Could you give us a quick overview of FAIR, its principles and how it works? 

FAIR is the primary national scheme to support career start-ups and development in the field of contemporary music. It is an association recognised as being in the public interest and was created more than thirty years ago at the request of the Ministry of Culture. Our role consists of supporting artists for an initial 6-month focus, then over a period ranging from eighteen months to much longer depending on the needs of the artists. 

The artists supported by FAIR are selected through a call for applications. What criteria does the jury take into account? 

Everything is done online. In order to submit an application, five criteria must be met: the artist's début recording must have been released within the last four years, the artist must have given at least five concerts since the creation of the project, the artist must have professional support (label, manager, tour manager, publisher), the artist must be registered or in the process of being registered with SACEM, and finally, the artist or at least half of the members of the group must live in France. A shortlist is drawn up on the basis of these criteria, and then we begin the selection process: an independent artistic committee listens to two tracks by each candidate. Each member of the committee then has the task of selecting just one artist to be the winner, based on the "firm favourite" principle. FAIR does not select the artists directly, it is decided by a jury committee made up of seven professionals representing all the trades in the profession, with a new jury for each call. This is how we obtain our 14 winners per year (7 per session with 2 sessions per year, in February and in September). 

What does the support offered to artists consist of? 

There are five main areas of support. The first is a subsidy, which currently amounts to 8,000 euros. This is not a grant, as it is not paid to the artist directly but is rather a reimbursement of expenses. It is also conditional on attendance at a training course. This training course, the second axis, takes the form of a seminar, outside Paris, and is mainly devoted to career management. We discuss all aspects of their profession with the musicians: artists' social rights, structuring, types of contracts, copyright and related rights, and finally taxation. We also offer them another training course on the musician's body and health, to enable them to take into consideration their main professional work tool, and during which they are taught how to manage fatigue, movement, posture, etc. 

We also offer them professional meetings, both with our funders such as Adami or SACEM, and with partners in the field, such as Ear-Care, which offers them a moulding of ear protectors, and Agi-son, which offers them an audiogram so that they know where they stand, and to better protect their hearing. Our aim is to enable them to identify all of the support on offer to help them at some point in their project and their career. 

As part of our promotional support, winners have the opportunity to perform at the Café de la Danse. This evening of showcases also gives rise to recordings and interviews. The idea is to produce quality video content as part of our communication support programme, so that they can then use it as they wish, with the public or professionals. 

The fifth and final axis provides them with strategic and/or legal assistance. We work with them to develop their career, as a partner with no direct financial interest in their project. The aim is of course not to replace the artists' entourage, but to support them as best we can in order to answer their doubts and questions. In this respect, artists can come back to us after the eighteen-month support period, to ask for advice throughout their career. 

The pandemic was also an opportunity to develop the recording of concerts. What about their international distribution? 

Like everyone else, the pandemic forced us to stop broadcasting live. We wanted to offer recordings instead, which we continued to do when concerts resumed. It's a tool that has been able to maintain a certain form of visibility. Today, the aim is to provide artists with quality content that allows them to show their work, particularly on their social networks. The recordings also serve as a business card, in particular for network stakeholders such as the Institut français. This is what we are currently setting up. 

How has your work been articulated with the Institut français and the French cultural network abroad in recent years? 

It was the Institut français of Colombia, in Bogotá, that first made a request about 10 years ago. When the winners are selected, we pass on their names to the cultural network. The programmers then send us their requests.  Recently, for example, the Institut français of Peru wanted to invite the group Ottis Cœur. FAIR then acts as an intermediary with the artists and their entourages. Of course, the artists must have a desire to develop internationally, which is almost always the case. Once the agreement in principle has been obtained, it is the Instituts that organise the tour directly with the group's entourage, as they see fit. 

Why is it important to seek an international audience at the start of your career? 

Often, for developing artists, it is an opportunity to have their first international experience. They need to understand that things are organised differently at international level: there are other contexts, other technical conditions... It also means facing the language barrier. Even when you've already made a good start in France, abroad you have to start from scratch. It is therefore extremely formative. What's interesting for FAIR is that we see these dates abroad as part of the training: it allows artists to understand whether it's really beneficial for them to develop internationally, and what that really means.