Electronic Music in France Survey

ELECTRONIC MUSICIN FRANCESURVEY

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introduction

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DEFINITIONAND ARTISTIC,

CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC

HISTORY

overview of the ecosystem

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OVERVIEW OF THEECOSYSTEM

OF ELECTRONICMUSIC

IN FRANCE

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CREATION

18

PRODUCTION& PROMOTION

20

DISTRIBUTION

22

BROADCASTING

26

PUBLISHING

28

MANAGEMENT

32

AUDIENCE

economic impact

35

ECONOMICIMPACT

OF ELECTRONICMUSIC

IN FRANCE

40

FOCUS ON FESTIVALS

42

FOCUS ON CLUBS


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development challenges

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DEVELOPMENTCHALLENGES

FORELECTRONIC

MUSIC

46

ARTISTS

49

CHALLENGESFOR RIGHTS

MANAGEMENT

56

CLUBS

58

FESTIVALS

60

SUSTAINABILITYOF CULTURALSTRUCTURES

conclusion

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appendix

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WORKING GROUP

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT


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After 30 years in existence, it was deemedimportant to draw an up-to-date overview ofwhat the electronic music sector representsin France, both economically and culturally.For this purpose, one hundred and fiftystakeholders in this music scene have beeninterviewed, creating an open informationcensus of its major economic drivers andenabling its true evaluation, as well asdefining its main practices.

The scope of this first exercise is howevermore a qualitative study than a quantitativeaudit. It represents a first marker in thisendeavour to precisely measure the little-documented real economiccontributions of this important culturalmovement. To achieve this, the survey had to look beyond aesthetic trends and notleave out any aspect of electronic cultures,treating them all with equal attention and respect.

To ensure the relevance of this approach,Olivier Pellerin and Benjamin Braun havebeen supported by Sacem staff and by a committee of various qualified figures in the electronic music world.

This working group, throughout theirresearch, maintained an intellectualconformity and rigour, regarding themethodology and content, that proved very productive.

BENJAMIN BRAUN

An independent consultant, he frequentlyadvises the media and culture sectors. For more than ten years, he has beensupporting companies and institutions fromvarious sectors to help them face challengesand new opportunities brought about bydigital technologies.

OLIVIER PELLERIN

After obtaining a degree in MusicManagement and Administration in 2000, he began his professional career in jazz,hip-hop and electro as an independent

press agent, and created the jazz and rocklabel Chief Inspector. In 2008, he becamepress relations officer for Cité de la Musiqueand Salle Pleyel, before joining Radio Francein 2010 in music broadcast programmingand production for France Inter and Le Mouv’(Alternatives, Addictions, Laura LeishmanProject, etc.). From 2015 to 2016 he joinedthe innovation unit of Radio France, wherehe developed 3D/binaural sound musicapplications. He is now focusing on his workas a free-lance journalist and editor, whichfor several years has been driving him towrite about music and the nightlife world.

FRAMEWORK, CONTEXTAND OBJECTIVES OF

THE SURVEY

introduction overview of the ecosystem economic impact development challenges conclusion appendix


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DEFINITIONAND ARTISTIC,

CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC

HISTORYUP TO THE 2010s

Electronic music, often gathered under the catch-all diminutive electro, todayrepresents an important, even dominant,artistic trend, the greatest impact on modernculture after hip-hop and rock.

It embraces numerous genres and countlesssub-genres, as much stylistic as for marketing,whose names evolve across the successivegenerations that adopt them. Thus minimaltechno, which had its day in the 2000s, hasturned into micro house among youngaficionados who weren’t old enough to hit the dancefloors at the beginning of the century.Likewise, hardstep is the offspring of drum &bass, which itself was an evolution of jungle.

Far from wishing to reconcile purists andconverts, still less to draft a periodic table of electronic music, this survey aims preciselyto encompass it all in its diversity, from themost specialised to the most mainstream andfrom the most «underground» to the mostcommercial genres. It addresses all electronicmusic, insofar as all participate in a dynamic of



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artistic creation and wealth generation whoseimpact and revenue distribution need to bemeasured.

In order to define the scope of the analysis,one must consider that all music that is subjectto electronic treatment, not as a meretechnique but as the core of both the processand the creative end, is regarded as electronicmusic. While this music is closely tied to thetechnologies that shape it (hardware andsoftware), it does not preclude the use ofinstruments (since nowadays, following hip-hop,electronic music can be performed withtraditional instrumentation). Its compositionand its performance evolve however alongconstructions that can shatter the traditionalframework of verse-chorus-verse and snub the durations of traditional songs. Moreover it can be endlessly sequenced and remixed, its characteristics linked as much to the elaborate resonances and rhythms as to the melodies and lyrics.

This definition, while generic, allows avoiding a pitfall: today electronics have permeated allmusical creation, ranging from rock to hip-hopvia middle of the road music. Electronics as amere style effect are outside the scope of thissurvey in order to focus only on music thatuses them as its very essence. Whether techno,house or dance, all electronic music was moreor less born out of the technologicalexperimentation of the French works of GRM(Groupe de Recherches Musicales) underPierre Schaeffer in the late 50s, that ended uppermeating popular music on both sides of theAtlantic, whether in Düsseldorf with Kraftwerksince the 70s or Detroit with UndergroundResistance in the 80s. The rest of history ishenceforth all the better documented now thatthe reign of electronic music is definitivelyconsecrated.

In order to draw a quick French picture, technooriginates with the arrival of rave parties andacid house from England and Belgium in thelate 80s. This hedonistic and strongly localisedmovement quickly unifies a community ofactivists, joined by ex-punks, and skirts thebeginnings of hip-hop. Several organisers,record shops and the radio stations Nova andFG unify the movement. In 1997, FG organisesa techno march prefiguring the Techno Paradecreated by Jack Lang in 1998 and taken overby the Technopol association that still runs it.Even though rave parties are stigmatised,techno culture definitively takes root in Parisand sees the birth of parties, labels, venuesand media that will ensure its survival untiltoday. From the Wake Up parties organised byLaurent Garnier between 1992 and 1994 at theRex Club to techno’s first Victoire de laMusique in the «Dance or Electronic Music»category in 1998; from the Rough Trade shoprun by Arnaud Rebotini and Ivan Smagghe, co-founder also of Pulp nightclub with Chloéand Jennifer Cardini that will give birth to the Kill The DJ label, a community that willmushroom right up to Daft Punk and DavidGuetta, allowing the current explosion of ayoung generation with no complexes, eventhough it isn’t necessarily conscious of whattheir fervour owes to the activism of theirelders who are still well present.

Light will be shed on the complex ecosystemresulting from this quarter-century ofevolution, with the purpose of revealing itsstructures, practices and orders of magnitudeas well as its main issues and challenges to come.


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THE ADVENT OFELECTRONIC MUSICFESTIVALS

French pioneers in the genre, namely NuitsSonores in Lyon, Astropolis in Brest, NordikImpact in Caen and N.A.M.E Festival in Lille,have been joined by Paris in 2013 with twoelectronic music festivals, the Weather Festivalorganized by the Surprize agency and thePeacock Society by the We Love Art agency.The emergence of other local scenes, in Nantes, Bordeaux, and in the PACA region,makes up for the French lagging behind onthe electronic scene where most stakeholdersagree that the beginning of the 2000s was a sort of barren desert. French festivalsencouraging the mobility of audiences fromall regions, indeed from Europe, makes for an electronic music market whose explosioncan be witnessed throughout the nationalterritory. The springing up of new festivals,parties, clubs, collectives and artists hasaccelerated in the last few years.

Many subscribe to a creative approach whosestrong identity and shared aesthetic unifiesvarious scenes and above all audiences.

YOUNG ANDCONNECTEDSTAKEHOLDERSThese newcomers, all of them very young,master new technologies that alter the modesof music creation and production (homestudio) as well as the way to broadcast andaccess the produced works (platforms andsocial networks). They are digital nativescreating for digital natives.Far from being unaware of the previousgenerations, they manifest a learning abilitythat is boosted tenfold by the Internet’scapacity to make a plethora of informationinstantly accessible anywhere.

Thus a productive acculturation is created,endlessly subverting the electronic musicecosystem, its boundaries in constant motion.

1. OVERVIEW OF THE ECOSYSTEM

OF ELECTRONICMUSIC

IN FRANCE

In the past few years, the proliferation of electronic music festivals has revealed a growth of this cultural ecosystem which befits

addressing beyond mere intuition.



Publishing

Productionand promotion

Electronic music

artists

Creators

DJs

BookersLive

Clubs / Festivals / Venues

DistributionphysicalCD, Vinyl

DigitalDistribution

Record StoresShops

Online stores

Traditional broadcastingRadio / TV /

Public venues

Brands / AgenciesSynchronization

Institutional stakeholders

XTHE ECOSYSTEM OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN FRANCE:FROM THE DIGITAL PRODUCER TO THE CONSUMER OF LIVE EXPERIENCE.

Online PlatformStreaming and downloading

a

a

a

a

a

a

Recording

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Third-partycreators



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A CONSTANTLYRENEWINGECOSYSTEMThe multiplication of stakeholders in an expanding market, including production as well as broadcasting or consumption,modifies behaviours and practices in varioussegments. To outline before diving deeperinto the analysis, one can separate on oneside the market segment which deals with the monetisation of the growing broadcastingof dance music works through traditionalchannels (radio, TV, nightclubs) but which is weakly represented in a live context; onanother side a market segment composed of techno/house music, whose artists appearmostly live but whose works are almost never broadcast on traditional channels, to the benefit of low income broadcasting on the internet whose main purpose iscommunication. Thus electronic musicstakeholders are spread across a widespectrum of structuring and practices,defining diverse and more or less compatibleissues and strategies.

Management of author’s rightsand related rights

a

a

a

a

a

a

Publics



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ELECTRONIC MUSICMIXES OWN CREATIONAND USE OF THIRDPARTY CREATORS’WORKS.Electronic music may be the genre, followingan era launched by hip-hop and its systematicreliance on «sampling», which borrows themost from third party works to create newcontent. Electronic music producers exhibit a constantly developing musical culture; listento much music from all ages, unearth soundsand references from the shelves of the worldmusic library, which is now only a few clicksaway on the Internet.

Thus creation becomes polymorphic, mixingown production, borrowed works andtransformation. Next to the sample banks,content is also originating from peers, whosemusical pieces can be remixed, combined inmash-ups, sampled, etc. by the electronicmusic artist. The remix of "Prayer in C" byLilly Wood & The Prick by the German DJRobin Schulz is a revealing example. Thelatter remixed the music piece on his owninitiative and achieved resounding success,which in turn led the original band to sign a contract with him so as to endorse a win-win situation for both parties.

THE TERM DJ COVERSVARIOUS REALITIES.The various production modes also indirectlyimpact on various ways to approach liveperformance. Some DJs appear on stagebehind their mixing desk, while others arecomposers who perform live out of necessity,the former to broadcast their works andbenefit from performance revenues, the latterdue to falling record sales.

Regardless, the number of DJs is on the rise,in accordance with the success of electronicmusic as well as with the ease of itsperformance and production through thedemocratisation of technology. For example,the download platform Beatport, basing itselfon the number of DJs who buy its musicpieces, estimates that there are about 10million DJs in the world!

Two broad categories of DJs can bedistinguished. On one side there is thetalented MC who selects and sequencespieces of music in a nightclub, where he isusually a resident employee. On the otherside there is the electronic music artist whocreates music, live or not, sometimes basedon existing works, and who can offer an arrayof varied arrangements on stage (performanceof own works, remixes of third party works,combining of records). Most of the time, thelatter performs his art in various clubs orfestivals that hire him directly or through hisbooker and that pay him either by invoice orwith a salary depending on his status.

