More than 170 artists and musicians call on the winners who will take the stage at the ADISQ Gala on Sunday evening to show solidarity in their speeches so that they carry the voice of self-producers. These creators self-finance and manage their music recordings outside of the record label network. ADISQ responded quickly and called on stakeholders in the sector to come together. “The problems facing the industry are much bigger than us,” said Eve Paré, director general of ADISQ, in an interview with La Presse. “By dividing ourselves, we weaken ourselves. »
Published yesterday at 7:31am.
In a letter to the nominees, the signatories regret that the members of the Association québécoise de l’industrie du record, du spectacle et de la video (ADISQ), who have opted for in-house production, are kept away from the board and have no voting rights at general meetings .
“With the gala we celebrate the world of production, but we suppress home production, even though it has largely become the majority,” explains Guillaume Déziel, former agent of Misteur Valaire and one of the initiators of the letter. “There is an unease in the environment; There is a reality that has changed, but the system under which we govern does not take this reality into account. That is problematic. »
The current situation “allows the maintenance of an industrial model that directs a large part of our public funds first to its producer members and not to starving artists,” warn in particular the signatory artists Daniel Boucher, Pierre-Philippe Côté (Pilou). , Safia Nolin, Alexe Gaudreault, Sébastien Fréchette (Biz), Stefie Shock, Catherine Major, Joe Bocan, Steve Hill, Luis Clavis, Chloé Sainte-Marie and Philémon Cimon.
The president of the artists’ association Tania Kontoyanni, her vice-president Pierre-Luc Brillant and the former minister of culture and communication Christine St-Pierre also spoke.
“The real mission of ADISQ is to represent companies,” recalls Eve Paré in response to Saturday’s outing. When we represent artists individually, we move away from our mission. That’s why there are artist associations. Now there is a possible dialogue. Since I took office two years ago, my hand has always been extended. »
ADISQ says in an email to La Presse that it has always welcomed self-producers into its ranks. “The privileges associated with the right to vote in the assembly and the opportunity to run for a seat on the council are possible provided two other artists are represented by the self-producer.” »
In Quebec, more than 80% of producers are artist-entrepreneurs, according to Mr. Déziel, citing a 2019-2020 report by the Society for Collective Management of the Rights of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms.
The open letter, published in Le Devoir on Saturday under the title “The red carpet of enslavement” and consulted by La Presse last Thursday, is intended to be a call to action from the winners who will grab a golden statuette this Sunday evening . “If you are lucky enough to stand in front of a nostalgic speaking microphone, do not hesitate to claim in front of a million viewers that artist-entrepreneurs who are members of ADISQ should also have the right to vote and govern in order to “participate” in the fate of our music industry. »
Does ADISQ fear outbreaks on Sunday? “For the performing artists and the nominees, I would like the celebrations to be as peaceful as possible so that everyone can benefit from this visibility,” says General Director Eve Paré on the phone. At the same time, we live with the risks of live production. »
A “control of ADISQ”?
The letter highlights that two ADISQ administrators – who receive grants – are also members of the board of directors of the Cultural Enterprise Development Corporation (SODEC), which provides the same grants. There is no self-producing music artist sitting there. Decision makers “ensure that producers remain important intermediaries between you and the public; that without it you will not have access to grants designed to accelerate your career,” it reads.
Due to ADISQ’s “control over a large portion of state subsidies,” artists are often forced to sign with a “recognized” producer and give up “valuable rights,” the signatories further regret.
According to ADISQ’s Eve Paré, this is an abbreviation. “The SODEC board will lead the organization; Budgets, financial reports, a leadership role, etc. It is classic legal governance. To believe that two people at the table have the ability to set the terms of the grants is to misunderstand the role of a board. »
“Being able to choose”
In an interview with La Presse, Dominique Lebeau, who has produced his solo albums under the name Domlebo since leaving the Cowboys Fringants in 2007, regrets that David Bussières, spokesman for the Regroupement des artisans de la musique, is the only artist – and self-producer – among the 16 members of the SODEC Commission for Music and Entertainment. The commissions must be consulted on any proposed financial assistance program in their area.
We need to tell artists: “Be careful, you’re playing a game for people who work in the industry.” Maybe we should be better represented and have more space if we want to work with these people…
Dominique Lebeau
SODEC recently set aside a million-a-year allowance for self-producers, but they must be “registered” to benefit, disqualifying about four out of five artist-entrepreneurs.
Guillaume Déziel emphasizes: There is no question of waging war against SODEC or ADISQ. “The aim is that the two worlds of production and self-production can coexist. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Sébastien Fréchette, aka Biz
Author and rapper Biz, who wrote his name at the end of the letter, recalls that Loco Locass’ first album, Manifestif, as well as all of his shows, were self-produced. “Artists are realizing more and more that even though they bake the cake, they don’t have the biggest tip. »
Sébastien Fréchette, his real name, ensures that Loco Locass has been well served by Audiogram, but points out that “not all record companies have this ethic and this quality”, hence the desire to show solidarity with the self-producers. “And at some point you ask yourself: Do you want to be a sailor on a liner or the captain of your boat? »
The democratization of the means of production has led to a takeover of power, he states: “I have the right to exist, I have the right to recognition, I have the right to subsidies.” »
In the current situation, it is “as if we were organizing a table on the labor market with employers and employees, but excluding the self-employed,” he explains.
“When we negotiate collective agreements, we represent the “employer” side vis-à-vis the artists’ associations,” replies Eve Paré from ADISQ. Which side of the table is the artist-entrepreneur on? On the UDA site [Union des artistes], which has been the case so far, or on the side of ADISQ as a producer? This brings with it certain challenges. »
Pitfalls on the road
Contacted by La Presse, singer-songwriter Joe Bocan explains that she has experienced all the pitfalls of self- and co-production, especially when preparing an album for children. “They always found a good reason not to subsidize it. I had to do everything myself, without paying a dime. »
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Joe Bocan
In her opinion, the muzzle of self-producers in ADISQ’s leadership is a symptom of much broader structural inequalities in the music industry. “There is still a lot to do, the entire mechanism needs to be changed,” she says.
This online text has been modified due to ADISQ’s response to the open letter received under embargo.