5digitalThe award-winning Digital & Music Matters returns from 21 to 24 May 2013 at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore with an outstanding stable of partners, sponsors and speakers.

“We are thrilled to have such an outstanding cast of partners, sponsors and speakers for this year’s Digital Matters presented by Windows Azure. With their help, we can continue to bring the industry here and around the region up-to-date innovations in the world of digital content monetization while at the same time provide great networking parties and workshops to grow the digital entertainment industry,” said Jasper Donat, CEO of Branded Ltd and President of Digital & Music Matters.

Digital Matters is part of the award winning Digital & Music Matters week that includes three days of conferences and five nights of live entertainment. Dubbed “TED meets SXSW” by Jason Mraz, it is the only event in Asia Pacific that brings the entire entertainment ecosystem under one roof and hence has been named Trade Conference of the Year at Singapore Experience Awards 2012.

In its third edition this year, industry giant, Microsoft Windows Azure, will be presenting for the first time the one-day Digital Matters program (21 May) with support from Movideo, CASBAA and a host of other blue chip companies. These supporting digerati will also host panel sessions and workshops to discuss the latest innovations and solutions in the world of digital content marketing.

Movideo CEO and Founder of MCM Entertainment Group, Tony McGinn addressed Asian eMarketing’s topic of last month’s aptly, saying: “Online Video is the hot space in the media and communication world right now and it is hottest here in Asia. Content owners, media businesses and telecommunication and Pay TV operators in APAC markets are all super keen to grow new businesses with TVE (TV Everywhere) and OTT (Over The Top) offerings. There is a huge need for knowledge in this area in Asia; strategic, technical, operational, rights deals and the all-important monetization models. This year’s Digital Matters provides an excellent forum for all of this and Movideo is very happy to be a supporter of the event with our global cloud partner Windows Azure. We are also looking forward to contributing to the knowledge sharing and discussions. There are some big issues to chew over, the biggest being the value of premium online video advertising in Asian markets!”

This year’s Digital Matters will focus on the steady innovation in digital technologies across the music and entertainment industry, which has opened varied and lucrative opportunities to monetize content.

International brands, that are key players in the digital realm, will be sharing ideas on how brands and companies can make use of the latest technology to grow and cultivate their fans, customers and stakeholders, namely:

  • Taras Bugir, Worldwide Managing Director, Media and Cable, Microsoft
  • Tony McGinn, Chief Executive Officer, Movideo
  • Tan Tong Hai, CEO, StarHub
  • Brian Lenz, Chief Innovation Officer, Astro Group
  • Laura Wendt, Vice President, Regional Content & Business Development, SingTel
  • David Habben, Chief Media Strategist – APAC, Akamai Technologies
  • Nicholas Wodtke, VP of Content, Samsung
  • Mark Liversidge, Chief Marketing Officer, CSL
  • James Miner, Senior Vice President, Digital Media, Fox Sports
  • David Simonsen, Senior Vice President, Business Development, HBO Asia
  • Mike Rich, Chief Executive Officer, GroupM ESP
  • Brian Lenz, Chief innovation officer, Astro Group
  • Scott Dinsdale, Media & Entertainment Lead, Australia & Asia Pacific, Accenture
  • Nikhil Chandhok, Group Product Manager, YouTube Asia Pacific
  • David Habben, Chief Media Strategist – Asia Pacific and Japan, Akamai Technologies
  • Dr Jeffrey Cole PhD, Director of the Center for the Digital Future, USC Annenberg

Digital Matters will also incorporate the first-ever YouTube FanFest powered by HP showcase in Singapore, allowing YouTube stars the chance to interact with fans here and from around the region.

Rising YouTubers will also get a chance to network with industry leaders and experts, who can help open more opportunities for them to monetize content online.

The two-night educational showcase will feature 20 artists with a combined subscriber base of 12.5 million, including comedy, cooking and music stars, like e.g. Ryan Higa, aka nigahiga, who has been via Hangout part of the media briefing held at HP’s Asia Pacific headquarter end of April. Ryan, for instance, has over 1,400,000,000 video views on YouTube. Considering that he started all his stardom at age 14 out of sheer boredom is incredible, but his breakthrough actually came in 2006 when he started posting videos on YouTube to share them with his friends. Unexpectedly he became YouTube’s #1 Most Subscribed All Time in 2009, with currently over 8 million subscribers. Ryan will be at the YouTube FanFest in person together with fans and other rising YouTube stars from around the world, such as Boyce Avenue (boyceavenue), HIKAKIN (hikakin), David Choi (davidchoimusic), Eat Your Kimchi (simonandmartina) and more.

Part entertainment and part education, the two-night showcase will include ‘live’ performances and ‘live’ debuts of new content from these stars, as well as interactive meet and greet sessions between stars and fans.

“YouTube’s influence on today’s digital consumer is undisputable”, said the event organizer, adding: “Every month, one billion unique users visit YouTube to discover and share content and videos like never before. They have also given birth to the new wave of celebrities, whose influence can be seen across pop culture, politics and today’s marketing campaigns. Our partnership with YouTube and HP helps us to further our vision to bring the best of today’s emerging artists to the delegates of this year’s Digital & Music Matters, and their fans in Asia

HP is paving the way for creative talents to do what matters to them, pursue their passions and unleash their creativity, showcasing HP’s suite of innovative Windows 8 products that are forging the link between artistes and audiences at the festival, providing them with an immersive audio, visual and touch experience both at home and on the go.

“Today, people think differently about media. For the first time an entire generation, who we call Gen C, has grown up with an unmediated relationship with content. They are defined by the Internet, mobile and social networking – and even for this new generation, video remains the most potent way to engage them. The YouTube FanFest powered by HP will be a unique coming together of YouTube creators and their Gen C fans to celebrate the amazing range of quality content available on YouTube,” said Mr. Benjamin Grubbs, APAC Head of Partner Marketing, YouTube.

Last but not least, the week that matters will conclude with a three-night music festival, Music Matters Live with HP, featuring over 50 bands from 20 countries across seven venues in Clarke Quay, Singapore, including Burma’s first all-singing, all-dancing, all-girl group Me N Ma Girls. The Fountain Stage will be filmed, and streamed live on YouTube by the keen media students at Singapore Poly.

There will also be country showcases from Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Canada. These artists will perform over 160 shows during the three nights – all for free to members of the public and music lovers.

Online participants this year can look forward to a dedicated YouTube channel and tune in to the YouTube FanFest powered by HP web experience at www.youtube.com/fanfest.

It’s going to be an amazing week with three days of conferences and five nights of entertainment, so if you didn’t register yet, early bird discount registration expires today.

Hurry up to visit www.allthatmatters.com

By Daniela La Marca