In 2009 I was lucky enough to visit the beautiful country of Syria. With Syrian friends who are so important in my life I consider them family, I was taken to visit some of the gems of that star of the Levant - the amphitheatre at Bosra, now destroyed..

The loss of yet another musical polymath icon of our time. George Michael was a giant talent - a huge vocal ability that he was able to control with a rare skill, from the soft timbre he used to break hearts in the 80s to the power house..

Dubai, UAE – December, 2016 – Dubai Airports is delighted to announce thatX Factor Arabia winner Hamza Hawsawi will be the next artist to perform in its #musicDXB series, with an exclusive live festive performance at Dubai International on 23 December.

When we think of Dubai, its glittering expat lifestyle, billionaires' yachts bobbing on the glistening waters of the Marina, edged with glossy high risers, the occasional private jet or helicopter, we don't often consider the real people who call this sunshine state home.

So very humbled to have received over 100 donations, more than £11,000 in less than 12 hrs, in response to an appeal for help raising funds for my brother's urgently needed life-saving brain treatment. We have also had an overwhelming media response with the story becoming the 5th most read on The National's website within hours.

The Future Music Forum (FMF), Europe’s favourite boutique industry conference, today announced the launch of its 8th edition, which will this year incorporate the 3rd edition of the London Sync Sessions (LSS). FMF 2017, featuring LSS, will take place from 13th-15th September at the Estrella Damm Brewery in Barcelona.

In a period in the UK’s history that we would all rather forget, when it can feel like we are turning our backs on union with neighbouring countries, many of us are finding solace in the summer’s live music scene. Once again the unifying, universal language and experience of music cuts through the barriers of age, gender, class, religion and political agendas. 

This is not a report on MIDEM. It is simply a collection of thoughts that passed through my mind after the 50th edition of the conference; these are my reflections on MIDEM, the people I met there, the ideas that were shared there and the impressions I left with, looking ahead to the next stages of the industry's journey and our place within it as professionals.