Rethink Music Announces Guest Speakers For Berlin Venture Day And Finalists In Search For The Next Generation Music Business Entrepreneur

BOSTON, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rethink Music today announces program details and the finalists in its search for the next music business entrepreneur for its first-ever Rethink Music Venture Day to take place in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, October 24, 2013. Keynote interviewee Thorsten Schliesche, Napster's Senior Vice President and General Manager Europe, and guest speakers from other leading music businesses: Soundcloud, Crown Talent; Creandum; Epidemic Sound; Ampya; and UrTurn; amongst others, will join delegates for this one-day networking event designed to help entrepreneurs launch their own business in the music world of today.

"We are excited to welcome start-ups and guests from leading international companies in the music and creative world who are investing time to share their knowledge to assist attending music entrepreneurs in launching their music business start-ups," explained Allen Bargfrede, executive director of Rethink Music for Berklee College of Music. "We are expecting over 250 delegates to our first ever Rethink Music Venture Day which will provide a global networking forum for entrepreneurs, brands and investors."

The Berlin Venture Day will also provide the stage for the final of Rethink Music's search for the "next music business entrepreneur." Selected from over 50 entries from 17 different countries, a total of 12 investor-ready start-up projects from France, Germany, Sweden and the US, have been short-listed to pitch their venture to a panel of judges comprising experienced music executives and investors. Presenting projects include: frictionless licensing, software for music therapy, digital distribution models, and time and geo-tagging for music, among others. The winner will be awarded the prize of $10,000 in legal services through an in-kind donation from Duane Morris, LLP, enrollment in an online certificate program from Berkleeonline.com; complimentary registration for Midem 2014; as well as access to investors and capital to launch their new music start-up.

"Entrepreneurship and business incubation have a positive impact on the music ecosystem. Actually, entrepreneurs in any industry need to be inventive and imaginative, but particularly in today's evolving music industry," said Bruno Crolot, Director of Midem. "We applaud all the entries we received for our global wide competition for their creativity and imagination, combined with their innovation and technology to deliver new original services to further the music industry. Selecting the winner will undoubtedly be a serious challenge."

"Every start-up in our short-list of finalists has a tested business model and has demonstrated innovation, team-work, growth potential and scalability, making them viable ventures and - combined with the creative and inventive entrepreneurial spirit of their ideas - potential successful music businesses of tomorrow," commented Paris de L'etraz, Director Venture Lab, IE Business School. "The pitch process at our Venture Day promises to be hugely competitive and will be the deciding factor as to who will win the backing to launch their company."

Designed to provide the forum - and the tools - to assist music business entrepreneurs, the Rethink Music Venture Day program includes workshops and lectures on topics ranging from; raising money for your start-ups; building a marketing campaign in a fractured landscape; entrepreneurship; growing and scaling your business; and navigating digital licensing. The event will take place at the nhow Music and Lifestyle Hotel in Berlin.  Admission is free with registration. 

For further information, please contact:

Rethink Music
Corinne Norris
Blink Creative
Tel: +34 916 571 249  
Mob: +34 697 917 415 
E-mail: [email protected]

Berklee College of Music
Allen Bush
Director of Media Relations
Tel: +1 617 747 2658
Mob:+1 617 529 7303
E-mail: [email protected]

Midem
Jane Garton
Press Director
Tel: +33 (0)1 79 71 94 39
SwitchB: +33 (0)1 79 71 90 00
E-mail: [email protected]

IE Business School
Juncal Sanchez
Associate Director
Tel: +34 915 688 2624
E-mail. [email protected]

About Rethink Music - Created by Berklee College of Music and Midem, Rethink Music began 2010 and has hosted major conferences in Boston, as well as global private working group events and public workshops, including 2013 projects at Midem, Berklee's campus in Valencia, and at S—nar in Barcelona. Centered around transforming the music industry, Rethink Music projects are designed to bring music stakeholders together to discuss business models for the future, examine copyright challenges in the digital era, and analyse technological innovation in music and its distribution with a focus on fostering positive change for the future of the music industry. More information can be found at www.rethink-music.com

About Berklee College of Music - Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than 65 years, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business, leading the way with the world's first baccalaureate studies in jazz, rock, electric guitar, film scoring, song-writing, turntables, electronic production, and more than a dozen other genres and fields of study. Berklee serves distant learners worldwide through its award-winning online extension school, Berklee Online. The college's national after school music program for underserved teens, the Berklee City Music Network, is in 30 cities and counting. A new campus in Spain, Berklee in Valencia, began hosting the college's first graduate programs in the fall of 2012. With a diverse and talented student body representing more than 80 countries, and alumni and faculty that have collectively worn more than 270 Grammys and Latin Grammys, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today - and tomorrow. More information can be found at www.berklee.edu

About Midem - Midem is the annual international b2b event dedicated to the new music ecosystem, with a tradeshow, conferences, competitions, networking events and live performances. It's the place where music makers, cutting-edge technologies, brands & talents come together to enrich the passionate relationship between people & music, transform audience engagement and form new business connections. More information can be found at www.midem.com

About IE - IE Business School shapes leaders that promote innovation and change in organisations, equipping directors with an entrepreneurial mindset that generates employment, wealth and social wellbeing. Recognised as one of the world's leading business schools, IE Business School has an urban campus in Madrid and a faculty of more than 400 professors who teach students from 93 countries on its master, PhD and executive education programs. IE students use innovative online and presential learning formats, including the IE Communities platform where they exchange knowledge and experiences with 40,000 IE graduates that currently hold management positions in some 100 countries. More information can be found at www.ie.edu

SOURCE Reed MIDEM