Music and Youth
Midem music mart kicks off 23 January
CANNES: Midem, a trade event for the global music industry is around the corner. The event starts in Cannes from Sunday, 23 January.
This year the event will focus on the growing business of synchronisation in a series of conferences to be held during the event (23-27 January).
The Indian Music Industry (IMI) president Vijay Lazarus along with Times Music and Sa Re Ga Ma will represent India at the event.
For the second year, the Music for Images events will bring together leading experts from all sides of the business. It will provide a behind-the scenes look at how the collaboration between music, film, TV and video games has become a key element for all the industries involved.
A session on Music for Video Games sees three games publishers talking about their music acquisition and placement strategies. Another conference on Music for Advertising, will, among other issues, be looking at the importance of music for the sector and how the quirkiest of tunes can often set advertising campaigns apart.
The third debate will examine the crucial relationship between music and television and film. Fox Music president Robert Kraft is one of the speakers. There will also be two hands-on events that demonstrate the relevance of synchronisation for the music industry.
Video games publisher, Electronic Arts, will host a listening-session on 24 January. During the session, Midem participants will be able to put forward music tracks for selection. The chosen tracks will be included on the next edition of the publisher’s international best-selling game Fifa 2006.
There will also be live concerts with renowned international stars and emerging young artists. For its 39th edition Midem will have 60 groups from all over the world, covering a wide array of musical styles from pop, rock, electronic, urban and world music. The concerts will take place in a number of venues in Cannes and are not only open to Midem participants, but for the general public, free of charge. This year over 10,000 concert tickets will be distributed to non-Midem participants.
The Urban Night on 24 January sees a hip-hop outfit The Pharcyde playing with newcomer female singer Ayo and the French rap act TTC. The Master of Ceremony of this show will be Chuck D who founded the rap group Public Enemy.
Two world music concerts promise to transport their audience to exotic lands on 25 January. Brazilian Music and Arts (BM&A) will present an evening which will display the country’s wealth of music. Three musical sets will make up the show. One of them will be the singer, composer and actor Seu Jorge.
A number of pop-rock concerts are also on the agenda, under the initiative The British at Midem. The shows will feature some of the most cutting-edge acts in the UK today, including former Skunk Anansie front-woman Skin, electro-tainted rock group The Infadels, the explosive new wave, rock quartet Grand National and the soulful rock-jazz of Rob Reynolds.
From 23-26 January the traditional Electronic Happy Hours will take place at the Noga Hilton Hotel bar and present some of the most creative international artists and labels attending Midem.
As a preview to kickstart the event Midem will also showcase the sixth edition of the NRJ Music Awards. The glamorous star- studded evening will be held in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals tomorrow 22 January. Stars who will be climbing the red carpet stairs of the Palais for the show this year will include U2, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys and the Black Eyed Peas.
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
