Manitoba Industry Reps Head to France for MIDEM 2011

Representatives from the Manitoba music community will be trading in Manitoba's frigid temperatures for palm trees next week. Top local industry professionals, including label owners and managers, will head overseas to Cannes, France to attend, the world's biggest music business conference, January 23-26. 

MIDEM offers the opportunity for members of our local music industry to expand their presence across the globe, as the conference hosts over 10,000 international music industry bigwigs. Artists, labels, and record companies attend the conference to wheel, deal, and get exposed to the hottest, newest music through trade shows, networking events, and live music showcases. 

This year, the diverse Manitoba delegation of labels and industry professionals attending MIDEM includes: indie pop label Head In The Sand Records’ Mike Petkau Falk (Les Jupes, Royal Canoe, The Liptonians), Incandescent Management’s Stephen Carroll (The Weakerthans, Imaginary Cities), Aboriginal production company Rising Sun Productions’ Vince Fontaine (Eagle and Hawk, Dominique Reynolds, Don Amero), Ukrainian folk label Olesia Records’ Alexis Kochan (Paris To Kyiv), David Kennedy from Manitoba Trade and Investment Corporation, Sara Stasiuk and Sean McManus from Manitoba Music, and Manitoba Film & Music’s Jason Smith and Carole Vivier. 

Imaginary Cities will take a break from its first European tour for a rare showcase opportunity at MIDEM this year. The indie soul/pop outfit will play showcases at the Palais des Festival et des Congres and Morrison's Pub on January 24 before continuing its tour to Switzerland and Germany. Imaginary Cities will release its highly-anticipated debut full-length CD, Temporary Resident, next month on Montreal’s Hidden Pony Records (Hannah Georgas, Said the Whale).

Attendance is supported in part through Manitoba Trade and Investment—which allows for smaller Manitoban businesses to strengthen their visibility in international markets—as well as Manitoba Music’s and MANITOBA FILM & MUSIC’s jointly-funded Market Access Program. 

Representatives from Manitoba Music and MANITOBA FILM & MUSIC will also be hosting their fourth annual networking dinner at La Pizza on January 25, to give the chance for more intimate networking with international music industry professionals. This is integral in supporting the efforts of Manitoba’s rich arts community to grow their businesses beyond our borders.