1.1 CREATION



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Two notions must bedistinguished, the producer andthe DJ. A producer can of coursebe a DJ. He can then play hisown productions and those ofthird party artists. Likewise, a DJcan also be a producer in orderto strengthen his popularity, andthus multiply his engagements. In general, as an electronic musicartist begins his career, he tendsto assume both roles in order tomultiply his income sources.According to his career’sevolution, he can choose to keepall the artistic activities(production and stageperformance) or to focus on theone that best suits him. He canlimit himself to producing, forhimself and/or others, allowingbroadcast media and otherartists to play his productions.On the other hand he can focussolely on live performance, goingas far as leaving the producing ofhis own pieces of music toothers (so-called “ghostproducers”, sometimes gatheredin “production camps” so as tocreate the most efficient hitspossible). Depending on theirmusical genres and the expectedrevenues, the artist can combinedifferent profiles to suit him best.

“BEDROOM”PRODUCER

A music aficionado, he masters (oftenat a young age) computer musicsoftware and composes pieces ofmusic, in his bedroom, that he postson platforms and social media, hopingfor a viral success that can bedazzling, as with Petit Biscuit orKungs. In this case, he can plan tosign a publishing contract, find a labeland thus launch his career. The liveperformance aspect is also addressedsince it is what will give his musicgreater visibility and bring betterincome opportunities.

DEVELOPING ARTIST

He started playing music in privateparties and bars. As his knowledgeand technique expand, sometimes inclose contact with a collective, thenumber of his sets multiplies to thepoint where he begins to considerturning it into a profession, at leastpart-time. Whilst when he began heonly made some undeclared income,or was paid in drinks, he is now incontact with a booker who offers totake him on a casual basis and payhim for the performance dates hemanages to set up. The question ofproduction arises, since it will allowhim to position his trademark brand,it will be his artistic business card thatwill multiply his hiring opportunities.

CONFIRMED TECHNO DJ

He is under contract with a bookerwho provides him with sets aroundthe world, on Fridays and Saturdays,or more. Most of his income is generated bylive performance (in clubs, festivals,private events for brands). He isconstantly on the road and must learnto compose new music during histravels, in touring transport or in hotelrooms. His compositions extend tomovie music or fashion show ambientmusic.

INTERNATIONAL STAR

He succeeded in positioning his styleand his music which found theiraudience through the broadcasting ofhis tracks and/or albums on generalpublic media. He schedules at afrantic pace several hundred dates per year all around the world. He hasbeen approached by other artists toremix their tracks and vice versa. Beyond remixes, he even producesmusic by other artists, through hispublishing company or his label, whenit isn’t done in his name by a team ofproducers (ghosts producers).He can also create music for visualmedia (advertising campaigns, moviesoundtracks, music for privateevents).

Classification of electronic music artists



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X

CHLOÉName Chloé Profession artistLabel Kill The DJ

◆ What are, in your opinion, the significant developmentsin the electronic music worldin France these past years?Electronic music wasdemocratized; it exploded and is affecting everyone. New generations make it theirs.There are so many new partieswith a certain prerequisite amongyoung organisers that it lookslike its beginnings. Of course,there is also an EDM starificationand takeover by the majors, but at the same time there is the opposite with parties wherethe collectives are known but not the DJs. What’s more, there’s a pursuit of hedonism.

◆ What are the challengesfor tomorrow?Nobody could have imagined thisexplosion then. Finding a venuewas hard, with some very Frenchregulatory particularities. Todaythere are many unusual venuesbut the formalities for theorganisation of parties should be simplified.

◆ Has the prevalence of liveperformance and the Internetdefinitively changed the waymusic is produced?The Internet has, but so has theevolution of technology. Before,buying equipment was expensiveand you needed to be a bit of a geek or to study in a soundschool. Today once can findtutorials on the Internet andsoftware has become intuitive,including its own lessons. It is a great change in the waytechnological knowledge ispassed down, even though it cutstwo ways since one must be ableto find one’s way in suchan abundance of information.

◆ Do you have enough time toproduce music?I can create a piece of music inno time, leave it, and come backto it later. I made tracks in planes,travel gives one ideas. Therearen’t really any rules. I don’tknow whether I’d be productiveby staying inside a studio all thetime. Time constraint can be a good thing. But it is sometimeshard to return to one’s life at home after a tour.

◆ How do you protect your works?When I began, I didn’t registermy works. I am a producer, I make film music, which providesme with income, among whichstreaming is beginning to take itsplace. As an artist, I pay attentionto platforms that remit rights. As far as played titles areconcerned, we often playunfinished pieces, by DJs whohaven’t even registered them yet,we make special edits for our DJ sets. There is a real desire to reclaim the music, to offer something unseen: this is the added value of the electroDJ. A model should be foundbetween a DJ and a live show,between identified pieces and creation.



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X

CASSIUSZDAR

Name Cassius: Zdar & Boom BassProfession Artists / ProducersLabel Ed Banger

◆ How do you see the recentevolution of electronic music inFrance?There are many more parties: it is a movement that develops bygoing upwards. EDM is certainlythe largest music business on theplanet, but there is room foreverything. Electronic music hasbecome today’s pop music.

◆ What advice would you give toyoung artists?Each artist is too particular to beable to give general advice. Butone must be stubborn, believe inoneself and train a lot to be ableto last. One must be careful howone makes money: performingtoo many DJ sets is a waste! One must stay cool-headed andproductive as an artist.Performances are time-consuming, we’ve seen somepromising DJs getting lost anddisappearing. They came with 2or 3 music pieces, then went onmany tours and were never heardof again. Being on the road everyweek-end is tiring and it is hardto recover efficiently so as to beproductive for the rest of theweek. With Cassius, we havenever accepted more than 4 gigs(concert dates, Ed) per monthsince the beginning.

◆ Does the new generation seemmore professional than what youwere at their age?The Internet has freedsomething. We learned in thefield, we were rookies. Then I gotan agent licence and we createdAbsolut Management with AnneClaverie in 1990. Today theevolution of the scene certainlybrings more tools but it stillremains a story of desire andnetworking.



ARTISTS ORGANISE WITHIN COLLECTIVES

DJs and other electronic music artistsincreasingly unite within collectives generatingan unprecedented creative rivalry on thecurrent scene.Beyond artistic stimulation, the advantage ofsuch a gathering also lies in the ability toshare the means of production and promotionin a group with a larger visibility as well as inthe superior firepower allowing the creatingof parties and regular events, and unifyinglarger audiences.

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XTHE MOST PROMINENTFRENCH COLLECTIVES



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PRODUCTIONREINVENTS ITSELFFOLLOWING NEWTECHNOLOGIES

The current growth of electronic music cameabout by digital natives joining the pioneergenerations: digital technologies definitivelytransformed the production/promotion/distribution/ broadcasting chain and gavepower to the creator.

Today’s young creators have access to softwareand hardware that allows them to bring theirartistic ideas to life anywhere, from theirbedroom (home studio, or even bedroomstudio) to a train carriage or a plane seat. They are able to create complete pieces fastand cheap, without the need for expensivestudios and time delays.

While this creation mode isn’t really new, eventhough it further fluidized in these past years,the way music is broadcast has drasticallychanged. The digital revolution that generatedhighly complex problematics for recordedmusic has also triggered the decrease ofmiddlemen in the music distribution chain.Henceforth once a music piece is complete, the artist can immediately make it available to his audience on social media and online

distribution platforms. This affects both the rhythm and format of production andpromotion. One must adapt to new Internetusages and feed the information flow. Thealbum is gradually replaced by a regularpublication of new titles.

A significant proportion of electronic musicartists use the production of recorded musicand its distribution first as a promotion tool,supporting a career based on live performance.The artists instantly “post” their piecesthemselves and also send them to other artists.It is a resource that other DJs can broadcast orremix. A remix is usually performed based on an OTC private agreement implying a fixedrate. But quite often it is a simple exchange of goods, between two artists remixing eachother’s works, according to artistic affinity as well as in a way to pool their respectiveaudiences.

Some electronic music artists gather under independent labels. The decrease of middlemen in the production chain and the new versatility it requires often drives artiststo create their own structures, both to controlthe artistic and strategic direction and tomultiply income sources, combiningproduction, promotion and publishing of their works and performances. In general one can notice a significant improvement inprofessionalism among stakeholders over the last decade.

1.2 PRODUCTION & PROMOTION



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PRODUCERINFINÉ:ALEXANDRE CAZAC& YANNICK MATRAY

◆ How does an electronic musiclabel face declining sales today?It is very complicated. The modelhas been evolving for 15 years.For InFiné, the label is ashowcase allowing thedeveloping of each album as anecosystem, bringing togetherproduction, audiovisual aspects,concerts, publications… Ourcommitment to artists is equallyimportant as producers and aspublishers. We also attach a greatdeal of importance tointernational growth.

◆ Can a label still durably developa young artist’s career?We have been managing it for 10 years with our artists, in particular due to subsidies. If we take Bachar Mar-Khalifé’sexample, we have supported himsince his 1st album which wentrather unnoticed; the 2nd drewsome attention, up to the 3rdthat was duly recognized. It is a commitment, a daily struggle.We pride ourselves onsucceeding in retaining almost allour artists; on having made theirprojects available to the largestaudiences. It’s a real know-howthat can be compared to literarypublishing.

◆ What does a producercontribute?This contribution isn’t sufficientlyrecognised. People talk a lotabout pipelines, Netflix, Spotifyor Deezer, but it all worksbecause we produce content.Would Rone have abandoned hiscinema studies if we didn’tencourage him to pursue music?It takes a vision, incentive. Wepride ourselves on havingstimulated the projects byAufgang, Bachar Mar-Khalifé,Pedro Soler & Gaspard Claus andeven the come-back of BernardSzajner. Today we work withseveral generations of artists,aged 22 to 76, different countriesand figures ... With our"workshop InFiné" festival, we have hosted artists andaudiences beyond our label. In the 50s, France knew how towelcome the African Americanjazzmen. Today we have lost thishosting ability, which is essential.Ambitious cultural policiesshould be launched, with theability to stimulate creation inpartnerships with historicalmonuments, national scenes ...we possess the tools tosuccessfully foster theseambitions.

◆ What are the challenges fortomorrow?Daft Punk has eventuallychanged many things: more andmore small French artists goabroad. The international aspectis a real challenge sinceelectronic music is the one thatis exported. One needs to findrelevant partners. Thanks to Idol,our digital distributor, and to theWarp label, with which we havesigned agreements, we manageto address each territoryspecifically. The question ofinnovation is a crucial one: weshould be part of the FrenchTech, associate music to newtechnologies and benefit fromthe strength of French start-ups.With our new DIF structure, weoffer engineering in culturalbranding, it’s a way forward forthe future.

XName Alexandre Cazac

& Yannick MatrayProfession Producer / Publisher Company inFiné

Booking Dif Artists Rone, Vanessa Wagner, Murcof,

Clara Moto, Gordon, Arandel, Cubenx, Danton Eeprom…

Date of creation 28/12/2005Number of employees 1 employee + 3 service

providers + 1 intern



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Following the iTunes era, streaming platformshave taken a dominant position for thedistribution of recorded music, in particularfor independent electronic music, YouTubeand Soundcloud being at the top, followed by Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer formainstream artists.

Thus streaming is currently overtakingdownloading in terms of value creation in the digital music economy. It creates an upturn in an industry that sees it as anevolution of its model that may finally allowescaping the doldrums that appeared with ...the advent of downloading and illegal piratingpractices that branched from it. Yet there isstill much to be done in order to sustain themodel and generate sufficient income levelsto enable continuous creation.

As of now, placing of music pieces in playlistson streaming platforms (such as Spotify FreshFinds) has become the crux and replaced thepromotion targeted at traditional media amonglabels. A digital economy fosters digitalpractices: relevant positioning within keyplaylists will ensure the success of a title. And finally it will also ensure the success of future works and of the artist’s career, the latter having to ensure the managementand growth of his audience on the social media.

