Arnaud de Puyfontaine, CEO of the French parent of Universal Music Group, Vivendi, is to deliver a keynote interview at Midem 2015.
The keynote will take place on Saturday 6 June. In addition to Universal, Vivendi also owns a stake in French pay-television company The Canal+ Group, which includes Studiocanal.
The group’s division Vivendi Village includes Vivendi Ticketing, Wengo, Watchever, and the Paris concert hall L’Olympia.
Last month, Vivendi and Orange announced that they entered into exclusive negotiations for the acquisition by Vivendi of an 80% stake in online video-sharing website Dailymotion.
“We are in the midst of a fascinating period of transformation with the convergence between content, platforms and consumer usage,” said Arnaud de Puyfontaine.
“As a global media player with very strong positions in music, television and cinema, Vivendi is at the heart of this evolution.
“While the paradigms may change, the power of music remains untouched: creating emotions and sharing people’s feelings in their daily life,”
Arnaud de Puyfontaine joined Vivendi in January 2014 as a member of the Management Board and Senior Executive Vice President in charge of Vivendi’s media and content activities.
He previously worked in publishing, notably as Executive Director of leading French daily Le Figaro, for the magazine group Emap France, the Italian giant Mondadori Group, and the Hearst Group.
He was appointed Chairman of the Vivendi Management Board and Chief Executive Officer in June 2014.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Arnaud de Puyfontaine as keynote speaker at Midem 2015,” said Bruno Crolot, Director of Music Markets at Reed MIDEM, organiser of Midem. “His viewpoint chimes with Midem 2015’s theme of convergence.
“Once an industry buzzword, convergence is now an inescapable reality. Music is at the forefront of this shift through new business models which disrupt consumer habits while bringing additional revenue opportunities for the industry. Vivendi encapsulates this change, and is therefore an important partner for Midem.”Music Business Worldwide
