User:Realwomex/womex to come

WOMEX – WOrld Music EXpo –

WOMEX is an international music exposition held annually in different locations throughout Europe, but made in Berlin. It integrates a trade fair, showcases, conferences, film market and awards.

"The most important international professional market of world music of every kind. This international fair brings together professionals from the worlds of folk, roots, ethnic and traditional music and also includes concerts, conferences and documentary films. It contributes to networking as an effective means of promoting music and culture of all kinds across frontiers." UNESCO Alliance for Global Diversity

Next edition: WOMEX 08 Sevilla (Spain), 29 October – 2 November

For the fourth year, WOMEX will return to Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain. Thirteen WOMEX editions have affirmed the value of networking across borders, be they musical, political, cultural or commercial. Since 1994 WOMEX has been travelling all across Europe from Berlin (1994), via Brussels (1995), Marseille (1997), Stockholm (1998), Berlin (1999 + 2000), Rotterdam (2001), Essen (2002 + 2004), Newcastle (2005) to Sevilla (2003 + 2006 – 2008).

Profile
WOMEX is a worldwide development project dedicated to the creation of an economically sustainable – and fully independent – music industry. It concentrates on helping artists and music professionals in their own countries of operation – and then works to provide international opportunities through trade fairs, conferences, showcases, networking and related efforts. It also actively consults for regional, federal and international governing bodies.

WOMEX 07 Round-up
In 13 years, WOMEX has grown to
 * Over 2,800 delegates and 1,400 companies from 90 countries.


 * Over 1,000 concert and festival bookers.


 * Over 750 labels, publishers and distributors.


 * Over 850 managers and 450 producers.


 * Over 350 national and international journalists, including more than 150 radio broadcasters.


 * The Trade Fair holds more than 300 stands with over 500 exhibiting companies, including numerous umbrella stands of countries, regions, networks and other joint-venture structures.


 * 52 Showcase acts with 350 artists from 42 countries on 5 stages.


 * Nearly 40 speakers in two dozen Conference sessions.


 * The festive Opening event, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Spain and Fundación Tres Culturas in Honour of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations presenting a special performance: the Qawwali-Flamenco project, featuring Faiz Ali Faiz and his Qawwali Group (Pakistan) and Duquende and his Flamenco Group (Spain).


 * The WOMEX Award honouring Belize's Andy Palacio (1960 – 2008) and Ivan Duran.


 * The WOMEX & World Music Charts Europe Top Label Awards in recognition of label excellence, with top three winners: Number 1 - Stern's, Number 2 - Cumbancha, and Number 3 - Crammed.


 * The WOMEX World Music Film Market with 16 film screenings, in cooperation with the International Music + Media Centre IMZ, Vienna.


 * Networking meetings, receptions and press conferences.


 * The WOMEX Book Conference for WOMEX authors.


 * The Radio WOMEX broadcasting studio for live interviews and performances.


 * The WOMEX TV Studio, WOMEX TV & webcast, in cooperation with Mondomix, Paris.


 * virtualWOMEX 2.0 – the professional future of world music online.

WOMEX: The Event
WOMEX runs the last October weekend of every year. Starting on a Wednesday afternoon from 15:00 with early-bird registration, stand set-up, and then the WOMEX Opening night with the first Showcase/s. Then, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday come the principal days with the full Conference, Film Market, Trade Fair and Showcase programmes. Sunday hosts the WOMEX Award ceremony and the remaining Trade Fair day until 14:00. It’s the last opportunity to make contacts and wind down with a leisurely lunch and a final good-bye.



Conference
The Conference is the think-tank of producers, makers and shakers of music and a chance to exchange ideas, pick up new information and network. WOMEX provides a platform for informative, pace-setting, even controversial speakers.



Trade Fair
Open from Thursday morning and closing on Sunday, the Trade Fair is the nerve centre of WOMEX. WOMEX keeps an equal-stands-for-all rule and a keep-the-volume-down policy helping to create the special WOMEX ambiance.



Showcases
The Showcases continue the policy of presenting the widest possible range of global music stars, secrets and discoveries, with or without a record contract. WOMEX presents more than three dozen exciting Showcases in all. Last year's showcases were: 3canal, Abdeljalil Kodssi, Aman Aman, Badila, Bajofondo Tangoclub, Balkan Beat Box, Caravan Palace, Dengue Fever, Electric Kulintang, Ensemble "AltaiKai", Fanfara Tirana, Gaiteiros de Lisboa, Hazmat Modine, Julie Fowlis, Kasai Allstars,La Shica, Lo Còr de la Plana, Majorstuen, Mamani Keita & Nicolas Repac, Maravilla de Florida, Vieux Farka Touré, Mayra Andrade, Melingo, Mono Blanco, Ross Daly Quartet, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, Siba e a Fuloresta, Sväng, Taksim Trio, Tanya Tagaq, Tara Fuki, Telmary, The Dizu Plaatjies Ibuyambo Ensemble, Toumast, Umalali & The Garifuna Collective feat. Andy Palacio, Vieux Farka Touré, Yamandu Costa, dunkelbunt, DJ 99, Daladala Soundz

Film Market
The self-contained Film Market for music documentaries, DVDs and video clips is organised in cooperation with the International Music + Media Centre IMZ, Vienna, and presents a series of new films on music themes.



Awards
The WOMEX Award honours quality, creativity and success in global music on the international level. The WOMEX & World Music Charts Europe Top Label Awards are the latest addition, paying tribute to world music labels, which have charted most in Europe. The ceremony also features the announcement of the nominees for the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music based on the delegates' votes.

WOMEX TV Studio
Introduced in 2007: the WOMEX TV Studio run by Mondomix. It is open to all delegates who will be able to watch live interviews of artists and professionals conducted by journalists of the Mondomix team.

Partners and Offsprings
One of WOMEX' central aims is to develop partnerships with other (world) music media, partners, networks, trade fairs and festivals. The WOMEX Offspring concept envisages working with local partners from all over the world to tailor an event, program, skills training or project to the precise needs of a given market.

Past and current projects include:
 * The co-creation of Brazil’s Porto Musical event in Recife, Brazil, which went on to a partnership with Gilberto Gil and his Ministry of Culture.
 * "Via Kaboul," a special showcase on behalf of the Aga Khan’s Music Initiative in Central Asia.
 * Advising UNESCO on all music city applicants for its UNESCO Cities of Culture initiative; participating in a conference hosted in Sevilla to discuss the role of commerce in culture.
 * A concert program in support of the United Nations project, The Alliance of Civilizatins, with co-hosts the Spanish Ministry of Culture (INAEM) and the Fundación Tres Culturas.
 * DISMARC, an online project to link digital music archives all over Europe, and overseeing the creation of archive projects that will be offered out to the WOMEX network.
 * Providing the voting ‘academy’ for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.

virtual WOMEX
virtualWOMEX is the virtual trade fair for world music on the internet. It is a virtual tool for presenting new projects, new companies, new signings, commercial opportunities, links to articles, awards. 

Quotes on WOMEX
"It was fabulous, meeting all Europe and everyone else in one place. I made over 70 contacts within three exciting days and gotlots of inspiration in musical, human and social regards." Sabine Schebrak, Director of Cultureworks, Austria

WOMEX "pulls together the global World Music Community to talk business, share wares and generally party late into the night while everyone tries to catch-up with the last twelve month´s news." Brian Heywood, Dunstable Gazette

"... for some concert promoters, music heard at WOMEX turns into a substantial part of the next seasons bookings. CD´s change hands nearly as fast as business cards." Jon Pareles, The New York Times

Other Music Fairs

 * SXSW
 * Midem
 * Popkomm