FIMPRO Guadalajara Announces Expanding Music Conference and Showcase Festival

In Guadalajara's beautiful venues and welcoming public squares, a new hub for musical exchange and professional collaboration throughout the Americas has emerged. FIMPRO (May 25-28, 2016; fimguadalajara.mx), an annual conference and showcase festival, aims to bridge the gap between the North American music markets and create strong connections between the often divided Latin and US scenes.

"We want to be a bridge between Latin and North American markets," enthuses Sergio Arbelaez, one of FIMPRO's founders and organizers. "We believe Latin content can explode in the world at large, and that players new to our markets have a lot of options and potential."

The conference operates under the aegis of one of Mexico's most progressive and impressive cultural and educational institutions, the University of Guadalajara (UDG), the driving force behind major North American cultural events like the International Book Fair (FIL) and the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG). Like these well-established happenings, FIMPRO will make full use of Guadalajara's historic heart and top-notch performance venues as settings for networking activities, panels, meetings, and, of course, thrilling showcases highlighting the best of Mexican and global music. "Our jury of five curators reviewed more than 785 artist proposals," says Arbelaez. "They only chose 12 ensembles."

In addition to musical performers, the conference has confirmed industry veterans like legendary manager Seymour Stein, and Mexican industry players like Valerie Miranda and Fernando Aceves. Important Aires Network (with 40 venues around Mexico); festivals Like Pal Norte, Bahidora, Coordenad, Cumbre Tajin;, and promoters like Ocesa (the world's third largest promoter) and Apodaca (organizers of festivals in Monterrey in association with C3 from Lollapalloza) will be on the scene, as well as representatives from international and other North American markets (SyncSummit, Sony, CD Baby, Spotify, Twitter, and YouTube).

Bringing together musicians, and those who work with and for them, is essential: There are strong music markets in Latin America, but little centralized knowledge about how to connect them. "In Latin America at the moment, it's hard to find good, organized, well-selected information about the market," explains Igor Lozada, director of FIMPRO and Cultura UDG. "We need this within and outside the region. If you're a US promoter, you don't have a key point to consult to have info for this market. One of the main goals for us is to organize the info, which will help people build relationships organically."

Mexico, for example, is rapidly expanding, exhibiting the double-digit growth in the digital realm characteristic of Latin America as a whole. With major live music players selling globally significant ticket numbers, the market shows how Latin America has audiences worth reaching. The festival model has caught on from Peru to Colombia, too, attracting big international names.

The FIMPRO team, however, longs for a more robust and diverse participation from a wide variety of players. "Our dream is to have mutual dialogue, about making a bridge between Latin America and the US. Mainstream artists and major labels are mostly what comes here," says Arbelaez. "But we should bring more people from outside those circles. More indie and creative and cultural things.

"It's not just between pros, it's between musicians, the most important side of the industry," Arbelaez reflects. "We'd love for more musicians from outside the region to come to Latin America and experience all the different music expressions."

The Artists of FIMPRO 2016:

Audia Valdez
Axel Krygier
Carta Na Manga
Diamante Eléctrico
El Ombligo
La Santa Cecilia
Los Espíritus
Mateo Kingman
Renee Mooi & Todd Clouser
Telefunka
The Polar Dream
Tulipa Ruiz
Vanessa Zamora
We are the Grand
Los Músicos de José
DakhaBrakha
Porter
About FIMPRO:

La Feria Internacional de la Música en Guadalajara (The International Music Fair) is a project created to study and develop different aspects of today's music scene, bringing together the best of the best in the industry and promoting dialogue, the exchange of ideas and the creation of business networks and deals, nationally and internationally. Find out more at www.fimguadalajara.mx

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