Can the GMS give WMC a focal point?

Can the GMS give WMC a focal point?

25 February, 2009 | 2.00AM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News:

A Community whisper today alerted us to the (optimistically named) Global Media Summit, which is set to take place on 27th March at South Seas Hotel.

Its organisers are touting the GMS as “a one-stop press magnet where the media can find the artists that are making today’s global headlines while the artists can get their messages about their music to the media all in one great event location”.

Sounds great on paper, as the WMC has for years lacked a focal point for industry networking, however many observers will point out that WMC’s business networking ideals are enjoying the peripheries far too much to be centralised.

The thing is WMC has simply outgrown its original aims of dance music networking, as panels and industry get togethers have been overtaken by label showcases, Spring Breakers looking to party and club promoters who are more than willing to take their money.

Networking and handshakes are now taking place around pools, at afterparties, bars, and in the toilets of nightclubs, not at business-to-business events (as much as the professionals in the industry would like it to happen this way).

That said, you have to hand it to the organisers of GMS for trying: they’ve invited (it’s unclear if all those listed are participating) tens of radio stations, television networks, magazines and websites, as well as a lot of artists in the hope that some cross music-media breeding will occur.

Participating artists include ATFC, Colette, Morgan Page, Joi Cardwell, Hector Romero, Cevin Fisher and several others, while Mix Mag, DJ Mag UK, MTV Networks, VH1 Networks, and xlr8r are in the ranks of the “invited and participating” media outlets.

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