‘As a publisher we don’t sign repertoire for the present but for its long-term value.’

MBW’s World Leaders is a regular series in which we focus our attention on some of the most influential figures in the industry outside of the US and UK markets. About this feature, we speak with Matthieu Tessier, CEO of Music Warner Chappell France, as well as the manufacturer Skread, on the success of French superstar rapper Orelsan. World Leaders powered by PPL.

France is an important global market, with a strong base of local artists.

According to the French trade agency SNEP recently published by the end of the year report“French Productions”, which accounts for 83% of France’s Top 200 Best-Selling Albums of 2021, a year in which France – the world’s fifth-largest music market – generated $1 billion in music sales.

One such homegrown artist is French rap star Orelsan (Wagram Music), whose fourth album Civilization was the number 1 selling album in France last year.

Orlesan’s music publisher in France, Warner Chappell Music, told MBW that, not only Civilization hit the biggest first-week sales for a hip hop album ever in France, but it’s also the biggest week for any album since its release after the iconic French singer Johnny Hallyday back in 2018.]

Released on November 19, WCM says the album sold nearly 140,000 equivalent units in its first week, nearly 100,000 of which were physical copies.

Civilization released on the same day as – and competes for No.1 with – another superstar’s album: Adele‘S 30.

The second record topped the charts in many European and global markets in its first week, but not in France, where it was led by Orelsan’s post. Civilization. It topped the charts for two consecutive weeks and spent a total of five weeks at #1.

The Orelsan Skread producer explains: “There was a combination of factors that led to reaching #1 and holding it for a week in a row.

“First of all, it was an incredible record and the response from the first week made more people want to watch. Then there’s the fact that fans want to buy limited physical editions in stores, and we’ve also held a number of major media interviews through the second week, to We can talk about the success of the first week, which helps more with the promotion. “

“It is certain that this album will go down in the history of French music.”

Matthieu Tessier, Warner French Chappell

Warner Chappell France signed Orelsan 13 years ago. Chappell also worked with Skread, who co-wrote and produced the entire album, and published Phazz, another musician, on Civilization.

Comment on Orelsan’s achievements with Civilization, Matthieu Tessier, CEO of Warner Chappell Music France, told MBW that, “The success is really huge. [in France. For sure this album will count in the history of French music.”

Tessier was named Managing Director of WCM France in 2020, having previously served as Warner Chappell’s Head of A&R in France for the last five years. He succeeded Caroline Molko, who stepped down after 18 years as the company’s MD.

Here, Tessier and producer Skread break down the week one stats around the success of Orelsan’s No.1 album Civilisation in France, and comment on the rise of French rap in the market and how it ties into WCM France’s long term goals as a music publisher…

What impact has Orelsan’s new album Civilisation had in France?

Matthieu Tessier: At the time of its release, Civilisation had the best week one for a hip-hop album in the history of the French charts. The record was been released on November 19, and, in six weeks of time, it has been the biggest selling album of the full year 2021.

What is the breakdown of week-one physical sales and streams?

Skread: We sold almost 100,000 physical copies, received 38,900 in streams and 3,600 in digital sales. We wanted to do something cool with the CD, so it would become a collectable like basketball cards. We decided to create 15 different variations of the CD, each visual representing a track from the album.

All of them were in limited and numbered editions, starting from 500 copies for the signed edition, to 30,000 copies, with some editions limited at 2,000, 3,000 and 5,000 copies.

We opened the pre-orders three weeks before the release and two weeks after the Amazon A six-part documentary on Orselan’s career. We sold over 40,000 CDs within hours. So we started the first week selling 56,000 through pre-orders and then sold another 40,000 during the week.

Two days before release, we released our first single with a video – we haven’t released any music before.

And the day after the release, we announced, through a video we shot in the CD factory, that five golden tickets had been randomly hidden among the five CDs, and anyone who found them they will have access to Orelsan performances for life. That certainly helped sell some copies.

You’ve been working with Orelsan for a long time – how did you discover him and how has he developed as a musician and an artist? – Skimming

Skimming (picture, inside): We became friends in 2000, at first we did beats and sometimes he raps. Then I started successfully as a producer around 2003 and created the studio 7thMagosystem with our friend and partner Ablaye. From there, we started to push Orelsan and Gringe (who come from a group called Casseurs Flowters) to take songwriting and rapping seriously. We developed him through MySpace at the time. I became older in the industry and gained more experience, and we managed to sign him in 2008 and release his first album in 2009.

Ablaye and I had to make him realize that he could do it – that he had what it took. It took a few years, with time and success, for him to gradually realize his talent, become a hard worker, release six albums, write and direct a movie, a TV show shape, becoming an actor, etc. The documentary about Prime explains all of that very well.

