Programming a music festival can be a real headache for the organizers. International headliners, which quickly reach tens of thousands of francs, can put already fragile budgets under pressure. This situation creates a gap with artists in the region, whose remuneration and visibility are often less.
But to attract an audience and sell tickets, festivals, like the Georges in Friborg, depend on these headliners. “To fill rooms, clubs and festivals in Switzerland, you still need to turn abroad a lot, a lot to France,” said Xavier Meyer, its director.
The number of Swiss talents capable of asking for greater sums, such as Sophie Hunger, Stress or Stephan Eicher, for example, remains limited. The gap is widening between stars whose value can go up “very quickly in a few weeks” and local or emerging artists whose pills “have not increased so much”, analyzes Xavier Meyer.
This problem does not affect paid festivals, even for free and smaller events, such as the Festi’cheyres, the situation is similar. “Sometimes you feel the field on big headliners, you have the impression that they are still accessible and you are asked 20,000 francs,” says Joël Grub, the festival programmer. “There, directly, it makes us hoist the hair on the neck.”
Faced with these constraints, Festi’Cheyres made a radical choice this year: 100% Swiss programming. The festival, which experienced financial difficulties after heavy rains last year, offers pills ranging from 300 to 2,500 francs. On the Georges side, the fees for emerging and local artists range from 1,000 to 5,000 francs.
Recognition for Swiss artists
On the artists’ side, reality is sometimes also bitter. Even by playing in major festivals, recognition is not always there, as Grégoire Pasquier, producer and composer for the Shuttle project, explains, who will play this summer in Festi’cheyres or Montreux Jazz this summer. “Sometimes you have the impression that it is a boon, you will play in a festival like the Paléo, and then in fact, you have to play at 2 pm. It’s not the right time.” He adds that Swiss groups are not always “highlighted” in the biggest events.
For those who want to professionalize themselves, it can be difficult to enter your costs. “I surround myself with musicians whose job is,” explains Grégoire Pasquier, “so I have to pay them.” He admits to certain dates at a loss. “I’m going to compensate for what I don’t have in stamp to be able to pay my musicians.”
An experience he does not live in more local festivals, which generally pay both, even better than certain major events. “There is really the desire to highlight the Friborg artists,” he explains. “When we play in a Festival in the region, we are still quite privileged. We are always welcomed, people do everything to make the concert go well. We must also see things on the right side.”
