The Music Industry Attracts Investors to MIDEM

PARIS, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Key investors for the music industry will be heading to Cannes for MIDEM and MidemNet, which run from 22-26 January 2011. Saul Klein, Partner at Index Ventures, will be giving a keynote on 22 January, while several major investors will be judges at MidemNet Lab and others will be dispensing advice during the MidemNet+ mentoring sessions.

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Venture capitalists are becoming increasingly interested in the music industry as digitalisation places mobile and digital technology at the forefront of development. "Investors are strongly attracted by the exponential development of digital and mobile technology linked to new music distribution methods and new ways for consumers to interact with music. The music industry also needs investors to finance these innovations," stresses Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM. "Among the leading venture capitalists who will be attending MIDEM, we are delighted to welcome Saul Klein, a key investor in digital entertainment who will present his vision of the future of investment in the music industry and the monetisation of its content to MidemNet delegates."

A Partner at the Index Ventures, a leading investment firm in new technologies, Saul Klein also has a seat on the board of many digital companies like Songkick, whose progress has generated a lot of media buzz since its selection at MidemNet Lab 2010. Klein has been a keen follower of start-ups since 1999 and was involved in the rapid success of Skype. He was in particular one of the founders of The Accelerator Group (TAG) and of Seedcamp, a leading start-up incubator. His in-depth experience means he is able to spot those developments that attract the most interest from the international investor community.

The judges of MidemNet Lab 2011 will include several key investors, who will sift through the selected projects to choose the most digitally innovative in music industry terms. They include Daniel Klaus, Managing Partner, AppFund (US); Rob Moffat, Associate, Balderton Capital (UK); Tony Askew, Managing Director, Reed Elsevier Ventures (UK); Par-Jorgen Parson, General Partner, Northzone Ventures (Sweden) and Mattias Ljungman, Partner, Atomico (Sweden/UK).

Other major venture capitalist players who will be offering their valuable advice at MidemNet+ during one-to-one sessions to promote the development of MidemNet+ participants' digital business include Jean Bourcereau, General Partner, Ventech Capital (France) and Nenad Marovac, Managing Partner, DN Capital (UK).

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Note to editors

ABOUT REED MIDEM

Reed Exhibitions is the world's leading events organiser, with over 440 events in 36 countries. In 2009 Reed brought together over six million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organised by 35 fully staffed offices.

Reed organises a wide range of events, including trade and consumer exhibitions, conferences and meetings. Its portfolio of over 440 events serves 44 industry sectors, including: Aerospace & aviation, automobiles, beauty & cosmetics, broadcasting, building & construction, electronics, energy, oil & gas, engineering & manufacturing, food service & hospitality, gifts, healthcare, interior design, IT & telecoms, jewellery, life science & pharmaceuticals, machinery, marketing, business services & training, medical education, printing & graphics, security & safety, sports & recreation, travel.

Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.

Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2009, Reed Elsevier made an adjusted profit before taxation of 1,279 million pounds Sterling on turnover of 6,071 million pounds.

SOURCE Reed MIDEM