How important are documentaries in the album release process?

Skimming: It certainly plays a major role. This combined release strategy (documentary and album) was planned two years ago. We want to come back with a documentary to introduce the new album, so that those who already know Orelsan understand more of his story and those who don’t know him or are as unnecessary as his music, have insight to understand and appreciate his artistic journey as well as his personality.

The documentary was a huge success, it showed everyone the 20 year journey we had to take to achieve success with its ups and downs, but mostly ups and downs. It got people talking about Orelsan in a good way in the month leading up to his release – they got to know him well as a person and were able to welcome and understand the new album I think.

What role do you play in Orelsan’s career as a beater/producer and founder of his label? Are there other examples of beatmaker makers with that level of involvement?

Skimming: Myself, Orelsan and Ablaye have always worked together and are a complementary group of friends. We do everything on our own, step by step, and each of us has a natural role in the team. I happen to be a beat maker and love to put together strategies and ways to make things work, but in the end it’s always a process of discussion and decision making that we put together. out. None of us decide for others or have a definite job.

I always compose and produce about 60 to 70% of his albums. We always start with the core together to figure out the direction of the album and then collaborate with the people we enjoy working with. Orelsan was my friend before being my artist, so I try my best to make decisions that will help him succeed, of course, but first and foremost his happiness in life. There are other friendship stories in the business like ours – the beatmaker/rapper relationship – although I’m not sure the exact same profile we have in the business and that has lasted this far.

What are Warner Chappell’s long-term ambitions for Orelsan as a musician? –

MT: We signed Orelsan in 2006, so have worked with him for a very long time and have had 15 great years of cooperation.

He is one of the most important musicians and lyricists of his generation, so our ambition is to continue to help him achieve all of his goals. We are here to support and help Skread and his close team make it easier for him to continue writing such iconic songs.

We’ve written about the rise of deutschrap in Germany before – are we seeing a similar trend in France?

MT: That’s right, French rap is the #1 genre in France right now and has been for the past two or three years.

Rappers like Soprano will be playing in stadiums in 2022. These types of performances were once reserved for French pop stars of the 90s and early 00s, so there’s no doubt that hip is hip. -hop has become the new pop music.

What is driving the success of French rap music in the country?

MT: Online streaming and social networking are perhaps the biggest drivers of the growth and success of French rap music. Rappers now have certain autonomy. They don’t have to wait for labels to shape their careers and release their music.

They can put their music on streaming platforms, start creating their own brand, build social media, produce their own videos and get to a certain level on their own. .

And social media now has a direct impact on streams. Labels and publishers tend to come to a certain point and try to enhance and support them further.

Do you think there is a chance for this new generation of French rap stars to explode globally?

MT: At Warner Chappell, we work with Aya Nakamura and MHD, two French-speaking artists who have broken borders and become the biggest sellers of French in the world.

A few years ago, the only French artists who were successful globally were DJs or electronic producers, but today more and more French rappers attract a larger and larger global audience through strategies. international cooperation and I think this number will only increase in the coming years.

What will be the challenges to achieve this?

MT: I think we have a role as publishers. To cross borders, I believe the key will be international cooperation to help French rappers reach a wider audience. We need to work with our global network to help bring artists and writers together.

These days, the European charts are dominated by local artists singing in the vernacular, so there is certainly a great opportunity to break the mold by helping them build partnerships. international.

Are there any other artists or writers we should be looking for?

MT: A French rapper we collaborated with named SCH is definitely one to watch out for. He’s from Marseille and is part of a very important rap scene, which blends rhythmic electronic beats with a hip-hop flow. He is one of the most interesting artists at the moment and is currently starting to collaborate with several European rappers. I think he has a good chance of breaking out globally.

How is Orelsan’s success tied to Warner Chappell’s goal in the French market?

MT: We’re really focused on signing unique musicians and lyricists. French music has a culture that values ​​words. Orelsan is perhaps one of the most iconic lyricists of his generation – his words are beautiful, powerful, and this makes his songs speak to a wide audience. Our goal is to keep signing great songwriters and lyricists because that’s what makes songs connect decades after decades.

What would you change about the music industry in France and globally, and why?

MT: I would like to see a more effective measure of success for artists and musicians. There’s a lot of focus on album sales and streams, but when you combine ticket sales, radio and television performance rights, brand partnerships, and social media audiences, I think. That’s when you get the real measure of success. We should consider all aspects, not just one or two

“I would like to see a more effective measure of success for artists and musicians.”

Matthieu Tessier

Also, I want us to recognize and appreciate the longevity of a song – as publishers we don’t contract the repertoire for the present but for its long-term value and We hope to sign songs that last year after year.Worldwide music business