MiCannes Awards

15 June 2023 - Press release

Upstart music, media & tech international networking event MiCannes (www.MiCannes.com for more details), now in its second year, was held in Cannes, France, from 6-9 June 2023, and presented the first MiCannes Awards at an industry lunch on the 7 June at the MJC Picaud Theatre in Cannes. Here are the award winners:

• The MiCannes Artist of the Year Award (2023) sponsored by Performance Rights Limited: WET LEG

• The MiCannes Artist Manager of the Year Award (2023): MARTIN HALL

• The “Malcolm Dunbar” MiCannes A&R Person of the Year Award (2023) sponsored by New Media Law LLP: KORDA MARSHAL. 

• The MiCannes Music Book of the Year Award (2023): TONY KING: THE TASTEMAKER

• The MiCannes Music Documentary of the Year Award (2023) sponsored by Synclodge  : “BLITZED!”

• The MiCannes Music Mogul of the Year Award (2023): NIGEL ELDERTON

• The MiCannes Special Music Project of the Year Award (2023)
  THE TAYLOR HAWKINS TRIBUTE CONCERT AT WEMBLEY STADIUM

• The MiCannes Young Music Mogul of the Year Award (2023): YUNGBLUD

• The MiCannes Songwriter of the Year Award (2023) Sponsored by Notting Hill Music: REN

• The MiCannes Achievement in Music Award for 2023: MALCOLM DUNBAR RIP

• The MiCannes Classical Artist of the Year Award (2023)
  LONE WIDAHL MADSEN

 

The MiCannes Committee, comprising 20+ International music & entertainment entrepreneurs, decided to create the MiCannes Awards as a way to encourage excellence in the international music scene and to encourage the future echelon of talented creators and business people to network together in a positive way for the future of all. To follow that creative credo, they decided that they would commission a young sculptor to create a special award and so commissioned a set of stunning cheetah heads from Knox Field, an emergent British sculptor, who specializes in sculpting birds and animals. Knox also cast each award personally. Knox said: “It’s been an absolute honour to be chosen to sculpt this cheetah for the MiCannes Awards winners. I hope the recipients get as much pleasure from this sculpture as I got from making it.”

 Firstly, MiCannes decided to present the MiCannes Achievement in Music Award posthumously to highly rated A&R executive Malcolm Dunbar, who sadly recently passed away and, to honour him by naming the MiCannes A&R award after him. MiCannes board member Ian Penman presented Malcolm’s award to his widow Sophy in London on the day before the awards show.

Here’s a little more about all the winners and the MiCannes awards :

Artist of the Year: Wet Leg. Award sponsored by Performance Rights Ltd 

This female fronted indie rock band from Isle of Wight, who released their first single “Chaise Longue” less than 2 years ago, have blown a trail around the world, through cracking indie rock, fun videos, thrilling gigs from supports to Festivals to headlines in 20+ countries, conquering the world. A Debut No.1 album, 2 US Grammies, 2 Brits and an Ivor for Songwriters of the year attest to their meteoric rise and they are now on tour doing Stadiums with Harry Styles including 4 nights at Wembley. Wet Leg were in the Netherlands on tour and unable to accept in person but recorded a special acceptance video...

Artist Manager of The Year: Martin Hall

Martin Hall, longtime Manic Street Preachers Manager, has guided Wet Leg’s management and helped create possibly the best set up worldwide of the last few years to a new band’s career.  In praise of Martin, Laurence Bell, head of Wet Leg’s label Domino Records sent this message to the awards: “ Excuse me if I pinch one of your better backstage one liners but “look busy - the record label is here!” Many congratulations on this well deserved award. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with you on the first Wet Leg album and it’s been a fun and fruitful campaign. Your ambition and vision and energy and enthusiasm for the tasks at hand help us all do our best work. We are all thrilled that their music has travelled so far in such a short period of time and we look forward to many more years of good times with you and the band.”

