(Hypebot) — After 55 years, global music industry gathering Midem has been cancelled for 2022 and may not return.
“Due to the lasting pandemic and following a review of its activity, RX France has decided to no longer organize the Midem events.” organizer RX France (formerly Reed MIDEM) said in a statement.
RX France and the city of Cannes on the French Riviera where the event was held are said to be in “exclusive and advanced discussions” for the latter to take over the Midem brand.
Once the undisputed place where music industry executives from around the world came to meet and do deals, Midem has over time been replaced multiple more focused gatherings around the world.
Oher large legacy music industry conventions like SXSW are also feeling similar pressures.
For Midem, the pandemic appeared be the final nail in the coffin as the industry learned to make do with far less expensive time-consuming email introductions and video chats
Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.