Development strategies are built over timebetween artists, labels and distributors, whoseroles are balanced in an egalitariancollaboration, more horizontal than theprevious vertical structure adopted by the record companies.

In this context, physical distribution amountsto limited editions of vinyl records (betweena few hundred and a few thousand) fortechno/house music that is thus able to reacha captive audience of aficionados and DJs.The relative return to favour of the vinylrecord allows the sustaining of a fragileecosystem of specialist shops. Even thoughrecord stores are more numerous today than15 years ago, their model is extremely fragile.Records are expensive (maxis between 10€and 15€ on average, LP between 25€ and40€ on average) and additionally take long tobe produced, since pressing factories haveyet to renew a production fleet that had longremained underused. The current revival thusmostly benefits large productions for majorsthat reissue their classics for a new audience,willing to equip their shiny new turntables atthe expense of smaller labels with everincreasing delays.

Selling records is thus often unprofitable for independent electronic music labels. They remain a product with symbolic appeal, a business card to keep liveperformance alive.

The more commercial dance music keeps on generating a significant turnover withrecorded music for artists benefiting from a large airplay on radios and commercialtelevision, but it has also been following the globally negative evolution of the rest of the phonographic industry for the last 15 years.

1.3 DISTRIBUTION



X

MANAGERUNITY GROUP: EDOUARD TAIEB

Name Edouard TaiebProfession Manager / Agent Company Unity GroupBooking Michael Calfan / Klingande

Kungs / Clement BCXBroken Back / Addal

Date of creation 2011Number of employees 6 Other activities Publishing

◆ What evolutions have yourecently noticed in the electronicmusic world in France?We have only been into thisactivity for 5 years and clubs arecurrently booking many moreinternational artists than when webegan. Electronic music festivalsare developing according to aneconomic logic: a DJ with a pendrive who can perform the wholenight is less expensive than awhole band. Moreover today DJsare making people dream;electronic music is fascinating.As a consequence, the cost ofDJs has increased and has grownby 5 or 6 times within 5 years.

◆ What is your vision of the newFrench scene?In France the so-calledunderground is growing fast,in particular for techno. EDM is more targeted at provincialstages where clubs play hardsounds that will not be heard in larger cities, where listening to techno is a synonym of being cool. In smaller towns one comes to a nightclub to unwind. In France we are neitherunderground nor commercial,but precisely in between,

with such artists as Synapson or The Avener.

◆ What are according to you thechallenges for tomorrow?This positive evolution willcontinue. It depends ondecisions made by bookers whooften market their artists at veryhigh prices. They must bereminded that they are dealingwith music, not only a business.

We are currently in the 30glorious “boom years” of electro,starting 10 years ago with DaftPunk. We still have 20 yearsahead of us. Consumption modeschange. Electro is the 2nd moststreamed genre on Spotify,people like it. Today one caneasily make music on one’scomputer, even pop music ismade on a computer. The ideapermeates people’s minds:electronic music is everywhereand everything is electronicmusic!

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Broadcasting of electronic music is effectedin two extremely different ways, according tothe schematic separation between dancemusic and techno/house.

The former, dance music, occupies the totalityof on air broadcasting in clubs and the media(radio, TV, nightclubs), but is barely present inlive performances. The latter, techno/house inits broad meaning, strongly feeds liveprogramming in clubs and festivals but isexcluded from traditional on air formats in themedia.

Media covering electronic music are few:some specialist magazines (Trax, Tsugi or DJMag being foremost), some radio stations(such as FG and commercial radio for dancemusic: NRJ or Fun Radio, and specialistprograms on campus networks and Férarock)and some TV shows only for the dance musichits. In accordance with the nature ofelectronic cultures, most media dealing withits diversity are found on the Internet,including the reference website ResidentAdvisor (setting yearly rankings for DJs andinternational clubs), the websites of thespecialist magazines Trax, Tsugi and DJ Mag,joined by those of brands active in electronicmusic: Red Bull Music Academy, VillaSchweppes, etc.

Thus, while electronic music remunerates its authors with the income from its mediabroadcasting and the sales of works, liveperformance often represents the mainsource of income for techno/house artists. Its operation, contrary to the productionmodes facilitated by technological progress,has not changed. The artist still has to growhis reputation in order to obtain engagementsin clubs or festivals, where he will perform forhis audience.

Fees are covered by his organisation (by theartist if he isn’t represented, by his booker ifhe has one, who then deducts them from thesalary fee he has negotiated for him).

The last few years has seen a multiplication ofsensu stricto electronic music festivals; thereare about 60 such festivals in 2016. One canadd real music festivals that have fullyintegrated electronic nights in theirprogramming or extended their openinghours to leave the late evenings to electronicmusic artists.

1.4 BROADCASTING



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X

ENTREPRENEURSURPRIZEAURÉLIEN DUBOIS

Name Aurélien DuboisProfession PresidentCompany Surprize (Concrete,

Weather Festival)Booking Antigone, Behzad & Amarou,

Ben Vedren, Cabanne,François X, Shlømo, etc.

◆ What are, in your opinion,the significant developments inthe electronic music world inFrance these past years?Elected politicians andgovernmental administrations seeelectronic music as a real culture,which improves relations andgives the possibility forstakeholders in this culture toventure into bolder and bettercontrolled projects.

◆ What are the challenges fortomorrow?Continuously listening to ouraudience and being able toanticipate its desires. We arethinking about offering longeropening hours to allow ourartists more time to expressthemselves on stage and thusbring a deeper immersiveexperience to the audience.

◆ How can a club retain itscustomer loyalty on a weeklybasis?We must be able to offer the bestof artistic diversity to ouraudience. This involves aconstant questioning, a searchfor new talents and the ability toput forward an offer that is ableto evolve according to the moodof our audience. We reflect onthese aspects every day.

◆ You combine several activities.Does it mean that the activity of a club is no longer self-sufficienttoday?Not at all, it is due to my cravingfor creating projects. I lovediversifying my activities. This diversity is a need for an entrepreneur in liveperformance shows. The demandfrom audiences is changing at such a speed that one needsto have several projects to offer.



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XTOP ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVALS



25

The increasing requirements that audiencesexpect from top class events forceprogrammers to constantly scrutinise their offering. The demand for novelty iscontinuous and the lack of new content ispenalised. Festivals and clubs will thus needto provide increasing diversity and novelty in their artist programming.

For all that, while the scare that the technobubble might burst has been around forseveral years without actually witnessing it,one must be wary of a standardisation ofprogramming and events at the very momentwhen electronic culture is reaching itscommercial maturity in France, albeit laggingsome way behind her German or Englishneighbours who had embraced its commercialpotential from the very beginning.

In this context, more and more clubs andfestivals stand out from classic discos throughspecialist programming. At the end of each week, from Thursday or Friday until Saturday, they host differentartists every night, united around artistic setswith distinct styles. They are as much Frenchas international, appealing to specificaudiences and performing DJ sets or live sets(machines, keyboards, etc.) that require bothpreparation and rehearsals.They enjoy a real creative status and theirperformances are likened to a live show. Theytherefore expect a salary in accordance withtheir fame, of up to several thousand euros inclubs and up to 20,000 or 30,000 euros forheadlining at festivals. The success leading tostrong growth in fees for electronic musicartists over these last 5 years also has a priceto pay in the weakening of these venues’ andevents’ financial models.



26

A not inconsiderable resource couldcompensate for the loss of revenue due to the lack of broadcasting for most electronicmusic, except dance music. This resource is the use of music for visual media. The publisher plays a central role insupporting fixed works (synchronisation) and to respond to a growing demand for music composition for visual media.

The job of the publisher in electronic music lies largely in synchronization andcomposition of music for visual media. The advent of Internet culture has increasedthe production of videos, in particular inadvertising, and the need for music toaccompany them. While electronic music may be often seen as eclectic for large TVcampaigns, they are more welcome for web campaigns.

Many musicians thus generate steady incomefrom web advertising campaigns, rangingfrom several hundred to several thousandeuros with the accompanying broadcastingrights.

The publisher also must develop his artist’scatalogue, by finding collaborations for hisclient, proposing other artists to sample orremix his music. The remixer is an arranger.He negotiates a fee for the remix master as well as for the publishing. The publisherclaims no rights to the master part thatdepends on the producer and artist alone, but takes his share of the publishing rights.

The artist or his label can benefit fromworking with a publisher who will price-fix hiscatalogue so as to share in higher publishingrevenue than would have been generated bykeeping all publishing to himself but withoutthe skills or the network necessary tooptimise the revenue. However, since the2000s, labels are attempting to claim thepublishing rights of their artists’ productionsso as to compensate for the loss of revenuefrom falling sales.

In general, as with other music genres, the publisher’s role is to develop his artist’scareer. Publishing revenues that he collectscan help his artist with acquiring productionequipment, or a studio, or investing inpromotion...to see to it that the artisticproject is fully developed and scaled up into a more competitive market than before,demanding that projects have proven their worth before consecrating them.

1.5 PUBLISHING



27

PUBLISHERETENDARD MANAGEMENT:CHRISTIAN DE ROSNAY

◆ What are the specific features ofelectronic music as far aspublishing is concerned?A high potential for export(pieces are often instrumentalorsung in English), a music genrethat is increasingly used forsynchronisation (especially bybrands), which provides analternative to radios in terms ofaudience exposure. Butcollecting author’s rights onadvertising synchronizationlicences has proven to be a longand hard battle, all the more soabroad.

◆ Can synchronization and musicfor visual media compensate forthe drop in sales?Indeed, the synchronization of a musical work with anaudiovisual work generatesrevenue for the rights holders ofthe musical work. Moreover itrepresents an additional meansto provide exposure for the workand can even leverage the salesof phonographic media.

◆ In your opinion, what are the main evolutions of the Frenchelectronic music world in the past3 years?Brands seem to have adjusted to electronic music and areincreasingly associating with this field. Globally a drop insynchronization revenues hasbeen noticed for 3 years (thebrands leveraging the fact thatthey provide an opportunity for the exposure of a work and relying increasingly oncommissioned works – ratherthan commercial works – to bethe producer and/or publisher incertain cases). We can only notethe drop in sales in physical orvirtual media for the benefit ofstreaming, as well as a return ofthe vinyl record (certainly as aresult of consumption usagesthat drive the audience toward anitem considered more valuable).

XName Christian de RosnayProfession Publisher / Manager Company Etendard Management Publications Breakbot, Dj Pone, Justice,

Kavinsky, Sefyu, The Shoes, Uppermost, Woodkid, etc.



28

In comparison to the sulphurous climate thatcloaked electronic music with the emergenceof rave parties in the early 90s, the politico-cultural environment now casts a much morebenevolent eye. The growing professionalisationof all the stakeholders in this field over the lastdecade, as well as burgeoning recognition ofthe music’s artistic value, has allowed forsmoother relations with local communitiesand authorities, even though some localdifferences persist.

Moreover, state institutions have attunedthemselves to the explosion of electroniccultures by adapting, albeit recently, the legaland cultural apparatus governing them(intermittent employee contract granted toDJ, VAT reduction for clubs, etc.). They nowtend to encourage and support thedevelopment of electronic music, inrecognition of the entertainment it brings totheir regions and the high demand for it fromaudiences. Of course, local recognition varies.Whilst Paris is exceptional, paradoxicallycombining the aggravated nuisance levelsinherent in a record population density with a capital city’s overflowing calendar ofstaging multtiple cultural events (parties,clubs, festivals…), other French cities are notlacking: Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux, Brest,Strasbourg, etc. Outside of the cities, furtherdiscussion with local authorities is sometimesneeded to secure a festival site in acountryside or unusual location.

1.6 MANAGEMENT

We must note the proliferation of culturallyactivist collective organisations, structuresand events on the national electronic musicscene, answering to the current need byaudiences for live interactive experiences.Beyond the frontline professional activities,the many amateur practices must also beaccounted for.

