MIDEM 2020 Conference Cancelled, Reboots as Digital Edition

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Reed MIDEM announces that Midem 2020, which was due to take place June 2-5 in Cannes, is cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus. The next edition of will take place June 1-4, 2021, in Cannes, the organization said.

“The situation related to the coronavirus is changing daily, as are government announcements and restrictions. These impact the way that we all lead our lives and conduct business. Given the uncertainty surrounding the virus and companies’ concerns for the safety of their people, it is not possible to hold Midem in June in Cannes,” said Alexandre Deniot, Midem Director. “The Midem team is working hard to support the industry during this challenging time, especially artists and companies that have been hardest hit and when global music unity is more important than ever,” added Alexandre Deniot.

Midem is re-loading with a new format, the Midem Digital Edition. This online service, accessible to all, aims to bring the global music community together to discuss, collaborate and share solutions with a focus on the most impacted music stakeholders.

During June 2-5, 2020, the Midem Digital Edition will feature livestreamed keynote sessions, talks and presentations, as well as opportunities for online conversations and speed-meetings between participants. Details of the service will be shared in the coming weeks.

“We look forward to bringing everyone together at Midem 2021 in Cannes June 1-4 to celebrate the return of the music industry to healthy growth and the 55th anniversary of Midem. Until then, on behalf of all the Midem team, I hope you stay strong, stay connected and above all …stay safe,” Deniot said.

MIDEM has been held in Cannes, France every year since 1967. For decades the world’s largest music conference, in recent years it has been outpaced by SXSW and the overall proliferation of similar events, although it has successfully repositioned itself as the primary non-U.S. conference of its nature (not least by the decision in 2015 to move it from chilly January to June, a month during which the South of France is a tropical paradise). It now draws several thousand delegates from all over the world, many of whom are seeking and/or selling licenses for every imaginable type of music-based asset.