Live Nation Ushers in a Revitalized MIDEM: Centering the Artist Experience

The 2025 edition of MIDEM in Cannes marks a significant relaunch for the industry forum, following a comprehensive format overhaul spearheaded by Live Nation, the Cannes City Hall, and the Palais des Festivals. The initial results of this recalibration are quantifiable: the event successfully hosted 1,100 accredited industry professionals alongside 330 emerging talents and students participating in the Midem Academy. Cumulatively, the attendance surpassed 13,000 participants, while the affiliated Midem Live segment drew an audience exceeding 12,000 spectators.

The core message emanating from MIDEM is clear: the music industry can no longer afford to operate in isolated silos. Recording, live performance, media, digital platforms, brand partnerships, and nascent startups must function as a single, integrated ecosystem, with the artist remaining firmly at its core. Consequently, the revitalized MIDEM structure pivots around four essential pillars: AGORA (defining purpose and industry governance), CONNECT (fostering essential relationships and synergies), ACADEMY (cultivating the next generation of talent), and LIVE (using the stage as the ultimate validation of artistic viability).

Looking ahead, MIDEM is set to expand its footprint. The 2026 event is scheduled to run from February 4th through the 7th, emphasizing key business days followed by a culminating concert event on the final day. This signals an intention not to scale down, but rather to augment the scope and impact of the gathering.

Furthermore, the focus on technological advancement is being sharpened through a dedicated component: the Startup Village has been designated as a “living agora” for music technology innovations. Complementing this forward-looking agenda, environmental responsibility is being woven directly into the fabric of the proceedings. The Midem Agora launched the M.A.T.R.I.C.E. project, specifically designed to devise practical solutions for reducing the ecological footprint associated with music tours and ensuring more conscientious production practices.

Key Industry Shifts Discussed at the Forum

The discussions at MIDEM highlighted several undeniable shifts currently reshaping the music landscape:

• 1) Artificial Intelligence has transitioned from a futuristic concept to an everyday reality. The success of the AI-generated track “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust, which clinched the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart in 2025, served as a major media catalyst. This achievement immediately sparked critical conversations regarding transparency and the intrinsic value of human authorship.
• Simultaneously, platforms are quantifying the sheer scale of this integration. Deezer reported that they were receiving approximately 50,000 fully AI-generated tracks daily—a substantial portion of their total daily uploads. This volume fundamentally alters attention economics and intensifies the industry’s demand for robust content labeling and sophisticated anti-fraud mechanisms.
• 2) Music consumption patterns are evolving, and chart performance reflects this turbulence. A notable talking point from Autumn 2025 was the unprecedented occurrence where the Billboard Top 40 chart contained no hip-hop or rap entries for the first time in decades. Experts quickly clarified that this was not indicative of the genre’s demise, but rather a mathematical consequence of streaming algorithms, chart methodologies, and the overwhelming dominance of a few massive releases.
• 3) Supporting emerging artists is now recognized as an infrastructural necessity. MIDEM’s decision to bolster the Academy segment and expand the innovation track represents a concerted effort to make the pathway into professional musicianship more tangible and less mythological.

MIDEM is far more than a standard conference; it functions as the central nexus point for the global music community. It is where the rules of engagement—covering rights and economics—are debated, where vital connections between brands, media, and platforms are forged, and where the intrinsic value of music is proven through the visceral experience of live performance.

While the ecosystem is vast, encompassing labels, venues, algorithms, startups, and audiences, the fundamental ground remains singular: the human experience is the catalyst that transforms mere sound into meaningful music. As the ecosystem grows increasingly complex, it becomes crucial to remember this simple truth: the industry comprises numerous channels, but music itself remains the single, unifying center. Despite our diverse roles, the collective resonance is shared.

What tangible contribution did this particular event make to the global musical discourse? It did not introduce a new genre, but rather established a new mixing board setting—as if the entire industry gathered at the controls to collectively decide which frequencies and elements to amplify moving into 2026.

We are a multitude: labels, stages, algorithms, startups, and fans. Yet, the field is one, and at its heart lies the human experience, the reason sound becomes music. The more intricate the ecosystem becomes, the more vital it is to hold onto the fundamental principle: the industry is a collection of pathways, but music is the singular destination. We operate differently, but our resonance is unified.