AMATEUR PRACTICESAND FREE PARTYThe Freeform association, a centre providingresources and empowerment for suchpractices, counts 4000 parties organised inFrance each year. They answer to a need forfreedom outside such structures as clubs orfestivals. In 2001, the Mariani amendmentregulated free parties by enforcing theirdeclaration in advance, but their unpopularitysystematically led to their cancellation. Whilethe situation has now evolved into aconstructive dialogue involving severalministries and communities, here too regionaldisparities impact on organisationalpossibilities.

At a ministerial level, however much TechnoParade is a national cultural success, manystakeholders consider that the Ministry ofCulture isn’t yet a discussion partner who hasfully assessed the value of electronic cultures.



Aid for projects

REQUEST FORSUPPORT EXPRESSED BY THESECTORMany stakeholders of electronic music arecalling for an artist support mechanism, via the introduction of support funds whosefinancing and operating systems are yet to bedefined. Even though they aren’t necessarilyinformed about existing aid for creativity, they are calling for endowments for smallrecord stores, labels or artists, to help withrent/hire, equipment, tour support, etc.

There are several aid schemes accessible on themonprojetmusique.fr website that gathers all thesupport schemes for the music and cultural sector.For example, support provided by Sacem isdescribed in its aid programs and accessible on theProject Aid website (https://aide-aux-projets.sacem.fr); other programs are co-funded bythe whole sector (FCM or the Export Bureau). Of its6 main aid programs (1) in the field of modernmusic, the most important ones are the support forpre-production to publishers (over 50 supportedprojects) and the support to festivals (over 15 havean exclusively "electronic music" programming).

Two examples of supported events:

- French beat, launched in 2013, whose objective is to promote the French electronic scene tointernational audiences and to foster exchangesbetween France, Europe and North America. In partnership with the Cosmopolis in Lisbon, the MEG (Montreal Electronic Groove) and theMaMA in Paris, The French Beat allows 3 youngcreators each year to perform on these threestages, thus contributing to the development oftheir career and to talent circulation.

- French Wave, the 1st international transmediaexperience in French electronic music, mixinggenerations and offering: a web platform, TVdocumentaries, a web series and internationalconcert evenings. This project benefits frompartnerships between Sacem, the Export Bureau,Institut Français and Unifrance.

Over the course of 2015, support from Sacem to the electronic music repertoire has amounted to a total of 255,000 euros, representing about 7%of its commitment towards modern music.

[1] Pre-production aid (Publishers), Autoproduction aid,

Career support, Aid for venues, Stage production aid,

Aid to festivals.

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Artist status and Technopol schemes

DEFINITION OF THE DJ AND VJ ARTIST

XNom Tommy VaudecraneProfession PrésidentCompany Technopol - Techno Parade Activities Protection, recognition

and promotion of electronicmusic

Date of creation 1996 Number of employees 3

(for the latter, only in theCCNEAC)

The only definitions can be foundin the two main CollectiveConventions regulating thesector of live shows:National Collective Convention ofArtistic and Cultural Companies(CCNEAC) + National CollectiveConvention of Companies in thePrivate Sector of Live Shows(CCNESPSV).

“He or she uses techniques of mixing, scratching, sampling,on music, instruments, sounds or voices that are pre-recordedor produced live, for theinterpretation on stage ofan original work.”

“The VJ interprets a dramatic,choreographic or musical work.He uses techniques of capture,broadcasting, image processingand audio-visual processing, live,from pre-existing images and/orvideos, specifically created forthe work or not and/or imagesand related sounds, created live.”

Both definitions are inscribed inthe list of performing artists.Therefore, DJs and VJs are todayconsidered performing artists.

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31

DJ ENTERTAINER: ANOTHERSTATUS OUTSIDE THEPRESUMPTION OF SALARIEDSTATUS

There are DJs who provide entertainment at privateparties or carry out their activity within discos withno specific artistic programming. Such people arenot considered as performing artists but rather asDJ entertainers. From a social viewpoint, they willbelong to the general scheme and can be salariedas in any other profession. They can bill through their individual structure or Society, without an obligation to hold a showentrepreneur license.

The separation between a DJ artist and a DJentertainer is sometimes hard to define. It is thelegal nature of the structure within which theperson is performing that will be largely decisive: if the structure holds one or several showentrepreneur licenses, it will be assumed that it is a DJ artist; if the structure holds no license, it willbe a DJ entertainer. One will also check whether thecorrespondence surrounding the event is focusedon the name of the DJ or on a concept: if it focuseson the name of the DJ, then he is a DJ artist; if itfocuses on the concept, then he is a DJ entertainer.

DJ AND VJ ARTISTS =PERFORMING ARTISTS:CONSEQUENCES

Presumption of salaried status, article L.7121-3 of the Labor Code. Therefore a DJ or VJ artistperforming on stage, for a payment, is presumed tohave a salaried status. The organiser employing himmust thus fill a DUE + employment contract +remuneration statement + declarations andpayment of social contributions.

Exemptions for the avoidance of presumption ofsalaried status: entrepreneur (individual or Society)holding a show entrepreneur license n°2. A DJ or VJ artist, established as a sole trader or in a Society,can directly invoice the organiser. However, such a legal structure must hold a show entrepreneurlicense n°2 or, with less than six performances per year, issue an Intermittent Show Declaration to DRAC for each performance date.

NB: recently, Pôle Emploi has begun recognizingthe DJ artist or VJ artist status; therefore during the social declaration to their services, the DJ/VJartist profession is identified. This implies that a DJ/VJ artist, who wishes to entirely rely on hisremuneration linked to his artistic activity, is able to do so under the “DJ/VJ artist” profession, andthus claim the unemployment scheme regulated byAnnex 10 of the Unédic Convention (intermittence).



32

Electronic music audiences are very youngand expert, thanks to a wide culture builtonline. No music piece escapes their vigilanceand the so-called “track ID” practice hasbecome widespread. It consists in recordingwith a smartphone the moment when anappreciated but unknown piece is playing,then posting it on social media, asking forhelp from the community with itsidentification. The Facebook group « WeatherFestival Music », with over 30,000 members,is the epicentre of this practice.

This propensity for erudition does not preventnew consumers from favoring experience.Whilst good programming is a necessarycondition, it is not sufficient. The last 4 yearshave quenched the thirst of a young audiencethat does not realize that such programmingas those of the Weather festival, NuitsSonores, Concrete or of the Rex Club cangather more French and international artiststhan were programmed throughout a year in one venue in the previous decade. Young consumers only retain that they cansee their favourite artists up to several times a year in the same city, and thus favourcontext and price as selection criteria in a competitive offer.

The objective is to spend some time, varyingfrom a few hours to over 24 hours, in one orseveral venues that offer top artists as well asa friendly and exotic atmosphere. Sited ideallyin unusual venues, the scenery, side activities(catering,relaxation, games, etc.), themedevenings as well as the services (transport,accommodation, cashless payment options,etc.), are increasingly valued.

These are the criteria according to which the young audience will choose to spend a significant amount of money for a night at a venue, or even for a multiday pass or anentire festival. Yet, according to the chosenevent and duration, the fee may range from30€ to over 100€. One’s budget is thusmainly affected by the entrance fee. Thereusually isn’t much left for spending at the bar,the restaurant or on merchandising. Theyoung audience often drinks cheap alcoholbefore going to the club or the festival,spending little at the venue.

The economics of venues hosting theseaudiences and undergoing a tight squeeze ontheir prices is thus weakened. French festivalsare among those with the cheapest entry feesin Europe. This is in particular the result ofcultural policies that always endeavored tomake culture accessible to the largestaudience. Whilst the audience may celebrate,festivals have to account for this constraint.For although subsidies are lower in financingschemes for electronic music, the latter is noless competing with all other leisure offers,especially now as its audience is wideninginto a more popular base. The Beatportwebsite estimates, based on festival goers ofits mother company SFX, that there are 350million potential fans of electronic music in the world.

1.7 AUDIENCE



CULTURAL ADVISORMICHEL PILOT

◆ How do you see the progress ofthe electronic scene in Francefrom its beginnings until today?The greatest victory forelectronic music since itsbeginning until today has beenthat fact that it managed to resistall the prophets of doom whooften gravitated around it. I havealways said so and I haven’tchanged my mind, the twogreatest cultural musicalcreations of the 20th century areJazz and Electro.

◆ In your opinion, are theresimilarities between the currentcraze and the scene’s beginningsin the 90s? The electro culture still numbersmany people who took part in itscreation. Some of these peopleare today committed to pass thisculture onto the younggenerations. They in turn havethe desire to learn more and tolive through what we lived. Thismay explain the craze forelectronic music at thisbeginning of the 21st century.

◆ Do you think that electronicmusic has today found its rightfulplace in French society? I don’t know what finding one’splace means. All cultures havetheir place in our societies. Theyare the cradle of our civilization.Electro is one culturalcomponent of our society.It exists and participates in thedreams necessary to everyhuman being.

◆ What do you think the mainupcoming challenges are?The most important is for thisculture to keep its values. Jazzmanaged in its own time toexpress strong messages so asto expose the misery of blackpeople. Let electro music conveya powerful message through allits stakeholders so that our worldstays on the right course beforeit is too late.

XName Michel PilotProfession Secretary GeneralCompany Surprize (Concrete / Weather)

33



34


35

In order to assess the impact of electronicmusic in France an incremental approach hasbeen adopted, consisting in aggregating allthe constituents of the distribution andbroadcasting market for electronic music, in order to extract an economic outline.

Without reducing the strength or the richnessof the gathered data, it is important to stressthe limitations of the exercise. For someelements it was necessary to cross-checkdifferent sources (surveys, interviews, etc.)and to resort to approximations while ensuringthat resulting figures were consistent.

Another difficulty encountered in measuringthe economic impact is the ability to preciselydelineate the electronic music surveyed. Aswith the rest of the study, focus was directedon music subjected to electronic processingat the core of both the process and the creativepurpose.

Finally, the 1st edition of a survey, by definition,prevents any comparison with previousversions. Analysis has relied on the latestavailable data from 2015 unless otherwisespecified.

2. ECONOMIC IMPACTOF ELECTRONIC

MUSIC IN FRANCE

MEASURE OF THE ECONOMICIMPACT

The analysis has been focused on the maineconomic segments of the ecosystemdescribed in the first part of the survey.

For each segment, the economic impact ofelectronic music has been assessed, and then a techno/house subset has beendifferentiated.



XECONOMIC IMPACT IN FRANCE[IN MILLIONS OF EUROS EXCLUDING TAXES]

Synchronization

Backgroundmusic

PhysicalMedia

Radio / tvBroadcasting

Digital Export Festivals Clubs and Discos

Total

13

16

295

=47

5

20

5

41657

98

34

15

Electronic music Techno/house

Electronic music driven by live performance

36



37

Clubs and Discos

Festivals

Export

Radio/TV broadcasting

Digital

Physical media

Background music

Synchronization

The techno/house subset that we have setapart represents 98 million euros excludingtaxes, or 24% of the total. The two mainsegments represent 92% of the impact of theset: 58% (57 million euros) come from theturnover of clubs representing 19% of thetotal turnover for clubs and discos forelectronic music and 34% (34 million euros)from the turnover for festivals representing72% of the total turnover for festivals forelectronic music.

3% (3 million euros) comes from the export ofthis music, 2% (2 million euros) come fromdomestic revenue for synchronizations, 2%also (2 million euros) from digital distributionon streaming and downloading platforms andless than 1% (0.6 million euros) from thedistribution of physical media.

The overall market for the synchronization of electronic music represents about 9 million euros.It is composed of synchronizations performed in France (4.5 million euros), and thoseperformed abroad (4.3 million euros included in the export segment).

Electronic music in France represents 416million euros excluding taxes. 71% (295million euros) comes from the turnover ofclubs and discos and 11% (47 million euros)from the turnover of festivals. These twosegments alone represent 82% of theeconomic impact.

