Borneo World Music Expo 2014

 

 

Venue for musicians to meet head-hunters and show promoters
By Anthony Tan | Virgin Communications
email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

 

The second edition of Borneo World Music Expo (BWME), organised by The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) will be held on the 16-18 June at Hilton Hotel, in the city of Kuching, Sarawak, in the exotic rainforest island of Borneo.

STB is targeting a minimum of 300 foreign delegates to attend BWME and a few hundreds from music industry local delegates.

STB has successfully organised the international award winning Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) for 16 years as a leisure tourism event aimed at attracting foreign tourists to Sarawak as well as domestic tourists, not forgetting neighbouring countries like Brunei and Indonesia.



Dato' Rashid Khan

In 2014, STB under the leadership of Dato’ Rashid Khan CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, took the initiative to break new ground to come up with a business event to be associated RWMF and thus gave birth to the BWME.

 

BWME will feature conferences, workshops, meetings, trade fair, music showcases and networking sessions which would develop Sarawak into a potential destination for art, culture and music.

 

Shall we start the conference session?

There will be three nightly concerts showcasing bands playing traditional, ethnic, folk, roots music, fusion and contemporary music which open the public.

Get a taste of BWME 2013 showcase reviews below:

  

This band Rafly Wa Saja from Aceh Sumatra Indonesia gave the crowd
an enjoyable evening with their fusion compositions at BWME 2013 showcase 

The Concert showcase has an important objective to expose the performers to the head-hunters, programmers and show promoters coming from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, India, Korea and Cambodia for BWME 2014.

 

The showcases at night will be opened to the public and tickets are priced at RM30 per ticket for each night. 



Lan E Tuyang performing

with his son (warrior)

Dato’ Rashid commented, “Last year the ten groups that showcased made a great impact and five were offered international concert dates or tours. One of the five, Lan E Tuyang, an ethnic Orang Ulu band went on a month long tour in Germany early this year. A sixth, Madeeh, an ethnic Bidayuh band presented at the Rainforest World Music Festival, also picked up a European agent and has an international career launched. That is a success rate we are proud of and one that we hope to match, even better, this time around”.

 

 Artists scheduled this year come from Sarawak, West Malaysia, Kalimantan, India, Java, Myanmar, and Thailand.

 

Speed Dating: One-On-One opportunity for music performers meeting headhunters, show promoters and programmers

The 2-Days BWME conferences is target for all professionals within the music industry who want to increase their contacts, pick up new skills and exchange ideas in dynamic conference sessions.

 

For BWME expo is also organised in tandem with the conference to support those who would like to promote their music industry products.

 

STB have invited over 20 international at their festivals and other venues throughout Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere. world music programmers who will be here to share their skills in conferences, meet the delegates informally in a one-on-one discussion and to watch their live performance at the showcase.

 

These are professionals selected for their interest in and history of booking of artists from all over the world to appear at their festivals and other venues throughout Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere.

Gerald Seligman

According to Gerald Seligman, the consultant of the Expo, “We’re using the same concept this year, but concentrating even more on acoustic and traditional music. The conference sessions will be mostly practical, with advice on how to enter local and international markets, how to professionalise, and with information on what Malaysia is doing to support the arts”.  

BWME is highly recommended to musicians, artist managers, labels, music venues, music professionals, cultural ministries, entrepreneurs, technology companies., artists who want to professionalise and reach ever-wider audiences, domestically, regionally and internationally should attend the Expo

 

It is also for those in the music industry who want to increase their contacts, pick up new skills and exchange ideas during conference sessions.

 

Sessions will include:

 

Professionalise: How to present yourself to agents, labels and concert programmers. How to write press kits, do photo shoots and how to get hired.

 

Opportunities in Asian Networks and Festivals:

Programmers from festivals throughout Asia will talk about what they look for and how best to approach them. New networks are being created -- learn about what they are accomplishing.

 

Opportunities in the International Scene:

Concert programmers from Europe and North America will talk about their markets, how they differ from home markets and give tips on how to break in and what to expect.

 

Using the Internet:

Self-promotion is easier than ever, learn how to use the tools that can make a difference in your career.

 

Special focus:

How artists in Sarawak are working to support traditional musical culture and how others might follow their example. Featuring Matthew Ngau Jau and others, including a session on how local governments in Asia support the arts. How they and the musicians each benefit from working together.

 

The BWME is open to all delegates who have registered whilst the public is welcome at the evening showcases. Delegate fee is RM360 and this includes entry to all the conferences, showcases as well as lunch and two tea-breaks and will also include a welcome dinner.

 

The BWME is supported by Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), and the Sarawak Convention Bureau, Malaysia Airlines and MasWing.