Midem names managers for summit

10:56 | Wednesday December 9, 2009

Participants include Twenty First Artists’ Todd Interland, who manages Lily Allen and James Blunt, Blur manager Chris Morrison and Arctic Monkeys co-manager Ian McAndrew.

Other confirmed panellists are Jean-Charles Carré, business manager to dance artist David Guetta; Agency Group COO Jan Sikorski and Universal Music Classical Management & Productions MD Jeffrey D. Vanderveen.

The panel is dedicated to effective artist management and will be part of the 44th edition of the Midem conference, which this year will incorporate the Midem Managers Village, a networking hub for artist handlers, for the first time.

Yesterday at a press conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Midem organisers also announced details of events to complement South Africa’s role as Country of Honour.

The programme is designed to put South African music into the international spotlight and pay tribute to South African artists who have helped develop a successful music industry in the country. Organisers hope to ensure the attention and input of important industry figures.

Department of Arts and Culture South Africa’s director of cultural development Glenn Masokoane says, “Being named Country of Honour at the world’s biggest music market gives us a unique opportunity to open-up new markets for South African music content on a global scale, for South African musicians, producers and promoters to partner with the international world and taking our music to a broader audience.

Events planned for the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, include a tribute to South African music icon Miriam Makeba, press conferences and a VIP Dinner.

There will also be a South African Pavilion in the main exhibition area where South African music industry companies hope to bolster their presence in the international music community.