5% (20 million euros) comes from the exportof this music, 4% (16 million euros) fromdigital distribution on streaming anddownloading platforms, 4% (15 million euros)from authors’ rights and related rights claimedfor the broadcasting of works on TV andradio, 3% (13 million euros) from thedistribution of physical media, 1% (5 millioneuros) come from rights claimed forbackground music for public areas and eventsand 1% (4.5 million euros) comes fromdomestic revenue for synchronizations.

Electronic music

XBREAKDOWN OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT [IN MILLIONS OF EUROS EXCLUDING TAXES]

of which Techno/house

295 57

47

34

Clubs andDiscos+ Festivals= 82%

Clubs andDiscos

+ Festivals= 92%

1520 3

55

16

2 2 1

13



XECONOMIC IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC

The market for electronic music represents a total of 416 million euros excluding taxes,or 17% of the market for modern music.

This market is driven by live performance: The turnover of electronic music represents35% of the turnover of clubs and discos. Electronic music festivals are 21% of thetotal turnover generated by modern musicfestivals.As far as physical and digital distribution isconcerned, consumption of electronic musicdiffers from usages of other music. In theonline music market, 7% of income frommodern music comes from the digitaldistribution of electronic music. For physicalmedia, this proportion drops to 3%.

The physical/digital split is once againspecific in the electronic music field: theproportion of digital distribution for electronicmusic reaches 55% and even 71% fortechno/house.

Electronic music represents 17% of modern music

Electronic music Other music

XECONOMIC IMPACT BY SECTOR

Electronic music Other music

XREVENUE FROM DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AND PHYSICAL MEDIA Modern music

Digital Physical media

38% 62%

Electronic music

55% 45%

Techno/house

71% 29%

17% 83%

Clubs and Discos

35% 65%

Festivals

21% 79%

Digital

7% 93%

Physical media

3% 97%

38



39

Physical media

Turnover excluding taxes generated by the sales ofelectronic music on physical media, vinyl recordsand CDs, regardless of the distribution channel,including online trading. Source GfK

Digital

Turnover excluding taxes generated by digitaldistribution of electronic music, with the sale ofdigital files on one side (downloading) and revenueof streaming platforms aggregating advertisingrevenue and subscription fees on the other side.Source GfK completed by data from SNEP

Clubs and discos

Turnover excluding taxes of techno/house clubs,with a share* (30%) for electronic music of theturnover of general discos.Source Sacem * Shares based on assumptions agreed on by the survey

working group.

Festivals

Turnover excluding taxes for electronic musicfestivals, with a share (10%) for electronic music ofthe turnover of general festivals.Source Sacem and Barofest 2015(CNV/IRMA/SACEM)

Radio/TV broadcasting

Rights claimed by the music sector for thebroadcasting of electronic music works intraditional audiovisual media (author’s rights andassociated rights).Source Sacem and SPRE

Synchronization

Share (10%) of revenue excluding taxes generatedby synchronizations and commissioned electronicmusic for exploitation in France in advertising filmsand music for image, in television shows andcinematographic works. Source CSDEM

Export

Share (8% on average) of revenue excluding taxesclaimed for the export of electronic music (mainlybroadcasting, live performance, recorded music,synchronizations). Source Export Bureau

Background music

Rights claimed for the broadcasting of electronicmusic in public areas.Source Sacem

Scope and sources of economic data

IIt should be noted that vinyl records are aflagship medium for electronic music.While they account for 5% of sales of modernmusic in physical media, vinyl represents 12%of sales of electronic music. It is even morerelevant for techno/house with its leadingshare of 75% of sales in physical media.

XREVENUE FROM SALES OF PHYSICALMEDIA

Modern music

Records Physical media

5% 95%

Electronic music

12% 88%

Techno/house

75% 25%



40

Electronic music (techno/house)festivals are mainly concentrated in 3 regions that alone host 60% of thetotal supply: Île-de-France, PACA andOccitanie. However, while Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,two traditionally festival regions, hostcomparatively fewer electronic musicfestivals than modern music festivals,they do host some of the main events,respectively the Big festival and theNuits Sonores.

XGEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION60% OF FESTIVALS TAKE PLACE IN ÎLE-DE-FRANCE, PACA AND OCCITANIE

2.1FOCUS ON FESTIVALS

Electronic music(techno/house) festivals areoften operated by youngerentrepreneurs than at modernmusic festivals.They more willingly draw theirinspiration from foreignmodels dominated bycommercial structures.Moreover, the historicalwariness of public authoritiestowards electronic music leftlittle expectation of publicfunding and subsequentlydidn’t favour the developmentof associative models.



41

More than 80% of electronic music(techno/house) festivals take place in spring andsummer and about 60%outdoors (same characteristicsas for all festivals). However,electronic music festivals tendto be shorter: over 85% lastless than a week versus 75%of modern music festivals.

XSEASONS AND DURATION

XECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

TICKETING ECONOMIC MODEL LEGAL STRUCTURES

Electronic music (techno/house) festivalsare large festivals, entry paying and moredriven by commercial companies than theaverage modern music festival.

4 DAYSto 1 WEEK

More than1 WEEK1 to 3 DAYS

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Modern musicElectronic music

No data

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

commercialcompanies

associations

publicstructures

partiallypaid

paid

free

MEDIUMbetween 10000€ and100000€SMALL- than 10000€

LARGE+ than100000€

ELECTRONICMUSIC

MODERNMUSIC

ELECTRONICMUSIC

MODERNMUSIC

ELECTRONICMUSIC

MODERN MUSIC

Sources Barofest (CNV/IRMA/SACEM) 2015



42

2.2 FOCUS ON CLUBS

XGEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION60% OF TECHNO/HOUSE CLUBS IN ÎLE-DE-FRANCE, PACAAND PAYS-DE-LA-LOIRE

Unlike the distribution of Frenchnightclubs spread across the wholeterritory, electronic music (techno/housesegment) venues are concentrated in theÎle-de-France region which hosts over athird of the total offering. It is followed bythe Pays-de-la-Loire and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions that hostabout one quarter of techno/house clubs.

The proportion of techno/house venueswith a capacity of 1000 people or more istwice as large as the proportion amongnightclubs in general. Also there arenotably fewer small-sized venues amongtechno/house clubs.

XCAPACITY

TECHNO/HOUSECLUBS

ALLVENUES

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%≤ 200 peeople

between200 and 1000people

≥ 1000 people



43

Electronic music venues are mostlymedium and large venues.The ratio of venues with a turnover over 1 million euros is 3 times larger amongtechno/house clubs.

XECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS[TURNOVER BREAKDOWN]

ALLVENUES

TECHNO/HOUSECLUBS

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%- than 300000 ¤

Between300000 ¤and 999000 ¤

≥ 1 000000 ¤

Clubs with a specifictechno/house programmehave an economic modelmarkedly different from therest of the sector: they bearhigher staging costs due toartists with national andinternational fame beingprogrammed each week-end.In return their audienceaccepts paying higher entryfees. It is a live showeconomy, generating a higherturnover as well as higherexpenses.

Sources Sacem



45

The growth witnessed by the world ofelectronic music in France over the last fiveyears has allowed its stakeholders to claimtheir due and to rise to the level of othermusical styles, in terms of both economicsand status,and insofar as recognition of theircreative input is concerned, in particulararound live performance.

Thus, along the whole value chain,breakthroughs have been achieved, andsituations challenged, along with a growingprofessionalism. It results in a new deal withprojects to complete and challengesto faceregarding the artists and the venues that hostthem, the regulatory socio-legal frameworks,and the modes of collective or individualrights management.

3. DEVELOPMENTCHALLENGES FOR

ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN FRANCE



46

3.1 ARTISTS

Electronic music artists, like any othermusician, want to be recognised as creatorswhen performing live. When they use existingworks, they want to be considered asremixers, a status close to that of jazzarranger. However the status of DJ remixer,created by Sacem in 1997, remainsunrecognsed by most and has fallen intodisuse. In every case artists look to sustaintheir artistic activity through an adaptedstatus.

They demand that a distinction is made withthose DJs whose activity only relies on theselection and sequencing of third partyworks. The artistic input by DJ creators goesbeyond mere record selection; they enrich itwith unique artistic transformations, by beingable to mix and modify several music piecesat once, but also adding their own creationsor even playing only their own music. Eventhough they rely on machines and software,electronic music artists are like any othercomposer and demand that this status bedefinitively recognised, even more so in the current quasi full digital era.



X

KUNGS

Name KungsProfession ArtistCompany Val Prod / Barclay

◆How old were you when youstarted composing and did youexpect to succeed so fast?I started composing at 17;creating unofficial remixes forsongs I enjoyed (Coldplay, BobMarley…). After some of them hitseveral million views onSoundcloud and YouTube, I hadthe opportunity to deliver severalofficial remixes including “AreYou With me” by LostFrequencies and “On My Way” byAxwell & Ingrosso. Then thingsgot serious and I could performin clubs around France andEurope at 18. Finally in February2016 everything sped up withthe release of “This Girl”. I didn’texpect to reach this stage of mycareer so fast, however it is thecase today and I’m very happyabout it.

◆ Are you interested in the albumformat?Absolutely. I think that an albumis a necessary step in an artist’scareer as it lets me show theworld different aspects of mymusic. To my mind, limiting anartist to one or two singlesmakes no sense. My music drawsits inspiration from very differentthings and it is sometimescomplicated to express all theseaspects across a few singles. Thealbum allows an artist to buildtheir musical identity andshowcase it to the world.

◆ Do you use the Internet toproduce music (online tools,remote collaboration with artists,etc.)?Not really for the production butto find inspiration, nothing betterthan browsing the Internet andlistening to all kinds of music.But I happen to collaborate withartists through the Internet, Isend them instrumental versions,they return a vocal track and weadjust them together whileproducing the music piece.

◆ Was live performance a step youconsidered when you begancomposing and is it easy to take?I definitely love the idea of beinga DJ, but I think that an artist hasto offer more than a simple DJset so as to (once again)showcase his universe to peopleand provide them with a moreimmersive experience, includingsingers, some live instrumentsand of course visual productions.

◆ Do you find enough time toproduce music (considering thetime dedicated to tours, socialmedia, etc.)?Producing while traveling issometimes complicated.Sometimes an afternoon in astudio or home studio is enoughto make much more progress.However I do manage to produceduring tours. Usually the finishing touches require somepeace and quiet.

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X

PARA ONE

Name Para OneProfession ArtistCompany Ed BangerBooking The Talent Boutique

◆ In your opinion, what are themain evolutions for electronicmusic in France over the lastyears? The increase in the number offestivals and the opening ofSMACs (Current Music Stages,Ed) to electronic music.

◆ What are the challenges fortomorrow?The end of concert “imitation”and a better integration of clubculture, sound systems and raveparties (in short DJing) withvenues formatted for “liveperformance”.

◆ Has the prevalence of liveperformance and the Internetpermanently changed the waymusic is produced?Of course, the album format(which I miss) being its firstvictim. The necessity to survivein this difficult context also limitsthe freedom of creation when itshould be the opposite: povertyshould produce new ideas.

◆ Do you have enough time toproduce music? Yes I do. It is my full-timeoccupation.

◆ How many titles do you releaseper year (including remixes)? I fluctuate between none thisyear and about sixty tracks in2012! Let’s say about ten titlesper year on average.

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49

Two modes of rights management coexist on a non-exclusive basis for artists and their managers: collective management and individual management.Which mode to choose depends quite often on how informed artists and theirmanagement are about their rights, as well asabout the strategies that can be implementedaccording to the stage of development oftheir careers.

COLLECTIVEMANAGEMENTThis model operates a 3-stage process:“artist registration of their works –performance tracking of works – distributionof rights”.A process that, when fully followed, optimisescreators’ rights and revenue.

