The sound of sweet music

Music's biggest stars, such as Robbie Williams, have turned out for events at this year's MIDEM

Since then music has been vibrating all along the Croisette from morning until night - at the Palais des Festivals, in the big hotels and clubs. Showcasing their talent are the yet-to-be-discovered stars of tomorrow and, also, more established artists trying to break new markets and territories.

Yesterday night, British Music at MIDEM, presented a handful of the country’s most exciting musicians. The first half of the evening was dedicated to four up-and-coming singer-songwriters: Bobby Long, Katie Shotter, Robinson and The Yeah You’s. None of these names may ring a bell yet but there is a good chance they will do soon: Amy Winehouse and Razorlight are just two world famous artists who have made it big after being presented at MidemTalent.

Newton Faulkner has, with a million-selling No. 1 album, already had huge success. For an artist of his level, MIDEM is a way to reach new audiences and industry executives in parts of Europe, outside of the UK, where he is not yet a household name. He headlined the second session at the British Music event last night, featuring on a programme with blues band, Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, and chart-topping rapper, Chipmunk.

The 11th NRJ Music Awards Ceremony, the most high profile event at MIDEM, took place on Sunday night, with the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, Robbie Williams, Mika, Michael Buble, Rihanna and Beyonce sashaying down the red carpet.

However, MIDEM isn’t only about glitz and glamour, in fact here what happens backstage is the only thing that really counts. The four-day conference program is jam-packed, with many of the industry big guns giving lectures – from the CEOs of music sites MySpace and Spotify, to the heads of the biggest record labels and the managers of major artists.

For more information on MIDEM and its events programme see www.midem.com

HM