Radical. Inflation does not spare the performing arts. After having taken the full brunt of the Covid crisis, the live performance must lead its boat in a new storm. Supply and demand got the better of hardware costs which, on average, soared 30%. Therefore. Food, gasoline, energy… the prices have soared, as Beligh Guezah, from Couleurs Urbaines in La Seyne-sur-Mer, points out: “Just our bad weather cancellation insurance took a huge cost. Before, it was around 2,000 euros, now it has climbed to 6,000. Out of a total budget of 250,000 euros, that’s already something. So imagine for the others!”
“The rock-metal industry has seized up”
The post-pandemic kiss cool effect is surging. Everyone says it: when the festivals reopened, artists rushed to the stage. “We had some nice surprises, like Les Ogres de Barback who decided to lower their fees with us as a sign of solidarity”, launches, grateful, Stéphane Poirrier, from the Néoules Festival. But economic logic changes the rules. And forces the teams of cultural meetings to review their copy.
“The rock-metal industry has seized up,” says Sébastien Hamard, who is no longer offering this aesthetic this year for the Nuits Carrées d’Antibes: “A few years ago, the financial bubble had not yet created. Now the market is conditioned.” Competition from major events has driven prices up. So it’s quite simple: “We can no longer follow.”
Stamps that have doubled
A move up a gear that confirms what the actors feared. “It’s not new in itself. It should be remembered that with streaming and therefore the fall in physical record sales, artists have had to go to live. The positive side is that it gives shows more and more elaborate. But it is expensive and it has accelerated since the pandemic”summarizes the programmer of the Pointu festival, Vincent Lechat. “For some American stars, fees have increased by 50% or even 100%”indicates Philippe Baute, from Jazz to Juan, whose dedicated envelope remains “similar to previous years”: one million Euros “self-financed by the ticket office”. Not easy to complete a program under these conditions. “The English and American agents wanted to be sure not to turn a loss, we must also take into account the effect of Brexit. It’s a just-in-time economy”adds the member of the Pointu festival team, who was able to increase his artist budget despite everything. “This year, very few so-called “middle” formations that may be affected by gauges of 2,500, 5,000 people are running. It was also an additional challenge”notes Sébastien Hamard.
“Say no to overkill”
“Fortunately, in what we offer, the prices are still fair”concedes Beligh Guezah, from Couleurs Urbaines, who bets on reggae, dub but also rap: “Our strength is also to offer artists who will explode very quickly. In 2014, we had Bigflo & Oli, at the time we were in contact with their mother to organize their visit.” Therefore, a question arises: will we no longer see big international headliners on our local festival stages? “There are avenues for reflection to respond to this. If at European level, it was possible to form a common front and say no to this one-upmanship, that could weigh”, argues Philippe Baute. But this competitive sector is clearly not unanimous at the moment: “We must also consider changing the working method, making sure that we do not directly assume this cost and this risk, by asking that a production ensure this for example.”
“We sail on sight”
The festivals of the Côte d’Azur can no longer rely on yesterday’s markers concerning their attendance. “The public takes their place at the last minute. This is behavior that was not so flagrant before. Last season, half of our ticketing was carried out in the last fortnight before the opening”says Vincent Lechat, from the Pointu Festival in Six-Fours-les-Plage.
The observation is obvious for Stéphane Poirrier, from the oldest festival in the Var, Néoules: “We sail by sight. Before, people took their place during the unveiling of the program at Christmas, we could know how much the dates would be…” One more uncertainty to apprehend.