After successfully reviving the defunct music industry conference, MIDEM’s 2026 edition celebrates its 60th year of existence with a new fresh face
In 1967, when music industry entrepreneur Bernard Chevry launched the first Marché International du Disque et de l’Édition Musicale (MIDEM) in Cannes, cynics dismissed it as a ploy to fill empty hotel rooms on the Boulevard de la Croisette in the dead of winter. Six decades on, those naysayers have been proven spectacularly wrong. MIDEM became the place where global music history was written, one handshake at a time. It was also a talent pool of the highest order from the first hour when international record deals were still made over a bottle of champagne. Global idols like French-Israeli heart throb Mike Brant and England’s beloved enfant terrible Amy Winehouse were discovered here. Then MIDEM adapted to remain relevant into the digital age: in 2015, Sony Music broke news of Apple Music’s launch.
But its recent history was fraught with ups and downs. After the pandemic shuttered the event in 2021 and organisers Reed MIDEM walked away, Mayor David Lisnard made an audacious move: the city purchased the brand and relaunched it in 2023 with a singular focus on mind: becoming the global hub for the music industry.
From 4 to 7 February 2026, Cannes marks the diamond anniversary of the conference with a celebration that mirrors its remarkable resurrection. This year’s eclectic programme, developed with the Palais des Festivals and Live Nation, is both a tribute to six decades of musical heritage and a declaration that MIDEM’s next chapter will be written on Cannes’ own terms: concerts include artists as diverse as French indie darlings Feu! Chatterton, Israeli singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan performing with the Orchestre National de Cannes, and Korean hip-hop star Jay Park show that this event is anything but a local affair (see the full line-up here.) As every year, Cannois residents and students have first dibs at free tickets, available on Saturday, 24 January, from 9 am at the City Hall on a first-come first-serve basis.
The most intriguing event, however, might be the one the city is not yet revealing: a “musical surprise”, popup concert-style, is planned for one afternoon at the Allées de la Liberté-Charles de Gaulle, with the date deliberately kept secret. All that is known for now is that it involves the National Orchestra and local youth choirs… keep your eyes peeled on social media for more information. In the meantime, you could also attend an immersive sacred music concert at the Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage church (pictured above), just steps from the conference venues. Truly an eclectic programme with something for everyone.
But Cannes wouldn’t be Cannes without at least one film screening. On MIDEM opening night, a free showing of Bao Nguyen’s documentary The Greatest Night in Pop gives an intimate inside into the Making-Of the 1985 recording session that produced We Are the World. Watching footage of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen crammed into a Los Angeles studio feels oddly appropriate for an event celebrating music’s ability to bring disparate worlds together.
Video via Netflix YouTube channel
The most significant departure from MIDEM’s traditional format is happening at Gare Croisette, where the newly christened “MIDEM OFF ” runs throughout the festival. This deliberate nod to the fringe festivals that have become essential to events like Edinburgh and Avignon brings MIDEM’s programming down to the waterfront. Here, the event sheds its industry suit-and-tie entirely. A stone’s throw from the main event at the Palais des Festivals, the sea terminal becomes a hub for urban and electronic music, hosting aftershows, showcases, tables rondes, and dedication sessions that bring together emerging artists from Paris’s rap scene, afro-urban performers, and electronic collectives. The More Girls Behind Decks collective is running DJ workshops here as well, part of a broader push to address electronic music’s persistent gender imbalance. See the full programme here.
Regardless of the bumps in the roads in the early 2020s, and whatever format is the flavour du jour, MIDEM is there to make music and artists shine. The relaunched conference faces a challenge its predecessor never confronted: proving relevance in an era when most music business happens via Zoom calls and Slack channels. Perhaps that is the point. For those who remember MIDEM’s glory days, this anniversary edition offers a chance to revisit what made the event matter in the first place. For everyone else, it is an opportunity to discover why Cannes believed a nearly six-decade-old music industry conference was worth rescuing from oblivion. As mayor Lisnard observes, “Music is a powerful vector of excellence and collective emotion, and Cannes is proud to be its international crossroads.” Crossroads well worth exploring…
Gare Croisette © Les Plages électroniques
VISITOR INFORMATION
MIDEM 2026
4–7 February 2026
MIDEM OFF: Gare Croisette, Quai Laubeuf, 06400 Cannes
Tickets: cannesticket.com (€24–€55)
Free events: The Greatest Night in Pop screening (tickets from Office du Tourisme), église Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage concert, MIDEM OFF showcases
CONCERT VENUE DETAILS
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
1 Bd de la Croisette
06400 Cannes
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 99 84 00
Web: https://www.palaisdesfestivals.com
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