5 -8 June 2015 - Cannes, France
PRESS RELEASE
LEGENDARY SONGWRITER PAUL WILLIAMS GIVES MIDEM KEYNOTE
ASCAP PRESIDENT TO OUTLINE WHERE VALUE OF MUSIC SHOULD LIE TOMORROW
Paul Williams, Photo Credit : PictureGroup
Paris, 4 November 2014 – Reed MIDEM today announces that Paul Williams, composer and songwriter, President and Chairman of the Board of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), will deliver a keynote interview at Midem 2015. Organised by Reed MIDEM, Midem takes place in Cannes, France, and has moved to a new slot, running from June 5-8 in 2015.
Williams is one of the world’s best-loved and most respected music creators. An Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe-winning songwriter, his global hits include “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “The Rainbow Connection.” Williams’ songs have been recorded by such diverse musical icons as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Jason Mraz, The Carpenters and Kermit the Frog. In 2014, he won an Album of the Year Grammy as a featured artist on two songs he co- wrote on Daft Punk’s critically-acclaimed album, “Random Access Memories.”
As President and Chairman of the performing rights organisation ASCAP, he is also a leading spokesman for music creators in the digital age. Since being elected head of ASCAP in 2009, he has been a tireless advocate for defending copyright both at home in the US and on the world stage, and has frequently lead delegations to Washington DC to meet with policymakers and discuss creators’ rights.
During the interview at Midem, Williams will provide his vision on the future of licensing and the value of music today and how such value should be shared tomorrow.
“Since Midem brings together the whole music and digital ecosystem, it is the ideal event to discuss innovative directions for the future of licensing. The creative contributions of songwriters and composers remain the foundation upon which the entire ecosystem is built. It is more important than ever that we work together to value music in a way that ensures a bright future for our entire industry,” said Paul Williams.
“We are thrilled to welcome Paul Williams as keynote interview of Midem 2015. Midem is the natural home for such legendary music creators, especially when they are as well-versed as Paul in the inner workings of the music business. His presence shows that the core industry is more than ever at the heart of Midem,” said Bruno Crolot, Director of Midem.
The keynote session will be part of Midem Talks, the Midem plenary conference programme covering key topics for today’s music business. The other keynote speaker so far confirmed for Midem 2015 is Danae Ringelmann, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer of Indiegogo, the world's largest crowdfunding platform.
About Midem – Midem is the leading international b2b event dedicated to the new music ecosystem, with a market, conferences, competitions, networking events and a festival. 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. www.midem.com
REED MIDEM PRESS CONTACTS Jane GARTON, Entertainment Press Director: +33 1 79 71 94 39 > [email protected] Joanna KIRK, Press Manager: +33 1 79 71 95 82 > [email protected] Philippe LE GALL, Press Manager: +33 1 79 71 96 48 > [email protected]