Friday, June 21, 2013

Sarawak all ready for Borneo World Music Expo


KUCHING: Sarawak is all set to play host to another exciting event, the Borneo World Music Expo, an inaugural exposition for professionals and trade visitors within the international music scene.

Borneo World Music Expo which is going to be held from June 24 to the 26 here is happening just a few days before the Rainforest World Music Festival from June 28 to 30.

While the rainforest festival is about entertainment, the expo is about the trade, networking, information dissemination and business side of the entertainment industry concentrating on the world music genre.

“The expo seeks to be the market place where professionals come to present their services or to hire,” said Sarawak Tourism Board in a statement yesterday.

It added that being a musician or a band is not just about playing music but it is also about how to present and market the music, the image, the branding.

“It’s about how to get one’s information and music to the right people…The Borneo World Music Expo is just about bringing the two parties together where they will have a chance to show and tell and buy and sell,” the statement explained.

The expo, guided by the very experienced hands of Gerald Seligman, who was until November of 2009, general director of Womex, the very well-established world music expo, in Berlin, has selected and invited programmers from all over the world to come to Sarawak where several showcase bands are going to present their performances.

The expo is also open to everyone who wants to come and network and share, distribute their press kits, create more awareness of their own music events, meet and extend their contacts.

The business of running music events also involves potential sponsors, the media, event managers, entertainment venues, marketing companies, audio-visual services and equipment, record labels. For all these people, the expo is going to be a useful platform and guide.

“But it’s not all about just live shows and a bustling market place. There are daytime conferences that are informative and educational. There are panels of experienced professionals discussing aspects of the music industry and brainstorming discussions,” the press statement added.

Isabel Soffer, founder of Live Sounds from New York said, “I am coming to Sarawak with the hope of discovering new artistes, traditions and cultures from Asia.

“Southeast Asia in particular is under-represented in the US performing arts field and I hope to be able to make connections with artistes, presenters, agents, and sponsors to begin bridging that gap,” she said.

.
.