Independent creators

"People tend to think that independence is a default choice," postulates Batlik, a young French artist who has released no fewer than seven albums on his own label, À brûle pourpoint, since 2004. "In fact, it can be an intentional decision that corresponds to the nature of the artistic project in question." The first necessity that guides artists towards independence is, indeed, a need for freedom: "It's above all the desire for autonomy and a certain taste for adventure," sums up Charles Carmignac, whose group Moriarty was with record company Naïve before creating its own label, Air Rytmo.
This artistic freedom goes hand in hand with strategic liberty, enabling creators to steer their own boat: "The most important thing in this configuration is to be sole master on board," analyses Laurent Bodin, publisher with Raoul Breton (Yves Jamait, Sanseverino, Grand Corps Malade…). "The priority is the artistic project. It dictates the strategy to be adopted, and not the other way round. That's a fundamental difference." The approach adopted by Moriarty is a perfect illustration of this way of functioning: they did away with the traditional record release prior to a tour, preferring to do things the other way round: "For our second album, we decided to play the tracks on stage first for a few months before going into the studio," explains Charles Carmignac. "We then recorded live, without correcting any mistakes, which was the opposite of what we had done with Naïve for our first album."

The down side of this freedom sometimes kicks in immediately. Functioning in the form of small, cottage industry units, many independent projects are, by definition, out of touch with the big networks that promote and broadcast. "That's the main problem," admits Batlik. " A network of partners is more fastidious to construct when you're independent. We are small and far away from the major distributors who are only interested in highly mediatised projects. A form of vicious circle sets in that only hard work and perseverance can break."
Moriarty, who had the advantage of Naïve's network for its first album, recognises that indeed the challenge is substantial: "It cannot be denied that Naïve and Deschamps & Makeïeff, co-producers of our first album, gave us a leg up. Without them, if we had remained independent, we might have eventually broken through, but it definitely would have taken much longer." This helping hand at the start is often what independents lack. So some artists have chosen to take advantage of their fame to drum up business, such as La Fouine, multiple gold record winner. He created his own label in 2008, Banlieue Sale, to launch young artists: "Banlieue Sale is also a way of sharing the experience, contacts and fame I acquired during my years with a major label. It enables the young artists I sign to develop gradually, to get their careers off the ground."

This being said, such difficulties also contribute to the strength of an independent structure, pushing the artist to seek out new approaches and new ways to develop.
Moriarty has taken this road. The group does small concerts in unusual venues (book shops, etc) and pays particular attention to making its records. In this way, it builds up intimate links with its audience. When producing its second album, the group set up a unique cottage industry, financed by public subscription, sending surprising items to each buyer (doll box figurines, stamps, keys, etc) that transform the CD into a treasure.
Independence seems to be the best framework for this innovative utopia, far from the contingencies of productivity that govern heavier economies. At Ed Banger, the Parisian independent label behind the international success of Uffie, Justice and sadly departed DJ Mehdi , this closeness with the audience, and the care taken with the artwork by in-house artist SoMe, also contribute to consolidating the label's image.

Independents also have to be organised in a particular way. The young independent structures of the beginning of the decade are being replaced today by professional units that are equipped to penetrate the market. In the rap world, which evolved into an independents' world in the middle of the '90s, associations are now being replaced by real businesses. This is the case of Din Records based in Lille, and Tallac Records founded by the superstar Booba, which he uses to produce his own albums, and Banlieue Sale: "We now have three people who take care of admin at Banlieue Sale," explains La Fouine. "My role is Artistic Director and we also have a sound engineer." Batlik also transformed his structure into a business and explains why: "There comes a time when you can't keep a foot in both camps: if you consider that music is your life, you become professional and you do things properly. And it's important, even as an artist, to face up to economic reasoning, to the reality of it."
This evolution occasionally sees the artists themselves taking control of the catalogue. This is the case, for example, of Yves Jamait, who opted for total independence by becoming co-publisher of his songs, hand in hand with Editions Raoul Breton. For this type of artist, who already has three gold records, this configuration is advantageous on every front: it combines artistic freedom with powerful resources, as his projects are now distributed by Wagram.
Such choices seem to sketch out a landscape in which, among the independent artist's partners, the publisher is playing an increasingly important role.
"That's what's really new," notes Laurent Bodin. "A few years back, the publisher would find a label that would go away and produce the record. But today, the publisher helps structure the artist's career – getting involved in records and live performances." Moriarty says the same. Its Air Rytmo takes care of publishing, production and concerts.

"It's the simplicity that makes independence interesting, because it's you who decides everything, who freely assesses the challenges and reacts accordingly," sums up La Fouine. Although the major difficulty remains access to distribution networks, few things seem to stand in the way of determined artists who have opted for this system, and their partners: "The challenge is gaining the necessary power to play on the same playing field as the majors," explains Laurent Bodin. "But it's a question of time and determination. The business is changing. Independents are growing in strength and the public seems to be on board. I wouldn't be surprised if we were soon to see independent artists at the Victoires de la Musique!"