#MIDEM Day 2: Trade Show Opens, Deals Announced & More

The main MidemNet presentations are over, and this morning the trade show opened. It feels as if there may be fewer exhibitors, but most booths are busy and deals are getting done.Two initial impressions: 1) streaming music is on everyone's lips with frustration expressed over slow and expensive licencing 2) the news of more layoffs at Universal and WMG CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr's conviction and $6.7 million fine are decidedly not on everyone's lips. The old guard appears to have grown numb to this kind news and the new guard just doesn't care.  Midem 2011 News & Deals:

• One of the most crowded areas was the morning MidemNet Lab presentations by select mobile music startups. I didn't see much that was earth shattering, but it is clear that a significant portion of the venture capital and creative talent in music tech has shifted from the web to mobile.

Deals:

• Google, EMI and Omnifone have joined the DDEX digital music standards consortium.
• Omnifone has hired PRS for Music’s Jez Bell to lead its global licensing team.
• Omnifone also signed Germany’s first global music subscription licensing with GEMA.