Midem is the acronym for MarchĂŠ International du Disque et de l'Ădition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show began in 1967, organised by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions. It is billed as the leading international business event for the music ecosystem. Several thousand musicians, producers, agents, managers, lawyers, executives, entrepreneurs and journalists from around the globe regularly attend the event, which is usually held at the end of January or early February. While delegates from recording, artist management, and publishers network, new artists showcase their material. Live music is presented in the evenings.
The event is developing like the industry, focused on the core music business (labels, publishers, rights societies and more), the technology sector (startups, developers and big tech companies), brands, and the agencies that represent them (for music and brand campaigns). Since 2007, the Midemlab competition for companies working in musictech has grown in importance. SoundCloud, Spotify and Songkick are among the companies that have risen to prominence after showcasing there.