Midem is saved: the historic Musikmesse is being revived in an agreement with the city of Cannes

Five months ago, it looked like Midem was probably going to disappear forever.

The then-owner of the 55-year-old Musikmesse, Reed Midem, confirmed in December that it would no longer hold the event, which has traditionally been held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.

But now a new twist in the story: MBW has confirmed that Midem will be back in Q1 2023… with a brand new owner.

MBW understands that RX France – the owner of subsidiary Reed Midem – recently sold the Midem brand to Cannes city council after a year of negotiations.

The City of Cannes confirmed the event’s return and announced (translated) that it was taking over the Midem brand – led by Cannes Mayor David Lisnard – to give it “a second breath”.

In a statement, the org added that Midem is now “being reborn to adapt to changes in the music industry.”

The city of Cannes says it consulted with “several professionals” representing the French and global music business, including the majors, independent labels, live show organizers, streaming platforms, professional authors’ associations and more.

She did this “to offer a qualitative program [for Midem] that as close as possible to the realities and developments in the [music] Sector”.

The municipality goes on to claim that the new Midem will “give pride of place to technological innovation” and will “seek to strengthen the cultural dimension” of the event – by organizing musical concerts at future Midems for Cannes residents and visitors.

The number of visitors to Midem was higher in 2019 than in 2018 (4,800) and 2017 (4,400), but significantly lower than in previous years. In 2001, for example, a delegation of 10,000 visitors attended.

According to the City of Cannes, the event has been “influenced by digital changes” since the early 2010s, “characterized by the rise of online platforms [and] streaming”.

The municipality adds that “the health crisis as well as the restructuring of the RX company’s activities have led to this [the firm] to abandon the organization of Midem”.

The city of Cannes says its goal is to make Midem the “must-have global meeting place” for the music business, which it promises to be “accessible to as many people as possible thanks to affordable accreditation prices”.

Midem went fully digital in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“In order to rediscover this emblematic event in the Cannes calendar, the city of Cannes is taking over the Midem to once again become the essential meeting place for music professionals from all over the world.”

David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes

Confirming the rebirth of the event, David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes, said (translated): “Organized since 1967 in Cannes, the International Market for Vinyl Records and Music Releases [MIDEM] was the largest annual global event dedicated to the music scene.

“In order to rediscover this emblematic event in the Cannes calendar, the city of Cannes is taking over the Midem to once again become the essential meeting place for music professionals from all over the world.

“Keeping this show in Cannes poses an economic challenge to local employment and the desirability of the destination.”

MBW broke the news in December that Midem’s then owner, Reed Midem, had decided to cancel the event.

In an email sent to former delegates the following day (December 14) and signed by Midem director Alexandre Deniot, Midem’s former organizers noted that “Due to the ongoing pandemic and following a review of its Activities has decided to no longer organize the Midem events”.

Deniot added: “We therefore regret to cancel the Midem 2022 edition, scheduled for June 7-10, 2022 in Cannes.”music business worldwide