The Rodia
La Rodia is a publicly-funded French SMAC live music venue in Besançon operating two performance spaces (Grande Salle and Club) for concerts, cultural mediation, and artist development. It serves regional concert-goers, university students, school children, elderly residents, and emerging musicians across Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBesançon, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Rodia does
La Rodia is a French public cultural establishment (Établissement public local à caractère industriel ou commercial) operating as a SMAC (Scène de Musiques Actuelles) in Besançon. It runs two live performance spaces — Grande Salle and Club — and hosts a continuous program of concerts, conferences, and cultural events. The venue generates revenue through ticket sales (€6–€30 per ticket, with Carte Rodia membership discounts), on-site bar and catering services, and substantial public subsidies from municipal, departmental, regional, and national cultural authorities. Tickets are distributed via SoTicket (since 2025), legacy SeeTickets, physical box office, and authorized resale through Reelax Tickets.
Beyond its core venue function, La Rodia operates an extensive portfolio of cultural mediation and artist-development programs. These include Festival Détonation (an annual festival that drew 6,000 spectators at its 10th edition), Musiciennes-MAB (a program supporting female artists and gender minorities with three artist teams per season), Rodiathèques (over 250 conference topics since 2015), Ma Saison à La Rodia (a university student immersion program serving ~20 students per academic year with Université Marie & Louis Pasteur), Opération Iceberg (a Franco-Swiss artist residency in partnership with Eurockéennes de Belfort and CMA Foundation), Panopli (artist-services platform with Le Bastion), and Bezac City Rockers (local band touring initiative). Cultural action activities engage approximately 4,000 participants annually across 25 projects under the cultural mediation department.
The organization is led by Director David Demange, with functional teams covering cultural mediation (Nicolas Sauvage), artistic support (Sylvain Bombled), ticketing and contracts (Albine), bar operations (Sonia), and cultural action (Philippe). Marketing relies on the larodia.com website, Arenametrix-powered email newsletters, social media, two podcast productions (Line Up with Radio Campus Besançon; Mission Metal with Mission Locale), earned media in local press (Diversions), and community event programming. The business model is fundamentally subsidy-anchored rather than market-anchored, with ticket and ancillary revenues supplementing public funding rather than driving standalone profitability.
The Rodia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Rodia
- Legal name
- LA RODIA
- Website
- https://larodia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- La Rodia is a publicly-funded French SMAC live music venue in Besançon operating two performance spaces (Grande Salle and Club) for concerts, cultural mediation, and artist development. It serves regional concert-goers, university students, school children, elderly residents, and emerging musicians across Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Rodia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Venue
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas) (MPAIAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)
Keywords
Where The Rodia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Besançon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Rodia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Concert ticket sales: Primary revenue stream from ticket sales for concerts and events in Grande Salle and Club venues. Ticket prices range from 6€ to 30€ with discounts for Carte Rodia holders.
- Bar and catering services: On-site bar service operated by staff, with the 4x8 snack area offering food and beverages during events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Horror Kids Party - Single price event for children and families |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sprints concert - Pre-sale pricing with Carte Rodia discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sam Sauvage concert - Pre-sale withCarte Rodia discount |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cachemire + Fallen Lillies concert - Pre-sale with Carte Rodia discount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Rodia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
La Rodia is a French SMAC (Centre for Contemporary Music) operating two performance spaces in Besançon — a Club (190 capacity) and a Grande Salle (650 capacity) — hosting concerts across contemporary genres. Beyond ticketed concerts, it delivers artist development programs (Opération Iceberg, Panopli), cultural mediation (Rodiathèques, Ma Saison à La Rodia), music education (Musiciennes-MAB, Peace & Lobe), and an annual festival (Détonation). The venue serves individual concert-goers, students, school groups, emerging artists, and seniors in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
Product overview
La Rodia is a concert venue and current music center (SMAC) in Besançon, France, operating as a single unified venue rather than a platform architecture. The venue offers concert programming across two main spaces (Club and Grande Salle), manages the annual Détonation festival, and provides artistic accompaniment programs including residences, Panopli, Musiciennes-MAB, Bezac City Rockers, and Opération Iceberg. Additional offerings include cultural action and mediation services such as Rodiathèques (educational conferences), Ma Saison à La Rodia (student immersion program), and Line Up podcast produced in partnership with Radio Campus Besançon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 6,000 spectators attended the 10th edition of Festival Détonation over two evenings
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Rodia
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Rodia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Rodia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Radio Campus BesançoncoreLocal university radio station partnering on Line Up podcast about music and pop culture.
- Reelax TicketsminorOfficial authorized ticket resale platform to combat fraudulent resale, the only approved resale partner.
- Grand BesançoncoreMunicipal authority and primary funder of La Rodia as a public cultural establishment. Part of the venue's institutional ecosystem with logo displayed on website.
- CNM (Centre National de la Musique)coreNational music center supporting Musiciennes-MAB program and various cultural initiatives.