This mode answers the questions raisedabout simplifying registration and trackingperformance of works efficiently.

In fact, electronic music does not lend itselfto pre-registration of performed programs,unlike all other types of music. Quite oftenthe DJ or the electronic music artist mixesmany musical pieces (sometimes very shortsamples) and his performance often relies on unpredictable improvisations. In this way,the electronic music artist is akin to theimprovised jazz artist. However, one mustalso note that the artist’s added value isclosely linked to the originality, exclusivity and novelty of his program, which may leadhim to prefer keeping its content secret.

In any case, electronic music artists oftenconsider that the works they perform are notcorrectly identified and moreover are oftennot included in the catalogues of rightsmanagement societies, since very few of themare registered by their creators.

3.2 CHALLENGES FOR RIGHTS

MANAGEMENT



50

On the one hand, some of these works aren’tnecessarily subject to registration as they fallunder a confidential usage, in particular forworks released in limited edition on vinyl andwhose anticipated traditional or digitalbroadcast is negligible outside a narrow circleof insiders. On the other hand, the worksregistration process, for those works whosepotential revenue may be appealing to theirauthors, is sometimes still too inflexible in theireyes. Moreover, the potential additional revenuethat collective management might offer mayseem too low in relation to DJ salaries, or maybe little understood by the artist or indeedunknown, notably around all aspects beyondimmediate revenue.

The world of electronic music is partiallyignorant of the collective rights managementpractices due to a lack of information and ofcollective practice. It is important to circulateinformation via a better learning program aswell as to simplify the registration process forelectronic music works and programmes.

Ultimately, in order for rights collection tooperate optimally, the identification of worksneeds to be improved. This involves trackingmechanisms that need to be capable of theidentification of works performed live,whatever the venue (clubs or festivals,concerts and parties). Recent technological

progress, enabling the recognition of sounds(the best known to the general public beingthe app Shazam), has allowed severalstakeholders to offer new identificationprocesses with an efficiency that may allowoptimal tracking in the very near futureprovided that artists and labels provide thesestakeholders with sound samples of theirtitles and associated metadata, or at the veryleast their titles and the creator’s name.

Solutions involving direct and strictlyconfidential submissions of DJ and electronicmusic artists sets (e.g. through a directInternet connection from the artist’s or club’sterminal) to rights collection and distributionsocieties (SPRDs) are also being studied inorder to alleviate the difficulties due tomanual submission (whether via paper oronline form) of works broadcast declarations.It turns out that artists, always preoccupiedwith the exclusivity of their programs as a guarantee of their added value, are rarelyopposed to such systems as long as theirconfidentiality is ensured. The identificationof performed works thus becomes efficient incomparison with registered works databases.

The correlation of work registrationsimplification with efficient tracking is thus the way forward to ensure the “workregistration – tracking – distribution” process is really efficient. It mainly relies on a better dialogue betweenartists, venues and Sprds to foster mutualtrust, ensuring a fairer and optimizeddistribution of electronic music rights for all.

XCOLLECTIVE MANAGEMENT

Tracking

Registration Distribution



51

All rights collected during a festival are distributedaccording to the program of the works performed and theirduration.

Creation of the work

Registrationof the work

Broadcastingof the work

Collection ofauthors’ rights from usersor organisers

Calculation ofauthor’s rightsdistribution

Payment ofauthor’s rights(royalties)to the work’s creators and publishers

During afestival

Submissionof the list ofall titlesbroadcast by the festivalorganiser /producer / DJ

Processing ofthe broadcastworks

In a disco

Collection ofbroadcasting data via asurvey andidentificationof titles by aspecialistcompany

Processing ofidentificationdata, providedby thespecialistcompany, bythe collectivemanagementsocieties

Rights collected from discos are distributed based onweekly recordings performed by a specialized society out ofa sample of 100 discos. These recordings allow drawing upof a representative picture of the broadcast works.

Among the 280 main Frenchelectronic music DJs / bands *,about 2/3 are members of acollective management society(of whom 95% at Sacem). Forexample Sacem counts 242other members with the statusof electronic music DJ /composer.* From Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, Trax Magazine

XTHE OPERATION OF ACOLLECTIVE MANAGEMENTSOCIETY

o

o

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d

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a a

a a



X

PUBLISHER ALTER K:GUILLAUMEHEINTZMANN

Name Guillaume HeintzmannCompany Alter-KDate of creation 14/03/2006Number of employees 5 (2016)Other activities law professor at Iscom

(Higher Institute for Communication).

◆ What are the specifics ofelectronic music in terms ofpublishing?First of all, it must be noted thatall “general” publishingproblematics also apply toelectronic music, there is acommon basis for all music:rights collection, table of usageinformation by collectivemanagement societies,development tasks, internationalissues, etc.Among problematics specific toelectronic music, one can singleout those linked to writing andproduction, which are muchmore "exogenous" than othertypes of music, often integratingpre-existing sounds, textures andrhythms.Moreover electronic music lendsitself to cooperation betweenartists. Electronic music authorsor composers as well as theirpublishers are thus frequentlyfacing two cases: samples (1)and remixes (2).

(1) SamplesA sample is defined as the usageof a pre-existing work or of partof a pre-existing work within anew work. The new work is thenmixed, combining composition /original writing and reuse of anexternal and prior work. The useof samples can be foundanywhere but this practice isfound mostly in electronic musicand hip-hop, a type of musicculturally open to borrowing, re-use and collaborations.

(2) RemixesIn a remix, an artist/ author-composer uses separate tracks(stems) from a work by anotherartist in order to create adifferent version of that work.These remixes allow synchro-nizations that were impossiblewith the original works. Moreover, in the case ofelectronic music, a remix isincreasingly part of a label’s or publisher’s strategy andmarketing for an artist’sdevelopment. Should onenecessarily see the remixer as a new creator of the remixedwork? On what basis: as a co-composer? As an arranger?

As a co-author if lyrics areadded? Generally a remixer ismost often branded as an“arranger”. The point is that thestatus of arranger limits theremixer’s share of the publicperformance rights since thearranger claims only 1/12 of therights, versus an often larger partas a composer.

◆ Can synchronization and musicfor image mitigate the drop insales?Yes, synchronization is animportant source of revenue bothfor publishers and producers /labels. But even though saleshave dropped, the new modelhas now been thoroughlyimplemented, mainly based onstreaming revenue and animportant aid system forproduction, clips, stages, as wellas a tax credit considerablyreducing the expenses of musicsector structures. This newecosystem allows the continuousdevelopment of projects.Synchronization is anindispensable complement tothis model but it remains a highlyhaphazard sector.

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X

ÉDITEURSONY ATV:JEANCHRISTOPHEBOURGEOIS

Name Jean-Christophe BourgeoisCompany Sony/ATV Music Publishing

(France)Date of creation 1995

◆ What are, in your opinion, the main evolutions of electronicmusic in France in the last 3 years?It is striking to see that theimpressive development of theelectronic live scene was not dueto the success of some “star”artists on the radio, but rather to the successful development ofa relatively dislocated ecosystemaround large mainstream mediaand their programming.Moreover, the cultural grip of electronic music hasstrengthened. Electro sounds are today found in most musicalproductions whatever their style, in dance shows, moviesoundtracks and sound illustrationfor audiovisual programs, soundeffects on TV and radio…. In short electronic sounds areomnipresent even thoughelectronic music isn’t so in the media.

◆ What are the challenges fortomorrow?The transition towards a worlddominated by streaming ischallenging the economic modelon which many independentelectro labels developed. Theaccess ability of electrostakeholders to published playlistson these platforms will also bea key issue. Finally creators in theworld of electronic music aredoomed to innovation, as failure toprovide it will cause the ubiquity ofelectro sounds to wear thin.

◆ What are the specifics ofelectronic music as far aspublishing is concerned? They are numerous. Firstly,regarding the distribution ofrights among creators. A standardconfiguration for the creation ofan electronic music work sees thecontribution of one or severalcomposers/producers/ trackwriters on one side, creating aninstrumental “track”, and one orseveral topliners on the other sidedealing with writing the melodyand the lyrics if necessary.However this distribution doesnot follow the traditional formatsof composer / lyricist that are stillprevalent within Sacem, since thetopliner creates both the melody(belonging to composition) andthe lyrics. Collaborations withinthe electro world moreover oftencross boundaries, bringingtogether creators contracted todifferent author societies,sometimes evolving into a different legal framework.Finally, in some cases, a samplemay be used, a pre-existing workmay be interpolated or a mash-upof several works created...In short, a real complexity canemerge around these works and itis up to the publisher to overcomethese sometimes numerousobstacles in order to allow a smooth usage of the work and a fair remuneration of thebeneficiaries.

◆ Can synchronization and musicfor image balance the drop insales?They can contribute to it. In particular the widespreadbroadcasting of electro sounds in French society should makeelectronic music less eclectic in the eyes of marketeers andagencies.The development of moretargeted communicationoperations, as opposed toexposure in adverts during primetime, on national TV channelstargeting a mass audience, alsoprovides electro stakeholders withnew opportunities. Finally a newgeneration of movie directors andproducers, who grew up listeningto electro, will be able to imposeits aesthetics in the years tocome.

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In order to ensure fairdistribution, an author’s rightssociety requires the mostrepresentative and/or mostcomplete broadcasting datapossible. It also requires that theworks have been registered.

If rights distribution is based onsurveys, usage data has to becollected from a sample ofvenues representative of thesector economy, the broadcastrepertoires, the geographicalimplantations and the activity(guest DJs or not, opening hoursand days,etc.).If distribution is based on theplaylist of performed titles, i.e.accounting for all the works andtheir duration, it is necessary tobe able to gather this informationin an exhaustive manner.The data gathering andprocessing procedure mustfollow various requirements foreach distribution scheme, eithersurvey or programming based:

1.Sound recording must becapable of recognisingperformed titles.

2.The sound database must belarge and diverse enough toidentify all titles.

3.Identification quality of titles andtheir mode of transmission to the author’s rights society mustfacilitate the distribution process

4.The process must guarantee end-to-end data integrity, i.e. atno time may data be susceptibleto corruption or modification.

For a program-baseddistribution, two additionalrequirements have to be met:

5.The date and venue of the eventmust be precisely established in order to correctly matchcollected rights with performedtitles.

6.The collected programme listmust be complete.

For several years new companieshave been developing aroundmusic recognition technologies(MRT), for title tracking andidentification.Around the world, author’s rightsmanagement societies resort to these providers. One can forexample mention Bmat musicinnovation, DJ Monitor, Yacast, or Trax-air. Yacast is the solutionused by Sacem in France. DJMonitor is also one of thereference solutions, in use formore than 10 years in theNetherlands by BUMA, the localauthor’s rights managementsociety. A technologicalalternative is to directly collectidentification data on theperformed titles (DMC, DirectMetadata Collection). This is thetechnique offered by a companysuch as Pioneer DJ and used inAustralia by APRA, the localauthor’s rights managementsociety – in conjunction withother measures. Whatever thetechnology used, the feedbackfrom author’s rights managementsocieties shows that data captureis only the first step. It isfollowed by comparison andidentification that will onlysucceed for titles that have beenpreviously registered and forwhich tracking companies haveaccess to sound footprints andmetadata provided by artists or their publishers.

Tracking issues



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INDIVIDUALMANAGEMENTIt relies on a 3-way co-operation between“broadcasting venue – booker – artist” andprovides immediate financial profitability.

This mode is often considered to return a higher financial reward than the rightsexpectations that may be generated fromone’s works or performances in the long term. This forward-looking assessment can be part of an artist’s analysis of his career. For example he can consider that his musichas little broadcasting opportunities or thathis current fame does not yet provide himwith sufficient live performances and that the projected rights income does not make it worthwhile to entrust rights management to a third party.

