MU:CON Seoul gears up for second global music conference

Music executives from around the world will soon flock to Seoul to attend the second annual three-day MU:CON global music conference and showcase from Oct. 10-12.

The MU:CON conference has invited a number of key international and local figures in the music industry who will come together to discuss topics such as creative global cooperation and communication in the Asian music market as well as having the opportunities to attend showcases that highlight various Korean music acts.

“MU:CON is about showing off the value of global music content and communication,” said Hong Sang-pyo, Korea Creative Content Agency president and CEO, at the MU:CON Road Show press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday. “Through this year’s MU:CON we can further learn and expand the value of the business of creative music content ... and also through this conference, we can show off the talent of our local artists.” 

Last year’s inaugural conference brought in big name speakers such as world famous, six-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter Harvey Mason Jr. and Ted Chung, senior partner of Stampede Records and president of Doggy Style Records ― home of American hip-hop artist Snoop Lion.

This year’s MU:CON gathering will also feature a number of global entertainment figures including keynote speakers Steve Lillywhite, a five-time Grammy Award-winning English producer, and chairman of Sire Records Seymour Stein, who discovered some of the world’s most iconic music acts such as the Ramones, the Pretenders and pop diva Madonna.

“Korea is the future,” said Stein, in a promotional video message for the MU:CON conference. “Along with other countries in Asia like India and China, this is where the future lies for recorded music, for digital music, for good music.”

Along with a number of guest lectures, MU:CON will also feature workshop sessions by award-winning American jazz guitarist Larry Carlton and legendary Korean guitarist Shin Joong-hyun.

Other notable conference guests include S.M. Entertainment manager Kim Young-min, Joe Hahn of Linkin Park and Jeff Schroeder of Smashing Pumpkins. 

The 2013 MU:CON gathering will also feature a global music showcase highlighting more than 50 acts. This year’s entertainment line-up includes a wide range of local acts from all different genres including Jang Kiha and the Faces, Soul Dive, EXO, Nell, No Brain, Dok2 and Beenzino, Verbal Jint, Glen Check, as well as special guests Drunken Tiger and Yoon Mirae and much more.

However, the festivities will not just be a showcasing of local talents; the conference will also include a handful of international artists from around the globe including Canadian rapper Famous, Porno Graffiti from Japan, Cesar Machado Modern Sound of Brazil and others.

The events of the upcoming three-day music conference will be held at various locations in the Hongdae and Gangnam areas. For more information, visit http://www.mucon.kr/2013en/main.php.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)