- Ville de BesançoncoreCity of Besançon as primary municipal partner and supporter of La Rodia's cultural mission.
- SACEMcoreFrench music copyright society supporting Fabrique à Chanson program and various artistic projects.
- Région Bourgogne-Franche-ComtécoreRegional council supporting La Rodia's cultural programs and artist development initiatives.
- DRAC Bourgogne-Franche-ComtécoreRegional cultural affairs directorate supporting territorial residencies and cultural projects.
- Département du DoubsminorDepartmental council supporting regional cultural initiatives.
- Crédit MutuelminorSponsor appearing in venue's partner ecosystem, associated with Les iNOUÏS du Printemps de Bourges.
- SEETICKETS (formerly DIGITICK)coreTicketing platform for online ticket sales and event management. Handles personal data collection for ticket purchases.
- Le BastioncoreCultural venue in Besançon co-organizing Musiciennes-MAB program and Panopli artist support platform.
- Mazette!minorPartner in Musiciennes-MAB program supporting female artists and gender minorities.
- Médiathèque Départementale du DoubscoreDepartmental media library partnership for Rodiathèques conferences and cultural mediation.
- Eurockéennes de BelfortcoreFestival organizers initiating Operation Iceberg, a Franco-Swiss artist support program.
- CMA Foundation (Switzerland)minorSwiss foundation co-initiating Operation Iceberg artist development program.
- FEDELIMAcoreNational Federation of Contemporary Music Venues, of which La Rodia is a member SMAC.
- Université Marie & Louis PasteurcoreLocal university partnering on Ma Saison à La Rodia student immersion program.
- JM FranceminorJeunesses Musicales France supporting Musiques Actuelles au Lycée program.
- FEMAminorFédération des Établissements de Musiques Associatives supporting Peace & Lobe hearing awareness program.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Rodia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- La Vapeur: SMAC venue in Dijon offering concerts, artist residencies, and cultural mediation. Comparable in mission, public-establishment funding model, and programming scope to La Rodia.
- Le Trabendo: Paris live music venue with multi-genre programming and cultural mediation programs. Comparable as a SMAC with similar public-sector support and educational outreach.
- La Maroquinerie: Paris concert venue hosting emerging and established artists. Comparable in live music programming focus and ticketing-driven revenue, though operating in a larger urban market.
- Le Rocher de Palmer: SMAC venue near Bordeaux with multi-space concert programming, artist residencies, and cultural action programs. Directly comparable as a publicly funded contemporary music center of similar scale.
- Eurockéennes de Belfort: Major French music festival and partner of La Rodia on Opération Iceberg. Comparable as a publicly supported live music operator in the same Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region with overlapping artist pipelines.
- La Coopérative de Mai: Concert venue and SMAC in Clermont-Ferrand offering diverse programming and artist support. Comparable public-backed live music operator with multiple performance spaces.
- Le Printemps de Bourges: Long-running French music festival with iNOUÏS artist discovery program that La Rodia historically helped coordinate regionally. Comparable as a publicly supported festival operator with artist-development programs.
- Le Bastion: Cultural venue in Besançon co-organizing Musiciennes-MAB and Panopli with La Rodia. Direct local peer sharing programming infrastructure and artist-support resources.
- Le Ferrailleur: Nantes-based live music venue hosting concerts across genres with bar services. Comparable in club/live-venue format and ticketing revenue model.
Regional players
- Le Moloco: SMAC concert venue also located in the Besançon/Bourgogne-Franche-Comté area. Directly comparable as a public-backed live music venue with similar artist-support programs (now handling the iNOUÏS Franche-Comté antenna).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Rodia social profiles
Digital presenceThe Rodia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Rodia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Rodia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Rodia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Rodia
What does The Rodia do?
La Rodia is a French SMAC (Centre for Contemporary Music) operating two performance spaces in Besançon — a Club (190 capacity) and a Grande Salle (650 capacity) — hosting concerts across contemporary genres. Beyond ticketed concerts, it delivers artist development programs (Opération Iceberg, Panopli), cultural mediation (Rodiathèques, Ma Saison à La Rodia), music education (Musiciennes-MAB, Peace & Lobe), and an annual festival (Détonation). The venue serves individual concert-goers, students, school groups, emerging artists, and seniors in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
Is The Rodia a public or private company?
The Rodia is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was The Rodia founded?
The Rodia was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Rodia based?
The Rodia is headquartered in Besançon, France, in the Europe region.
How does The Rodia make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Concert ticket sales are the primary driver. The others are bar and catering services.
Who are The Rodia's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are La Vapeur, Le Trabendo, La Maroquinerie, Le Rocher de Palmer, Eurockéennes de Belfort, La Coopérative de Mai, Le Printemps de Bourges, Le Bastion and Le Ferrailleur. Le Moloco is listed as a regional player.
Does The Rodia have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Rodia.
What industry is The Rodia in?
The Rodia's product category is Live Music Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAFAB, Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas), with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7900.