Parisian radio Fip is organizing two lives with Sting and Patti Smith at the Panthéon. Health crisis and constraints of the place prevent the attendance of the public. A few privileged few will nevertheless be able to attend the concerts if they have taken part in a competition.
For once, the Pantheon will celebrate a very living heritage: music. Wednesday October 6 and Thursday October 7, Sting and Patti Smith will perform in this usually very quiet place.
“As part of Fip’s 50th anniversary, the Pantheon has symbolic strength in that it is in the heart of Paris and in which the great personalities who make up the French identity are buried. Among these personalities, there is no has no musician, at least not before November 30 with the arrival of Joséphine Baker. It appealed to us to bring radio, Fip and music to the Pantheon “, explains Bérénice Ravache, director of the radio station.
A partnership with the Center des monuments nationaux, the agreement of the artists and their record company made it possible to hold this event, but without an audience. Sanitary constraints as well as the installation of the exhibition around the 40th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty prevented the opening to listeners of this rare moment. The recordings will be broadcast in November during a Live at Fip.
A quarter of the audience comes from abroad
Do these two artists know the radio? “I think they know Fip because they spend a lot of time in France. When you’re as eclectic and curious as they are, you can’t miss Fip. The radio enjoys notoriety in France but also internationally. We have ambassadors, like Rick Rubin, Jack Dorsey, Robert Downey Jr. who only listen to Fip, a radio station that has no equivalent in the world “, continues the leader who estimates that 25% of its audiences come from abroad.
Radio’s strategy, far from being able to compete with the big streaming platforms despite its nearly 13.5 million digital radio listenings per month (nearly 800,000 daily listeners on the air), is to be a switch and a talent scout.
“The artists we invite seek to mix several influences. Many tell us that without Fip, they wouldn’t dare to create this kind of thing and would go towards something more mainstream. They know that with Fip, they can find a medium that takes risks “, indicates Bérénice Ravache.
Regional concerts
Founded in 1971, Fip has nevertheless evolved. Centered on jazz and classical music, the radio opened up to other musical styles. But recent years have been marked by the decision to turn the page on local branches (the last three local: Nantes, Strasbourg, Bordeaux closed in December 2020), resulting in the elimination of 14 positions, as part of the savings plan of 60 million euros from the public group. News flashes have also been removed. The antenna nevertheless remains protected from advertising.
And to reconnect with the regions, four concerts are planned in Lyon (October 16), Toulouse (October 20), Lille (November 25) and Bordeaux (December 8).
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