Midem 2015 Attendance Down 11%, Complains It’s Being “Pirated”
So much for a music industry rebound... Blame it on a shrinking industry, tightening budgets or new communications tech that make face to face meetings far less essential, but attendance at Midem has fallen steadily in recent years.
Midem remains the largest international gathering of music industry professionals, but the number of paid attendees fell again this year. 5500 attended its Cannes conference this weekend, according to Midem. That's down from 6,150 on 2014 and 6,400 in 2013.
Commenting on attendance, Midem Director Bruno Crolot noted, “the international footprint of Midem is unique and that is encouraging. So too is the fact that we have major labels, indies, music publishers, streaming specialists, giant digital platforms, major brands, and exciting tech innovators attending the event."
"Midem is clearly being pirated"
“The downside is that Midem is clearly being ‘pirated,’" he continued. "By this I mean there are a substantial number of industry executives, who are attending and holding meetings without registering. We have tried to explain why there is real value in signing up for Midem and benefitting from the incredible business opportunities, networking, and panel discussions provided within the show. This activity is really frustrating, is unfair to our paying clients and is not good for Midem and we reserve the right to take action against such ‘pirates’ in the future."
With some 75 countries represented and three new national pavilions hosting delegations from South Africa, Israel and the Ivory Coast, Midem continues to host the largest number of countries at a single music event.
