William H. Roedy, President of MTV Networks International and Chairman of MTV Networks Europe, Bruce Lundvall, President EMI Music, Jazz and Classics, U.S., Live 8 co-producers Sir Bob Geldof, Harvey Goldsmith CBE and John Kennedy OBE, and Claude Nobs, founder and CEO of the Montreux Jazz Festival.

To download a photo of Peter Gabriel please go to: www.reedmidem.com/v3/Press/DownloadZone/en

Notes:

Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organizer of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV featuring MILIA, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPCOM JUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM HORIZONS and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sector, GLOBAL ASSET for asset management professionals and GLOBAL CITY for urban management specialists.

Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading organiser of exhibitions and conferences delivering over 460 events in 34 countries and serving 52 industries worldwide. For further information about Reed MIDEM visit http://www.reedmidem.com/

Press Department – Paris, France:
Jane GARTON , Press Manager – Tel: +33 (0)1 41 90 44 39
mailto:jane.garton@reedmidem.com
Mélanie AIGLE, Press Officer - Tel: +33 (0)1 41 90 49 95
mailto:melanie.aigle@reedmidem.com
Fax: +33 (0)1 41 90 67 24
http://www.midem.com/