The “Malcolm Dunbar” A&R Award sponsored by New Media Law: Korda Marshall

Korda. Even his name has the letters A&R in it. Legendary A&R man Korda Marshall needs little introduction having started in A&R in 1983 and overseen the signings of a plethora of brilliant acts including The Blow Monkeys, The Wedding Present, Pop Will Eat Itself, Londonbeat, Take That, Paul Oakenfold, Ash, Garbage, Muse, Gnarls Barkley, Temper Trap, Alt J... the list is, well golden. But Korda is also an A&R of people too, having been mentor and colleague to a string of talented music executives including Stuart Camp manager of Ed Sheeran, Max Lousada of Warner and many more. This special message from past colleague Wez at Full Time Hobby: “....I got to know Korda when he was running Infectious, initially on his own, when he first started out around 1993/4. He had an office at the end of the corridor in the Mushroom office. Things changed management wise and Korda was asked to run the company on a temporary basis, and this soon became permanent. So I found myself with a new boss. Korda. 

I could talk for days about what a great time it was, but can’t so will keep it short. To say we had fun is an understatement. We seemingly very quickly had a lot of success, with Garbage, Peter Andre and Ash all delivering great records that went platinum. The success meant we could have more fun. After the first wave of bands, we broke Muse, and My Vitriol nearly cracked it, and here was the deal with Ultimate Dilemma that led to Zero 7. There’s so many more instances of success at that time.

Korda was always really good to work for. Maverick in way that kept things interesting. But always with an eye on what could deliver success. And always fun! Lots of love Wez.

The award was presented by newly crowned Music Mogul Nigel Elderton and in his acceptance speech Korda thanked the MiCannes organisers for the award and told the industry audience that he wouldn’t have missed it, as Malcolm Dunbar, who this award is posthumously named after, had in fact given Korda his first studio time when he was a drummer in a band, and helped get Korda’s career started in the music business and they had maintained their friendship throughout...

MiCannes Music Book of The Year: Tony King: The Tastemaker   

The Greatest British promo person of all time? Yes. Worldwide? Almost certainly...From record store assistant, to plugger for The Ronettes and Roy Orbison, to A&R at Apple Records working for The Beatles, to working with Allen Klein and John Lennon, to The Rolling Stones, Elton John (who he knew whilst still Reg Dwight), and many more...Tony’s book, The Tastemaker outlines his gradual rise to working with the top artists in the history of music, but always in a fun way.. This is a terrific read and a great document of music history. 

MiCannes Music Documentary of the Year, sponsored by Synclodge: Blitzed

Coincidentally screening that night with a Q&A with legendary DJ, Artist and former Rich Kid Rusty Egan, This documentary accurately and imaginatively conjures up the period when, to cut a long story short, London and wherever Rusty laid his slipmat, became the epicentre of Music, Fashion and Culture, centred around the legendary London club Blitz...The award was presented by Lionel Lodge of sponsor Synclodge to Producer Andy Woodford, Producer Ian Penman and the legendary Rusty Egan.

MiCannes Music Mogul of The Year: Nigel Elderton

From joining EMI Music Publishing as a post boy at 17 years of age, quickly rising to plugger, to helping start and build the first publishing Sync department, moving to MCA then Polygram and then a long successful career as MD and later European head of indie publishing legends Peer Music, alongside his brilliant six year tenure as PRS for Music Chairman, Nigel Elderton deserves to be called a Mogul...

And MiCannes secured this special message from Ralph Peer II, Executive Chair of Peer Music: I can’t think of a better inaugural recipient of this award, particularly being that it is focused in Cannes.  I can remember so many occasions on the Croisette and elsewhere in town during which you have struck friendships, professional contacts and deals.  Your extraordinary global network of relationships has led to many many benefits for our whole international music community. This award spotlights your gift for helping people across borders. And that is not mentioning your significant contributions to PRS which have benefited us all. Congratulations Mr. Mogul!  

