Call for entries: Midem Artist Accelerator 2016

The Midem Artist Accelerator aims to identify and develop emerging talent as well as support managers, labels, agents and publishers seeking to grow their artists’ profiles on the international stage.

The 12 upcoming artists selected by the prestigious 2016 Artistic Committee will get to play live at Midem and will benefit from a tailored professional programme, including entry to selected conferences, coaching sessions with industry mentors and networking opportunities with key players from the international Midem community.

Among the sessions offered to the finalists, an online monetization best practice workshop will be presented by BandPage. Participants will also benefit from special legal consulting from the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers (IAEL) and privileged access to the Global Sync & Brands Summit. Metropolis, Europe's number one professional recording studio and production facility, will conduct a dedicated workshop around music sync and placements. The company’s team of engineers and A&R will also join Midem’s pool of experts to assist the artists during their career journey at Midem. The winning Midem Artists Accelerator artist will be rewarded with a full day of recording and mastering of an album in the London-based studio.

The Artistic Committee for the 2016 edition features respected figures including Ghanaian artist Sarkodie, founder of Sarkcess Music, as well as Brian Little from Seed Experiences in South Africa. It also feature global heavyweights like Ethiopia Habtemariam from Universal Music Publishing Group, Horst Weidenmueller from German label !K7 Records (Germany) and numerous others.

According to Delphine Grospiron, Midem’s Live Music Director, “The Midem Artist Accelerator, our career booster for merging artists, is a fantastic opportunity to detect and help promising new talent move their career to a global level. Twelve promising young artists/bands picked by an elite Artistic Committee all get to play live on Midem’s stage, as well as benefit from a tailored professional programme onsite, including entry to selected conferences, coaching sessions with industry mentors and networking opportunities with key players from the international Midem community.”

The response to the inaugural Midem Artist Accelerator in 2015 was massive, with 470 bands from 50 countries submitting entries from across all musical genres.

“The Midem Artist Accelerator matched and exceeded all our expectations, but there was so much to take in that we all felt we want to go again,” said Joe Clarke, manager of Irish band Le Galaxie, finalists in the 2015 Artist Accelerator. Thanks to its participation in the programme, Le Galaxie closed a worldwide publishing deal with Reservoir at Midem and found a UK promoter in Rob Hallett, whose company Robomagic promoted their first London headlining show, which sold out.

According to Jérôme Delhaye, Director of the Entertainment Division at organisers Reed Midem, “We are delighted that the first edition of the Midem Artist Accelerator proved to be such a success, and I’m excited to see this continue into a second year, which promises many more great discoveries.”

How to apply

The Midem Artist Accelerator is open to artists aged over 18 and with a track record of initial success in their home territory.

To apply, simply complete the online application form.

The deadline for submissions is Sunday 28 February 2016.

For more details on the Artist Accelerator, visit the Midem website or watch the video below.