The 53rd edition of the international business music event Midem, which is set to take place in Cannes, France, from 2 to 5 June, will be preceded by a number of forums in Lagos, Nigeria and Cape Town, South Africa, on 25 and 28 February, 2020, respectively.
Nigerian musician Femi Kuti.
The Midem African Music Forum, which is now in its third edition, aims to support the development and globalisation of African music markets.
The one-day forums will feature a series of conferences, workshops and showcases with more than 400 industry professionals, including labels, streaming platforms, publishers and artists, among others.
This year, Midem has also partnered with Africa’s biggest music streaming platform Boomplay.
“Boomplay is building the most reliable and transparent music-ecosystem in Africa,” Boomplay Africa head of marketing Tosin Sorinola said.
“By partnering with Midem, which is the leading international event for the global music community, Midem Africa further strengthens Boomplay’s position as the leading light of the African music industry.”
Meanwhile, Femi Kuti and Maleek Berry were named Midem African Forum Ambassadors in 2019, while US-Senagalese musician Akon will be one of the keynote speakers at Midem in France.
Midem supports the global music ecosystem to exchange, create and forge relationships.
The four-day programme of conferences, competitions, networking events and live performances seek to enhance the relationship between people and music, transform audience engagement and form new business connections.
“I want to be able to open up the diversity with different artists from different cultures and parts of the world,” Akon said in a statement.
“What drives me the most is to do things people think are impossible or deem difficult. This will be my first time at Midem. I am looking forward to being in a space with individuals who are all looking to push the music and entertainment industry forward.”
Attendence to the Midem African Forums is by invitation only.
