No Longer in a World of Its Own

If a huge meteor were to plummet onto Miami Beach today, the Americas would instantly become a much quieter, sadder place.

That’s because thousands of the most influential people in the music business from North America, Central America and South America have descended upon this trendy town for a week of networking, performing, partying and general hustling known as MIDEM Americas.

In its third year, the event (originally dubbed MIDEM Latin America & Caribbean Music Market) has been renamed to more fully incorporate the U.S. in its scope.

According to Christophe Blum, director of the MIDEM music division, the new name reflects the increasing market for Latin music in the U.S., as well as the muscle of U.S. genres such as rock and hip-hop in Latin America. In all, the music industry in the Americas and the Caribbean generates about $16 billion a year, MIDEM estimates.

“We changed the focus this year because, one, Latin music is getting bigger in the States--not only in the States, but all over the world,” Blum said in an interview Saturday at his makeshift office at the Miami Beach Convention Center. “And, two, there’s so much incredible music in the U.S. that you can export around the world.”

MIDEM Americas is one of three international music markets put on each year by the 36-year-old Paris-based Reed MIDEM Organisation; MIDEM Cannes and MIDEM Asia are the others. MIDEM is an acronym for Marche International Du Disque et de L’Edition Musical, which in French means “international organization for music publishing and recording.”

MIDEM Americas, which runs today through Thursday, cost $3 million to produce, Blum said, and is expected to inject $20 million into the local economy. More than 4,000 people are expected to participate, including 300 performers, 500 journalists, 50 speakers and 3,500 vendors.

One of the most controversial issues expected to be explored at MIDEM Americas supports Blum’s take on the global explosion of Latin music. On Thursday, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), along with its Latin wing (LARAS), will officially announce the birth of LARAS’ Grammy Awards, which will be handed out next year for the first time.

While numerous artists (including Gloria Estefan, who is expected to attend the press conference) support the new awards program, other industry figures see the separate awards shows as an unwelcome form of musical segregation.

Reflecting not so much a change in the musical landscape of the Americas as the changing modes of delivery of music to consumers, much of the week’s focus will involve the Internet, including a major announcement scheduled for today by AudioSoft about Ole, its new Spanish-only music download Web site. Blum said the Cannes MIDEM earlier this year was marked by an obsession among industry leaders about the Internet’s role in distributing music, and growing concerns about policing cyber-pirates.

Other important trends being highlighted at the conference include the crossover of Latin music into mainstream U.S. markets, the global explosion and evolution of electronica and dance music, a return to soul music and disco, increased exposure for artists in film and television soundtracks, and global fusions due to immigration--including many Latin and U.S. hybrids, as well as Turkish/German and Indian/English dance forms.

Blum said the success of Latino pop star Ricky Martin led to a “big increase” in the number of U.S. record executives registered for MIDEM Americas, many no doubt sniffing around for their piece of the crossover pie. Major label presence is also more obvious this year than last, with presentations from superstars such as Mexican pop singer Cristian Castro, Spanish singer Rosanna and Mexican rock band Mana, all of whom have enormous crossover potential.

The success of Cher’s “Strong Enough” and Madonna’s “Ray of Light” in the U.S. in recent months are symptoms of a global warming to the once-underground sounds of electronica and trance music, Blum feels. This trend is not limited to the states: One of the best-selling musical exports from the U.S. in the past year was a dance album released by Engelbert Humperdinck.

According to Blum and Dominique Leguern, artistic director for MIDEM Americas, U.S. electronic dance music, which includes dozens of subgenres such as trip-hop and jungle hard-core, has been evolving at an incredible pace and should become an even bigger export next year--and see a boost in this country, where it has had trouble gaining mass airplay.

Two major music networks are also here to film special concerts: VH1 is sponsoring a Save the Music R&B; benefit, and MTV Latin America is sponsoring a rock en espan~ol showcase featuring Mexico’s Control Machete, Argentina’s Bersuit, Puerto Rico’s El Manjar de los Dioses and Los Angeles’ Ozomatli.

In honor of MIDEM Americas’ new Pan-American concept this year, Leguern chose a unifying theme for this week’s 18 concerts, which will take place at halls, theaters and clubs around Miami Beach: the impact of black music on the music of the Americas and the world.

The focus coincides with the 20th anniversary of African American Music Month, and will include a panel on the subject as well as performances by groups from the French Caribbean and Africa.

“It was obvious,” says Leguern. “Most Brazilian, Cuban and Colombian music has African roots, and so does most American music. Hip-hop, rap, gospel, jazz.”