A tale of two industries: "CeBIT Sounds!" brings together music biz and IT

 CeBIT 2010, 2 to 6 March

"CeBIT Sounds!" is the name of a new interdisciplinary music show being staged from 2nd to 6th March 2010 at CeBIT in Hannover. The event's advisory board consists of well-known representatives of the music community who have undertaken to create an international tradeshow that brings together the music and IT industries. The centerpiece is an events stage which will serve as the venue not only for daily panel discussions and workshops, but also live performances. The stage will be surrounded by exhibits from numerous music and IT companies showcasing their products and services in an open, camp-style setting.

"It is high time we had an event that unites both industries," declares Ossy Hoppe, Managing Director of Wizard Promotions Konzertagentur GmbH and member of the CeBIT Sounds! advisory board. CeBIT Sounds! is geared to major and minor recording labels, performing artists, media, brand manufacturers, music hardware and software producers as well as digital startups and Web-based music businesses.

Numerous well-known experts from the music community helped develop the event concept, including Henning Wehland, member of the Sons of Mannheim, front man for H-Blockx, Managing Director of BLX-Music & Entertainment GmbH and also a member of the CeBIT Sounds! advisory board. Wehland is firmly committed to the concept behind the new music platform, commenting that "the music business is currently like the Wild West, where everything is being completely realigned. We expect CeBIT Sounds! to become a new, central networking hub. CeBIT itself represents the perfect platform for developing new business areas."

Joel Berger, Managing Director of MySpace GSA & Northern Europe, has also thrown his company's support behind CeBIT Sounds!, explaining that MySpace "represents one of the world's main bridges between new technologies and the international music community and has long since taken over a leadership role in helping develop new business models for individual music marketing and sales. If we can help contribute to creating a key networking hub for the Internet business and the major and above all minor recording labels, then as a leading community for music and lifestyle, we definitely want to be part of 'CeBIT Sounds!'."

Deville Schober, CEO of Brainstorm Music Marketing AG, also sees great potential for the new music show CeBIT Sounds!: "It's not just a good idea to bring together the music and IT industries in a tradeshow format, it's also an absolute necessity, since the music business is already occurring to a considerable extent in the digital world, and this is only the beginning.

If the entirety of the music biz - from ticket sales to album promotion - is already massively present on the Web, it is obvious who our partners are. It is high time the music industry hooked up with the IT industry, and there is no better place to do this than at CeBIT Sounds!, for this is the only place where exhibitors can meet potential sponsors and showcase their products before the broad public as well as visiting specialists, gaining new customers in the process. CeBIT Sounds! will also be the place where important links are created between coops and the IT industry, where you can meet interesting people from the music biz, get a glimpse of all the latest IT offerings and glean inspiration for new business ideas."

Visitors and exhibitors in Hall 22 at CeBIT will experience a lively and open tradeshow setting - a camp for innovative minds from the music and IT industries. Recording and performing artists will be in the limelight. The main stage will be a venue for panel discussions and workshops, with the main focus however on live performances.


- Anne-Kathrin Seibt -