Which French artists were successful in your geographical sector in 2004?
French Music Export Office in the UK:
In terms of record sales, the French artists who fared the best in 2004 were undoubtedly Air and Jean-Michel Jarre. As for the genre that has made the most impact in the UK, that's been world music in all its various forms. Acts that have done well in the UK include Tinariwen, Daara J and Rachid Taha – who, incidentally, are all due to perform together on a 9-date tour of the UK in February 2005. French electro has also been successful, particularly acts like Etienne de Crécy, Avril, Agoria, Gotan Project, Miss Kittin and, of course, Air and Laurent Garnier. The genre that is still really struggling to gain a foothold in the UK is French 'chanson', songs that revolve around lyrics in French.
French Music Export Office in Germany:
The French artists who sold the most albums in Germany in 2004 were Patricia Kaas (
Sexe Fort), Carla Bruni (
Quelqu'un m'a dit), Air (
Talkie Walkie), Phoenix (
Alphabetical), Miss Kittin (
I Com), the soundtrack from
Die Kinder des Monsieur Mathieu (
Les Choristes), Jean-Michel Jarre (
AERO) and Feist (
Let It Die).
French Music Export Office in Russia:
Patricia Kaas has been extremely popular in Russia for a long while now. Russian music fans have been very loyal to her and several generations of fans have followed her. In March, she is due to embark upon a 15-date tour of Russia, performing concerts all over the country including Siberia.
French Music Export Office in the U.S.:
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When it comes to music "made in France", the genre that is best known in North America (excluding Quebec) is world music - and I mean world music in the broadest sense of the term. Artists that have proved successful here include the Gipsy Kings, Cesaria Evora, Rokia Traore and North African singers like Souad Massi and Cheb Khaled. French ‘crossover’ artists – those who mix jazz, electro, world music and 'chanson' in their work – have also found a niche here. I'm thinking of acts like Keren Ann and noJazz. As for artists who fall more into the 'pop-chanson' category, singers like Carla Bruni, for instance, who has really taken off in North America, they could do even better if they came over and performed in concert here – and if their lyrics could be translated! French electronica and, once again, I use this in the broadest sense of the term, is building up an increasing fanbase, too. The popularity of groups like Daft Punk and Air, who both sing in English, is definitely on the rise.
French Music Export Office in Japan:
Electronic music is generally what’s doing best in Japan right now. The most popular artists are Stéphane Pompougnac, Bob Sinclair and Laurent Garnier. In terms of French 'chanson', Carla Bruni and Jane Birkin also made their mark in 2004 – as did Air, Tahiti 80 and Phoenix in a more rock vein. It's interesting to note that these last three groups sing exclusively in English and, if it wasn't for that, I don't think they'd have enjoyed the same level of success.
What image does French music have abroad? Did any major new music trends emerge in 2004?
French Music Export Office in the UK:
I think French music has a reputation for its quality and the fact that it's innovative. It's mostly enjoyed by a circle of connoisseurs. The big new trend in 2004 was pop, and more especially French rock – although this movement is still fairly timid at the moment. Regular French rock events have been organised in the U.K. and Le Nouveau Rock'n'roll français compilation got rave reviews in the British press.
French Music Export Office in Germany:
The new French pop scene has featured on several compilations that have enjoyed great success in Germany.
Le Pop vol.1 has sold 14,000 copies to date and the sequel,
Le Pop 2, sold a staggering 12,000 copies within a few days of its release. Sales figures are not available yet for
Le Pop en duo, because it’s only just been released. After
Le Pop went down so well with the media and the mainstream public, a significant number of albums by French artists were released in Germany. These included albums by Francoiz Breut, Benjamin Biolay, Dominique A, Coralie Clément, Keren Ann, Albin de la Simone, Pascal Parisot, Toog, Toma, Jérôme Minière, Mickey 3D, M and Autour de Lucie… In 2005, Vincent Delerm and Camille will definitely be following in their footsteps and I know negotiations are already underway for Mathieu Boogaerts and Stefie Shock.
French Music Export Office in the U.S.:
French music is still seen as something exotic over here, and something that's difficult to get hold of and not easy to understand.
French Music Export Office in Australia:
The major trend over here is still French electro, but 'chanson' is developing a niche for itself now, too. Carla Bruni sold over 9,000 albums in Australia and the release of her album was accompanied by a publicity campaign on TV. There's definitely been growing interest in 'chanson' and even French pop’n’rock. Fans have picked up on the group Nouvelle Vague, in particular. And that's why the Export Office in Australia has decided to release the compilation
So Frenchy So Chic in collaboration with Filter Music/Shock Records. We'll be promoting the compilation at the upcoming French film festival, an event that attracts over 45,000 people each year.
In non French-speaking countries, do music fans prefer to listen to French artists live in concert or at home on record?
French Music Export Office in the UK:
An increasing number of French artists have been coming over to tour in the U.K. There were over 400 concert dates in 2004 compared to barely 200 in 2001. But record sales don't necessarily increase as a result of this.
French Music Export Office in Germany:
In 2004, we counted 876 concerts by French artists in Germany. (These included festival appearances as well as tour dates). The
Le Pop compilation opened the door for French artists on the live scene, too. In fact, the recent success of the
Le Pop tour means tour dates will be scheduled in 2005, as well. The Tour de France nights, inspired by the monthly Tour de France event launched in Munich in 2000, also proved a big hit, attracting over 12,000 people in 2004. Meanwhile, French 'chanson' is becoming more and more fashionable in Germany. Besides Patricia Kaas, who has been extremely popular here for a while now, there will also be tours in 2005 by Francis Cabrel, Laurent Voulzy, Les Têtes Raides, Zazie, Enzo Enzo, Vincent Delerm, Robert Charlebois, Louise Attaque, Paris Combo, M, Jérôme Kisling and several other artists.
French Music Export Office in Spain:
It's worth noting that Spain is the second market, after France, for an artist like Dominique A. And this proves that critical success can lead to commercial success in the long term. There are other openings, too. Green Ufos, a Spanish distributor based in Seville, has specialised in the distribution of French artists in Spain since 1993.
Thanks to Juliette Bouquerel (Australia), Bruno Boulay (Brazil), Patrice Hourbette (Germany), Yoko Yamada (Japan), Gilles Guigon (Mexico), Bialka Wlodarczyk (Russia), Corinne Micaelli (U.K.), Sébastien Prieto (Spain) and Robert Singerman (U.S.)
Interviews by RFI Musique team