The artist or his management, for similarreasons linked to specific broadcasting, mayalso manage their own rights and collection. It is possible to draw parallels with metalmusic. A band such as the giant Rammstein,that manages to fill stadiums by performingmusic that is only broadcast through concertsor its recordings, for which the band is theauthor, the composer and the performer, doesnot need to resort to collective management.The expectation is to earn more revenue bycutting out the management fees of an SPRD,however this ignores the distributionmodalities that may actually benefit the artist.

It is especially important to consider, in terms of artist career typologies and theirevolutions, and of the nature of their worksand their type of use and broadcasting, thatindividual and collective management are notmutually exclusive and may succeed oneanother or even cohabit.

XINDIVIDUAL MANAGEMENT

Broadcastingvenue

Artist Booker



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Among some 2,000 French nightclubs, thosethat enliven their city, not only by relaying thebuzz of the local scene and the strength of itscommunities, but also by hosting artists fromother cities and countries, in tune with artistictrends, are growing in number. Even thoughthey are a 3% minority among the totalnumber of nightclubs, their cultural impact is undoubtedly prominent and their actionssupport creation. By approaching traditionalunions and organizations of the sector, they join an increasing professionalizationapproach that adds flexibility to the operationof the sector.

Those clubs that base their activity on diverseartistic programming, organized in setsconnected to distinct aesthetics, wish to berecognized for their cultural contributions.The programmed artists perform under theconditions of live shows and therefore demanda distinct status from traditional discos thatemploy resident DJs, whose activity mainlyrests on the selection of existing works.

Taking this specific aspect of live shows intoaccount involves modifying the fiscal base, in particular VAT (with a 5.5% rate), integrationto the sector of live shows through acontribution to CNV and the obligation for theoperator to hold a show entrepreneur licence.

These evolutions in the nature of exploitationas well as in the use of musical works canalso lead to an evolution in the level andmodes of musical rights collection.

A judgment must thus be made by the venues,as to whether they wish to be recognized as a live show activity (which in particular pays a salary to the programmed artists since theyare recognized as artist creators under the“part-time showman” status) or as a simpledisco (paying a salary to resident DJs).

The distinguishing feature of clubs that layclaim to the artistic and cultural specialism of their programming, in contrast to discos that enliven their parties by only playing pre-existing works for their audience, haslegal, fiscal and social (and thereforefinancial) consequences, and shifts theboundaries between venues, bookers, artistsand their representatives.

3.3 CLUBS



X

CLUBSREX CLUB / CSCAD :BRUNO BLANCKAERT

Name Bruno BlanckaertProfession President of the Grand Rex

and of CSCAD (Artistic Cabarets and Discos Trade Association)

◆ What are, in your opinion,the main evolutions of electronicmusic in France in the last 3years?Electronic music touches a wideraudience than before when it wasrestricted to insiders in urbancenters. It has now becomepopular in the positive sense ofthe word. As President ofCSCAD, I can tell you that ingeneral electronic music iscurrently evolving and that itsbroadcasting venues will multiplyand evolve as well. They willbecome innovative andmulticultural, with a modernidentity.

◆ How can a club retain itscustomer base on a weekly basis?It is entirely connected toprogramming in a stronglycompetitive environment. The ability of a club to attract DJs and specific artistic scenes is paramount. If I take theexample of the Rex, it has a verystrong identity: customers knowwhat to expect and are notdeceived. We are a quality label,thanks to the expertise of thepeople in charge ofprogramming.

◆ As president of CSCAD, do you see an obvious distinctionbetween general discos and clubswith a specific techno/houseprogramming that we haveidentified in this survey? And howdo you characterize it? The patrons of electro clubs aremore elitist and come fordifferent reasons. General discoshost an audience that comes tobe entertained and needs tomeet outside of the usual barclosing hours in order to meetpeople, even more so inprovincial towns; whereas electroclubs attract customers whocome to enjoy a musical eventrather than to meet people. Itdoes not preclude encounters,but the musical interest forcesthe club to consider mobilizingevents and innovative offers.When we do not practice ad hocprogramming, we would rathernot open. And we should breakfree from the club framework.

◆ What are tomorrow’s challengesfor clubs and electronic music?There is a need for investment.New venues must work on thequality of sound and setting,the types of sets, surprise eventsable to host world renownedartists almost ad hoc. These arethe challenges for tomorrow.What is happening in Parissurpasses anything happening in the rest of Europe, even inBerlin or London. Southern countries obviouslyhave the ability to band togethergiant collective parties,particularly outdoors thanks totheir climates. We will beincreasingly drawn to inventingexceptional events such as Hors-Série at Gare Saint-Lazare,and taking over public areas.

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Finally, from an economic perspective, Francehas a specific festival structure. It fluctuatesbetween medium-sized to large-sizedfestivals. However, the huge dance musicfestivals that exist in the rest of Europe and inthe United States, the most famous beingTomorrowland, created in Belgium by theDutch operator ID&T in 2005 and nowbelonging to the American SFX Entertainment,and which hosts hundreds of thousands ofparticipants and has been adopted in Americaand Brazil, these have not managed to enterthe French market. Cultural exception is stillplaying its role, in particular through the EvinLaw of 1991 that, by strongly limitingadvertising of tobacco and alcohol, preventsthe large alcohol producers from entirelyfunding such giant festivals, as is the case in the rest of Europe. Even though they are multiplying, large French festivals, that dominate electronic events, are thusmuch smaller than European or Americanmega-festivals. The fact remains that one of the challenges is to succeed in creating a balanced network of festivals in the national territory.

Festivals specialized in electronic music havebeen evolving since their beginnings underthe framework of live shows. They wish to berecognized as venues where artists producean original work, even when it uses existingworks as its base material. The underlyingclaim is to definitively endorse the majorcultural contribution that they provide on theirown grounds, without differentiating fromother modern music festivals, notably in termsof hosting and facilitation of administrative orsecurity procedures, for which therequirements are still quite often higher thanfor festivals focused on other aesthetics.

Here again a parallel can be drawn with metalmusic which proved, for example with theHellfest and the exemplary and extremelyfriendly behaviour of its audience, that themistrust it faced at its inauguration was notjustified. Moreover electronic music festivalswish to definitively get rid of the residualrepression attached to rave parties at thebeginnings of techno in France in the 90s,and to exhibit how well they respond tocurrent audience expectations and thus areprivileged players in the evolution ofcontemporary society.

3.4 FESTIVALS



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XBOOKERTHE TALENTBOUTIQUE :PIERRE BLANC

Name Pierre BlancProfession Producer of shows / toursCompany The Talent BoutiqueBooking Pedro Winter, Para One,

Daniel Avery, Jamie XX, London Grammar, Metronomy, Benjamin Clementine, Django Django, Yelle…

Date of creation 2004Number of employees 7Other activities festivals, promoters,

business contributor

◆ What is the influence of the multiplication of electronicmusic festivals?Salary offers are better forfestivals but it is hard to foreseethe limits of this evolution. Today there are more festivalsbut that tends to dissolve thesurvival abilities for smallerinitiatives (small venues, smallpromoters…) a bit. During thegreat Ed Banger era, whose tourswere managed by my thenassociate, one could performanywhere in France. The risk in the multiplication of festivals is to drain local scenes, as theyare developed by the clubsthroughout the year. Facing competition fromfestivals, club owners are lessprone to invest in new things. We thus notice the developmentof collectives: everybodybecomes a bit of a promoter, it is more risky but it is the onlysolution.

◆ Will the development of festivaloffers be sustainable?Young audiences that havealready attended several eventsin the same hangar are lookingfor something else. In Concrete,one is a yard away from the DJ.In Weather, the DJ is on a remotestage but lacking the charisma ofa band. These stages oftenbenefit from a lighting show andscenography, but it remainsrandom. Models have stronglyevolved: festivals have to find their USP to retain theiraudience, even though

programming is weaker eachyear. To come back to Weather,the creation of the Hors-Sérieconcept (an event at Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris inSeptember 2016, Ed) isinteresting as a consideration on the history of Weather.Models associating clubs andfestivals, such as Concrete andWeather in Paris or Nuits Sonoresand Le Sucre in Lyon, are superlaboratories for the developmentof artists. It is even more the casewhen they are joined by a booker (respectively ConcreteBooking and A.K.A).

◆ What are the implications foryou as a tour organiser?The development of tours andthe production of shows remainthe core of the profession. Butthere is a trend for horizontaldiversification regarding whatour artists can offer. It requiresknowledge of the brands, findingpartners, having a small club anda good booker. We also takeparticipations in festivals, eitherthrough association with existingstructures in which we can takeactions at different levels(delegated programming as forPlages de Rock in Grimaud) andwith which we share a common

vision on development, or bycreating festivals on our own orin collectives (We Love Green inParis, L’Édition in Marseille).

◆ How do you manage your artists?All our artists, whether French orinternational, are declared underthe “part-time showman” status.There may be additional billingsystems for some artists that we do not employ ourselves butwith whom we have signed anagent contract for exclusiverepresentation. These are oftenartists producing records,sometimes having a label,composing movie soundtracks,etc. in short they have a multi-project management and theability to structure their business. It can become interesting once a certain level of activity hasbeen reached, but one muststart “part-time”, for insurance,benefits, remunerationstatements, etc.



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Structures hosting artists and electronicmusic are the catalyst of their developmentand organize into a fabric of various sizes andstatuses. The sustainability of these culturalstakeholders is not guaranteed and a study of several existing models argues in favour of a need for the renewal of infrastructures.

One may consider today that, ranging fromthe collective or the very small club,organized as an association or even aninformal structure, to the event agencies forwhich electronic music is merely one activityamong others, there are two major operatingorientations. A first model, a historically French culturaltradition, resorts to public funding throughgrant allocations from institutions or localcommunities. A second model is organizedaround very powerful economic stakeholders,who buy venues, events, and artist catalogues,concentrating the whole production chain(Fimalac, Live Nation, Bolloré, Lagardère, etc.have recently arrived onto the cultural scenefrom the media world).

Between the first model, declining as a resultof increased pressure on public finances, and the second, whose financial interestsaren’t always aligned with long term culturaldevelopment, voices are being raiseddemanding a third way. It calls for theredefinition of economic models for culturalstructures, responsible for the emergence ofnew generations of artists and agents who are the breeding ground for the future of electronic music.

The cultural response to current challengescan be collective and embrace the innovationwhich is boosting the whole workingenvironment, the economy and moreextensively the whole society. Tomorrow’ssolutions may lie in the ability to invent new models: co-working, syndication ofmicro-structures, hybrid public/privatesolutions through a rational brand integrationand endorsement, neither completely funded,nor completely profitable.

Incubator ideas are under consideration inLyon or in Paris, following what the Mila or the Gaîté lyrique have prefigured in Paris, but mainly dedicated to electronic cultures.

3.5 SUSTAINABILITY

OF CULTURALSTRUCTURES



61

X

ENTREPRENEURARTY FARTYVINCENT CARRY

Name Vincent CarryProfession DirectorCompany Arty farty / Sucre / Nuits sonoresDate of creation 2003

◆ What are, in your opinion, the main evolutions of electronicmusic in France in the last 3 years?Electronic culture has becomeboth mature and very popular.Very popular since it has neveraddressed so many people, while generally remaining highlysophisticated. The battle for electronic cultureis won every weekend in eachFrench city insofar as otheraesthetics seem to have beentaken by surprise by thisstaggering phenomenon.Mature since it seems that wehave finally left the technomonotheism and that electronicmusic, which was starting to goround in circles for the past 3years, is about to find openings,in particular towards worldmusic, queer culture, cross-disciplinary artistic leanings,music-image tie-ups, etc.

◆ How does an electronic musicfestival maintain its originality?Both through its format and its programming. Re format, the ambition of Nuits sonores has since the beginning been to break the union of time and place. We have cultivated a model of mobility, of journey, of venue multiplicity, whilefavouring industrial or historicalheritage sites. Since then, we have never stoppedreinventing ourselves, inparticular by digging up newlocations and new concepts. On the programming side, only a mix of total independence and intransigence can ensureoriginality.In this arena, we sadly feel moreand more alone.

