Every year MIDEM is a major date in the calendar for independents and the organisations representing them, and this edition of the international music market to be held in Cannes from 27-31 January will be hosting several major events for the sector.

One year after the announcement at MIDEM of Merlin, an organisation charged with facilitating license agreements between independents and digital media, and the launch at MIDEM 2006 of WIN (Worldwide Independent Network), both organisations have once again chosen MIDEM to speak to the media and make key new announcements for the industry. The WIN and Merlin press conferences will be held at 11.45am and 12.45pm respectively on Sunday 27 January.

On 29 and 30 January, the fourth International Indie Summit will provide a rare opportunity to present innovative experiences and concrete solutions from independents who are right at the heart of the industry revolution. The summit will bring together names such as Nick Gold, producer and head of World Circuit Records (UK), Michel Lambot, Merlin Founder and Board Member (Netherlands) and Co-President of Pias Group (Belgium), and Bob Frank, Merlin Chairman and President of Koch Records (USA), as well as the directors of Beggars Group (UK), Putumayo World Music (USA), Chrysalis Group (UK), Armada Music (Netherlands) and Keevision (South Africa), among others.

This year’s MIDEM will once again be the occasion for three of the major independents’ organisations to hold their board meetings: Impala, the European association of independent labels, WIN and Merlin. A2IM (the American Association of Independent Music) will also have a big presence through a range of events it will be organising and see a strong growth in the number of association participants for the third consecutive year rising from 69 in 2006 to 212 in 2008.

For more information about MIDEM go to http://www.midem.com 

Note to Editors

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, AMAZIA devoted to the creation and distribution of entertainment content, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM HORIZONS and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors.

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/.

For more information please contact:
Reed MIDEM
Jane GARTON, Press Manager
Tel: +33 (0)1 41 90 44 39, Email: jane.garton@reedmidem.com
Mélanie AIGLE, Press Officer
Tel : +33 (0)1 41 90 49 95, Email : melanie.aigle@reedmidem.com
Fax: +33 (0)1 41 90 67 24
http://www.midem.com/