Post Midem Int’l Music Conference in Cannes, France…
Besides the wheeling and dealing that goes around at Midem, there is something else shared among the delegates of the conference: the Midem flu. I have it, am home from Cannes, and am currently grounding myself as I catch up on sleep (I normally get about six hours of sleep a night). These past two days, I have nodded off literally morning, afternoon, and night. Very unlike me. A sign of how much energy went into securing various critical contacts at the conference, despite the lack of appointments. Now, I have coursework for my masters in arts & cultural management to do: sustainable tourism and the environment of the arts await me!
At Midem, the best results were obtained in moments of complete spontaneity. Be friendly, introduce people to your work, and make friends. As they say, have a 30-second intro. I whittled mine to about 15 seconds when I had to, and shook my head inside as I listened to people blather on to lecturers and the like under time pressure and in no position to listen to a life story. People not interested were quick to figure out. Those that might have at least liked the music enough to one day buy it — or to provide advice or an industry referral (invaluable) — were easy to cozy up to for a few more moments before placing a CD in their hands. One disc with a 6-min sampler of all album songs, beautifully pressed, and a business card in a plastic sleeve were easy to take home, easy to listen to. We’ll see what the results are once I get myself sorted out and ready to follow up with the people I met.
There were also tangible results (ie. deals), but I’ll not go into them here just yet. Suffice to say, significant developments are underway–significant enough to justify the $5,000 invested in attending Midem. I guess it is true: you have to spend money to make money. It’s a nerve-wracking, calculated risk that one must take in the early phases of a career.
There were a few key things that made this less of a risk than it could have been:
1. I love my album, and therefore can honestly say, “Buy it…you’ll love it…because I do.” That goes a long way. There’s no false salesmanship required here. I believe in my work and this as a ‘product’, as a work of art, and as a vehicle to uplift others.
2. It is the time. The content on this album is topical (relates to so many of the issues plaguing our world at this time), and I personally am (emotionally and otherwise) ready to put it out to the public.
3. I know that no man is an island. One needs others. Luck is opportunity met with preparedness. I am preparing…
So, just an update. Much to do right now. Will be offering a lecture to UK artists wanting to learn more about Midem, and will announce that in due course, probably some time late in February.