◆ What characterizes the newFrench scene?It hasn’t reached its finest hourbut it attempts to defend itself,sometimes with panache, a bitlike France in the Eurochampionships or the Olympics.Its main characteristic is intra-national: Paris has completelylost the French leadership,contrary to what people are trying to make us believe.

This is good news! The scene is much lesscentralized and thus morefragmented, with intenseheartlands, notably in Lyon.

◆ What are the challenges fortomorrow?To ensure that truly independentcultural stakeholders aresupported in their economic,territorial and socialdevelopment. Because in 2016’scultural landscape, they are theonly insurance for thepreservation of diversity, generalinterest, creativity and culturalinnovation for the next 20 years.This challenge won’t be met byeither the institutional culturalsector, way too busy withsecuring their assets andsurviving the current (relative)decrease in public funding, or by the capitalistic culturalentertainment sector, investingthe creative sector not with a preoccupation for generalinterest, but with a hope ofprofitability. Just like the media,culture is an instrument of softpower. It is thus no coincidencethat the large corporate groupsthat we all know are showinginterest.



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As the 3rd decade of our young millennium is approaching, while one may state withouthesitation that cultures related to electronicmusic permeate and even transform all thesocieties around the world, one must alsorecognize that they cover various realities and practices.

Many musical styles coexist with more or lesspermeability under the banner of electronicmusic, too encompassing to reduce itspractices and “tribes” to a uniform system.While avoiding the opposite pitfall of afragmentation to which the myriad of musicalstyles may lead, one easily notes thecoexistence of two different, evenantagonistic segments: techno/house on oneside, dance music on the other. The term EDMhas been carefully avoided throughout thissurvey, in preference for dance music, not inorder to dismiss it but because it has becomea banner for tensions and aesthetic divisionsthat this survey does not aim at solving.Stylistic agnosticism has been chosen inorder to present the electronic musicecosystem with as much objectivity as possible, so that everyone may have the clearest understanding possible.

As a result these two segments operate alongtheir own characteristics, which do notcurrently overlap, even though one cannot tellwhether this will still be the case in the future,due to the highly evolutionary nature of thesevery young and connected cultures. In France,one observes that the economy of thetechno/house world is, in the main, based on live performance (festivals and clubs),consumed by a growing audience, young,connected and educated. Its broadcasting is on the contrary close to nil (across generalmedia and discos) and its sales are residual in an economy of mainly free streaming. Inversely, dance music generates manyauthors’ rights through broadcasting intraditional media and discos, but is barely a presence in live performance in Frenchfestivals and clubs. While it displays goodeconomic health, it isn’t impossible for itsrecent and spectacular development to reacha plateau, let’s not talk of a bubble, as therecent stagnation of its sales and severalunfortunate experiences with largeinternational festivals tend to show.

One of the upcoming French challenges is the harmonization and sustainability of the national fabric of festivals and clubs, a genuine catalyst for the development oftomorrow’s artists in the long term.

CONCLUSION



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The other big challenge is of courseconnected to streaming. The digitaldisruption that brought about new forms ofmusic distribution opens many possibilities,for as long as financial strength can beassured. There is better news on this fronteven though drawing up a reassuringroadmap on the subject would amount to a wild guess.

The array of possibilities provided by digitalcultures nevertheless promises manyprospects for the future. All the assets arepresent to allow innovation in a country with a rich culture of dynamic start-ups. Cultural structures reinvent themselvesthrough European networking andcollaborative incubators. Breakthroughs in bigdata collection and micro-tracking give us a glimpse of better identification of andremuneration for musical works. The increasingly intuitive evolution oftechnologies simplifies creation and artistcollaboration, even remotely. The era ofconnected objects finally offers newperspectives for distribution andbroadcasting, the new proposals forcollaborative music consumption or remotelive broadcasting may already be shaping the behaviours of the future.

If the millennium bug can be an ironic symbolfor a difficult entry into the 21st century forthe music world in general, the powertakeover by digital natives offers, for the firsttime in this new millennium, optimisticperspectives on modern societies. Electronicmusic may be its best vehicle.



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BRUNOBLANCKAERT

JEANCHRISTOPHEBOURGEOIS

After having worked as a lawyer specialized in author’s rights, Bruno Blanckaert takes over the reins of Grand Rex with Philippe Hellmann in the 80s.They decide together to open Rex Club’sprogramming to electronic music and to LaurentGarnier in the 90s, acting on an impulse byChristian Paulet, director of Rex Club and hissuccessor Fabrice Gadeau. In parallel to thisactivity, Bruno Blanckaert, after having served as Secretary General of CSCAD (Artistic Cabaretsand Discos Trade Association) becomes itspresident in the early 90s.Within CSCAD, Bruno Blanckaert and Rebecca Le Chuiton, general delegate, manage to unify the sector and to obtain the recognition of the roleand importance of discos, cabarets and concerthalls as venues with a cultural mission, ensuring the touristic outreach of Paris and of France(French Touch). Bruno Blanckaert has been the administrator and treasurer of CinémathèqueFrançaise alongside Costa Gavras for several years.

Jean-Christophe Bourgeois joins Sony MusicPublishing France (SM Publishing) in 1994 in orderto create the Synchro and Marketing service withinthe company. In 1998, he also takes up the role ofArtistic Director. He develops a large artistcatalogue - from Kyo to DJ Laurent Wolf – all the while heading the Synchro service, in closecollaboration with the Euro-RSCG BETC agency for five years in order to build a brand image forOrange around various synchronizations of theBeatles. In 2004, Jean-Christophe Bourgeois ispromoted to General Manager. In this position, heremains responsible for the Synchro and Marketingservices and keeps on signing and developingartists with an international dimension such as Zaz.In 2010 he adds the role of A&R Director,Continental Europe, as which he coordinatesEuropean artistic services and favourscollaborations between authors/composers fromdifferent territories as well as their cross-borderdevelopment. Jean-Christophe Bourgeois nowholds the position of General Manager for Sony/ATV– EMI Music Publishing France. In addition to theexploitation of the market leading catalogue heoversees, he ensures the development of therepertoire, signing with global artists such as YannTiersen, Gesafellstein, Yuksek, and Kadebostany, as well as establishing partnerships with local(PlayOn, NRJ publishing) or foreign (Reverb Music,Reservoir Publishing) stakeholders. He alsocontinues his collaboration with artists he has beensupporting since their debuts such as Zaz, Kyo, and Fredrika Stahl.Outside of his activities for SM Publishing, Jean-Christophe Bourgeois is president of the VarietyCommission at Sacem. He has also been a teacherat l’EDHEC (Lille) since 1998 and is currentlyheading the “Entertainment” program as part of the Master of Science, Creative Business deliveredto 3rd year students.

WORKING GROUP



VINCENTCARRY

MICHELPILOT

A stakeholder on the independent musical scenefrom 1988 to 1997, Vincent Carry becomes a cinema, culture and politics journalist in 1997. He becomes the director of Arty Farty in 2002 and creates the Nuits Sonores festival in 2003.Its first edition gathers about 16,000 participantsin the heart of the City of Lyon.A decade later, it gathers over 130,000 participants.

In 2007, Vincent Carry becomes coordinator forLyon’s candidacy to the title of European CulturalCapital 2013. One year later, he becomes artisticadvisor for the Gaîté lyrique project in Paris, threeyears prior to the venue’s inauguration in March2011. Also in 2011 Nuits Sonores is officiallygranted a label and supported by the EuropeanUnion, allowing the implementation of the EuropeanLab project, an international forum dedicated to the future of culture. In 2013, he creates the CultureNext society and Sucre, an independent culturalvenue set on the rooftop of a 1930s building, theSucrière. The following year, he aligns Arty Fartywith the Parisian organization Alias to give birth to a new production enterprise called AKA.

2015 sees the launch of We are Europe, a largecooperative European project, supported by theEuropean Union, grouping 8 festivals and forums in a three-year exchange and co-creation programdriven by Arty Farty. He is currently working on the Hotel 71 project, a creative hub that will launch in 2017.

A music aficionado, Michel Pilot begins his career at 16 in Blois as radio host on radio Val de Loire,with the liberalization of the FM band in 1981. He presents “Le hit des clubs” that leads him to join the nightlife world. After discovering DJing in Greece in 1985, he comes to Paris where, after a short time at France Inter, he becomes director ofFG radio, during the prosperous years of the technostation, from 1990 to 1994.

Then he creates his booking agency Out Soon,which introduces him to the greatest DJs whileorganizing rave parties from 1992 to 1995. He thenjoins the Omnisons label distributed by Polygramlater taken over by BMG in 1998. In 2000, hecreates Technotuner web radio, whose success willparadoxically shut it down, due to the thenprohibitive bandwidth costs. He then takes chargeof digital technologies for the distributor Nocturne,as well as for the Jazz comic collection. Thusnaturally when Nocturne closes in 2004, he joinspublishing house BD Glénat, where he is in chargeof the events sector until 2011.

Additionally, being very close to Jack Lang, who he met in Blois, he has become his permanentadvisor for electronic music, from the very firstdeliberations about Techno Parade in 1996. When Jack Lang wishes to bring electronic musicinto the Institut du Monde Arabe that he has been directing since 2013, Michel Pilot alignswith Surprize (Concrete, Weather Festival). He joins the structure in late 2014 and is now its Secretary General and advisor to the presidentAurélien Dubois.

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CHRISTIAN DE ROSNAY

Holding a Master of Private Law degree followingstudies at Paris XII Diderot and Paris I Sorbonne,and an MBA specialized in “luxury brand marketingand international management” (Sup de Luxe/EDC- Paris), Christian de Rosnay joined ADAMI in 2000where he held positions of legal consultant, actinggeneral counsel and deputy general counsel forinternational affairs. In 2007 he creates, with Grégoire Corman,RIGHTBACK, a society specialized in the collectionof related rights. He is also the founder of the ETENDARDMANAGEMENT company, specialized in artistmanagement (Justice, Kavinsky, Sebastian, Dj Pone, Woodkid, etc.).

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TOMMY VAUDECRANE

From DJing around the world to event organization,Tommy has been an activist with a passion forelectronic music for more than 20 years. He startshis career as a DJ in 1993, and then forms the bandBudBurNerZ in 1997, producing around twentysingles and 6 albums. Performances in the biggestevents follow and the band quickly becomes a reference in French hardcore techno. His unquenchable desire for spreading the virus of alternative electronic music leads him toorganizing events with the Party Uniq collectivewhich he creates and through which he willorganize about one hundred events between 2005and 2015, notably the Megarave nights at ÉlyséeMontmartre, Le Grand Méchant Beat at Glazart andmany other projects at La Java, at Cabaret Sauvage,in provincial cities and in Belgium and Spain.In 2010 Tommy is elected co-president of theTechnopol association alongside Henri Maurel,renowned electronic music activist and founder ofRadio FG. His involvement in music becomespolitical and he will hold the association presidencywith a will for change and development, through in particular the creation of Paris Electronic Week,the first French events publication dedicated toelectronic music professionals.In September 2016, he also becomes ProgramOfficer at Gaîté Lyrique, after supporting the newteam selected by Ville de Paris throughout a 10-month tendering process. Tommy also holds the post of Group GeneralDirector of communications and marketing at Revolution 9.



PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS

© Marc CHESNEAU/Sacem, Raphael DAUTIGNY, Caroline DELOFFRE, Cindy GODARD,Karl HAB, Edwige HAMBEN, Tom Mc GEEHAN, RomainSTAROS, Julien VACHON and reserved rights.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

BelleVille 2016Cover photography © Tendance Floue – Gilles Coulon



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Electronic Music in France Survey

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