Young Mogul: Yungblud

From releasing his first EP in January 2018, a song about sexual assault against girls to highlight how young men should behave, Dominic Harrison, also known as Yungblud, has not shied away from controversy and even more, hard work. Constant touring, building a phenomenal online rapport with his fans, US tours, live Eps and a live album within his first year; recording with featured artists including Halsey, Travis Barker and more; sync action including recording covers of other artists songs, traditional and online press; more touring, merch and fan events… every part of Yungblud’s meteoric rise to No.1 album status has been a lesson in a young artist ripping up the rule book and making their world work on their own terms. NME awards, Brit nominations, MTV and Silver Clef awards indicate that that it’s not just MiCannes that are wowed by Yungblud’s dynamism. Unfortunately, he’s in Germany in tour, with a new song out and album imminent, but his manager Tommas Arnby says he is delighted to win this and hopes to help us inspire future music moguls and will be doing a video for us & his huge fanbase… 

Songwriter of the Year: Ren.  Sponsored by Notting Hill Music

Welsh singer-songwriter Ren started performing at the age of 13 and a 2010 record deal with Sony, faltered largely because of his bad health and success seemed far away. It wasn’t until 2017 that his music started to light a fire with people, online word of mouth and press driving this, and his ongoing health problems were highlighted in his honest lyrics and videos. For his honest and exciting Songwriting talent that we award Ren with Songwriter of the Year. Unfortunately, Ren is currently in Canada receiving treatment for his illness, but his publisher Other Songs say that he’s delighted to get this and will record a special message when he is well enough...

Special Music Project of the Year: Taylor Hawkins Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium. 

50 songs and 6 hours of show. Guest musicians included Liam Gallagher, Chrissie Hynde, Nile Rodgers, Supergrass, Them Crooked Vultures, Brian May, Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich, McCartney and of course Mr Grohl and some more Foos...For it’s bold yet crushingly honest celebration of a musician’s life in all of its glory we give this award to a mammoth event that was clearly made with love ...Whilst the producers of the show couldn’t make it to Cannes, some of them will be presented with the award soon at a special MiCannes summer event in London, date TBC..

Classical Artist of The Year : Lone Widahl Madsen.

Danish born, British classical clarinetist and composer Lone Madsen (pronounced Luna) graduated with a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School, New York, where she studied with world-renowned clarinetist Charles Neidich. She has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician in prestigious venues, from New York’s Lincoln Center to The Royal Albert Hall in London, collaborating with some of the world’s greatest musical talents from Alfred Brendel to Andrea Bocelli and performed in festivals ranging from Pavarotti and friends in Modena and The Lerici Festival in Italy, The Aldeburgh Festival in the UK, to opening the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival in South Africa. As a recording artist she is often heard on Classical radio and she has produced and released several top selling albums and premiering and commissioning new works for clarinet from composer’s like Nora Kroll Rosenberg, Milton Babbit, Michael Kamen and Nico Muhly, whilst also contributing to various film scores for the likes of Mike Figgis. Lone has created and produced her all female ensemble OPUS X, featured on PBS with The Tenors in Las Vegas and created their soon to be released album ‘Enchantress’, produced by 18X Grammy Award Winning Steven Epstein, featuring trumpeter Chris Botti. Lone is currently working on her new solo project of original compositions called ‘Scandinoir’ and her successful musical career has been complimented by her presence as a theatre and screen actress, credits include Miss Gray in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning film “Sense and Sensibility”. Lone has also authored an illustrated children’s book which is currently being developed into a TV series. 

 

For more information on the awards or MiCannes, Contact:

MiCANNES Board Director and Awards Organiser: Christian Ulf-Hansen, christianulf1@gmail.com, +44 (0)7768 156 682

MiCANNES Board Director and General Counsel: Ian Penman, ian.penman@newmedialaw.biz, +44 (0)7765 244 111