Midem has announced the 11 finalists in the Midem Artist Accelerator (MAA), the international music career booster to fast-track talent on the world stage.
Home of the global music community, Midem takes place in Cannes, France, from 5-8 June.
Now in its fourth year, the MAA has a solid track record for bringing rising talent to a wider global audience. Following the 2017 edition, participating artists BE CHARLOTTE signed to Columbia Deutschland/Sony Music Germany while IRIS GOLD signed a global deal with Playground Music Scandinavia after being both spotted in Cannes. Another MAA alumni M.ANIFEST, has been booked for several festivals and also struck a deal with an experienced music consultant who helped him negotiate recording contracts for singles and for music placements in film.
This year’s MAA Artist Ambassador, South-African DJ and producer BLACK COFFEE will be keynoting in Cannes and sharing his know-how with the 11 hot new acts. “As Midem puts the spotlight on Africa’s bourgeoning music scene, I’m truly honoured to be this year’s Artist Ambassador of the Midem Artist Accelerator. I’m thrilled to discover the 2018 finalists and be able to share with them my own experience as an artist,” said BLACK COFFEE.
The 2018 finalists are: AKA (South Africa), R’n’B/hip-hop/urban; AGAR AGAR (France), pop; BEZ (Nigeria), world; BIGSTAR (South Africa), R’n’B/hip-hop/urban; CLIENT LIAISON (Australia), pop; DAMIAN LYNN (Switzerland), pop; DYLAN WILLIAMS (United Kingdom), R’n’B/hip- hop/urban; HAUTE (France), R’n’B/hip-hop/urban; HYPHEN HYPHEN (France), pop; LA DAME BLANCHE (Cuba), R’n’B/hip-hop/urban; andT$HEGO (South Africa), R’n’B/hip-hop/urban.
All finalists will perform live on the Midem Beach in Cannes in a series of concerts during the event, and will benefit from a tailored programme during the tradeshow, including coaching sessions and unique networking opportunities.
Discover the 11 finalists and vote for your favourite here before 6 May. The artist with the most votes will play live at the Midem 2018 Opening Night Party.
The finalists also have a unique opportunity to be recognised and mentored by a Committee of execs from UTA, Viacom, OkayAfrica & more.
The Artistic Committee of top-notch industry players for the 2018 MAA includes: Abiola Oke, CEO & Publisher, OkayAfrica (USA/Africa); Alex Okosi, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Africa/BET International (Africa); Christian Bernhardt, Agent, United Talent Agency (USA); Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director & CEO, Universal Music Group South Asia/EMI Music South Asia/Enchanted Valley Carnival (India); Emmylou Prevett, Creative Content & Programming Manager, Vevo (France); Julian Marshall, Global Head of Content, Shazam (UK); Leila Cobo, Executive Director of Latin content and programming, Billboard (USA); Patrik Larsson, A&R and Label Manager, Playground Music Scandinavia (Sweden); Rob Hallett, Founder, Robomagic (UK); Willy Ehmann, Artist Manager (Germany); Yoon-Young Kong, Founder and Executive Producer, Zandari Festa (South Korea); and Yoshinari Hirayama, Promotion & Marketing Chief Manager, Creativeman (Japan).
In addition, the finalists will receive further mentoring from a pool of experts as part of their Midem experience. Among those offering mentoring services are: Data Analytics (real–time charts, playlists, airplay and social monitoring) by David Weiszfeld, Founder & CEO of Soundcharts, the Market Intelligence platform for the Music Industry; navigating the streaming services and the use of the Spotify platform with Wilbert Mutsaers, Head of Spotify Benelux, Shows and Editorial; free legal consultation from the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (IAEL); the use of a messenger bot and fan messaging platform with Sam Taylor, COO of I AM POP. Finalists will also have access to the Global Sync and Brands Summit, the gathering of the music supervision community, and to a series of dedicated workshops around music sync and placements, digital and social media strategy, and the artist-fan relationship.
“MAA is a unique opportunity that helps artists grow their careers. This is why we are thrilled to be associated with this great initiative and provide free access to the platform for the Artistic Committee and Artists Finalists participating in the programme,” said David Weiszfeld.
“MAA is a great showcase for emerging talent looking to take their careers to the next level. At POP, we help artists tell their stories and build a direct one-on-one connection with fans on Messenger, and we’re pleased to support the MAA participants with the power of Messaging. By using POP’s simple Messenger bot platform, MAA participants will be able to connect directly with fans to tell their stories using chat, ensuring that their content is seen at this critical stage in their careers," added Sam Taylor.
“We are particularly excited about this year’s line-up for the Midem Artists Accelerator, with its strong accent on talent from the African continent. This truly global event also features artists from as far afield as Australia and Cuba, along with some home-grown French talent. When they all perform live in Cannes, I think that Midem attendees will be in for a real treat,” said Alexandre Deniot, Director of Midem.