FINLAND TO HOST MIDEMS 40th ANNIVERSARY OPENING NIGHT IN JANUARY 2006
- Midem director sees healthy overall growth in Finnish music exports
The worlds biggest event of its type, the Midem International Music Market in Cannes, France, has chosen Finland to host the Opening Night on January 22, 2006. This honour is all the greater since the forthcoming year marks Midems 40th anniversary. Midem director Dominique Leguern comments:
This past year has been exceptional for Finland. They have launched a number of top-level artists and have been very astute in the ways that they have marketed and promoted these artists abroad, for example, The Rasmus, Nightwish, HIM and Apocalyptica have all enjoyed very significant success all over Europe. It is a pleasure to welcome them as honoured co-hosts of our special 40th anniversary Opening Night Party.
Music Export Finland, a joint trade association working with professionals to promote Finnish music exports, is responsible for staging the Opening Night. Chairman of the Board Pekka Sipilä notes that opening Midem represents an opportunity for the whole Finnish music industry to work together:
Hosting the 40th anniversary Opening Night at Midem is a tremendous honour, and at the same time it indicates the level of maturity that the host country has attained in the eyes of the global music industry. After this project, Finnish companies will be in an even better position to export their music.
Midem traditionally kicks off by introducing current top-quality artists in the Opening Night concerts. Next January, Finnish artists from all musical genres will occupy three stages at the prestigious Palais des Festivals in Cannes. Paulina Ahokas, Director of Music Export Finland says:
This announcement will put an end to the speculation that has been circulating in the music press for some time about the host for Midems anniversary year. Despite Finlands population being only 0.7% of that of Europe, we rose to be number one music exporter according to Billboard Magazines European Border Breaker Chart in 2004. We can proudly say that Finland was a logical choice.
Growth a natural consequence of the work of Finnish music companies
The forthcoming Midem will also see the introduction of a bevy of Finnish music-industry companies and products. (See a list of companies confirmed by May 20 below.) The number of Finnish companies already tops the attendance at previous Midems, which is only natural, given how active the Finnish music scene has been in recent years. Emmanuel Legrand, Global Editor of Billboard Magazine says:
The success of Finnish music abroad was exceptional: I dont know any other country which has achieved the same. On the chart that tracks European album sales outside of country of origin there are two Finnish acts, The Rasmus and Nightwish in the top four. And HIM is at number 33 on the same chart. This is evidence that the bands are now picking the rewards of their years of hard work. Finnish companies have been very clever in doing deals with partners, which is the right path to success.
To reinforce its marketing blitz, Music Export Finland will run a wide-ranging campaign in the international music industry media aimed at increasing awareness among international music professionals of Finnish music and of Finnish companies attending Midem.
On top of Finnish music-industry funding, the production of the Opening Night has been supported by the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Education/Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finnish Cultural Foundation and Finnish private sector partners.
The production in co-operation with Contra Integrated Creative Services, Eastway, Welldone L.R. and Noisy Promotion.
Music Export Finland will announce the Midem 2006 Opening Night artists, partners, identity and participating companies in the Music & Media conference in Tampere, Finland on Friday, October 21st (time & place tbc)
List of Finnish companies confirmed by July below.
Further information:
Paulina Ahokas, Director
Music Export Finland Association
Email: paulina.ahokas(at)musexfinland.fi
Mobile: +358 (0)40 5511 551
Midem International Music Market:
Midem is a meeting place for over 9,000 of the most important music-industry professionals from more than 90 countries and over 4,000 companies. Midem is the key event for networking and business deals in the music industry; global professionals have been gathering there for 39 years now. Midems 40th anniversary event will be held in Cannes on January 22-26, 2006. Further information www.midem.com
Music Export Finland:
Music Export Finland is an export association representing the entire Finnish music industry. It was started up in December 2002 as an export group of 12 founding member companies and organisations to initiate and facilitate the marketing, promotion and sale of Finnish popular music abroad.
Since January 1, 2005, the group has been expanding its organisation and operations to form a new export association. Promotion and marketing of Finnish popular music is now being continued and improved by this new association whose members form a broad front of Finnish music industry organisations: IFPI Finland; Finnish Independent Record Producers Association IndieCo; Finnish Musicians Union; Finnish Composers Copyright Society Teosto/Finnish Music Information Centre (FIMIC); Finnish Composers and Lyric Writers Association ELVIS; Copyright Society of Performing Artists and Phonogram Producers in Finland GRAMEX; and The Finnish Music Publishers Association. This broad member-organisation base ensures that the services of the export association are available to everyone working within the industry.
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List of Finnish companies and organizations attending Midem 2006 confirmed by August
Content:
Beats and Styles
Blue Magnum Ltd.
Clockwork Music Management
Different Level
Eastborder Management
Eat This Music
Edel Finland
EMI Music Finland
Exogenic Records
Fullsteam Records
HMC - Helsinki Music Company
Hoedown
Honest Productions
Johanna Kustannus
Kool Kat Records
Kuru Records
Love Music
Medianoche
MTR-Music
Musiikkituotanto Ukkokiekuu
Plastinka Records
Poko Rekords
Pore Productions
Ricky-Tick Records
Rockadillo Records/Zen Master Publishing
Rubato Music
Sam Agency
Sony BMG Finland
Spinefarm
Stupido Records
TWU Music
UMO Jazz Orchestra
Universal Music
Warner/Chappell Music Finland
Warner Music Finland
WolfGang Records
Solutions:
CD-Linja
Driwe
EKS
Hitmedia Int.
HP
Provisual
Satama Interactive
SecuryCast
Tezoma
Organizations:
Finnish Composers’ Copyright Society Teosto / Finnish Music Information Centre FIMIC
Finnish Composers and Lyric Writers Association ELVIS
Copyright Society of Performing Artists and Phonogram Producers in Finland GRAMEX
Finnish Musicians’ Union
Finnish Music Publisher’s Association
Anti-Piracy Centre in Finland
IFPI Finland
Media partner:
YLE Finnish Broadcasting Company