Arcad

What Arcad does

Arcad (legal name: Association de Rencontres pour la Création Artistique et son Développement) is a French non-profit cultural association (association loi 1901) headquartered at 34 avenue de Bayonne in Anglet, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The association's legal founding date is recorded as 1952, with its current artist-support mission and Pôle intermittence activity dated to 2003; it now supports more than 130 artists and maintains a virtual gallery of 213 artists drawn from the Pays Basque and greater Aquitaine region. Its core activities are the production of cultural events — including the Anglet Jazz Festival (formerly Jazz sur l'Herbe), La Puce des Arts art fair, and thematic exhibitions such as Sans Titre, Art aux Fenêtres, Flak, LegoART, and FRAGILE – Art & Cancer — and the delivery of artist support services covering legal advice, remuneration and social-security management for intermittents du spectacle, project structuring, and recruitment analysis, plus the monthly Passerelle newsletter.

The business model combines individual annual membership fees (adhésion), tax-deductible mécénat contributions from individuals and corporations (60% French tax deduction plus 25% counter-parties), and revenue tied to event production including ticketed festival income via Festik.net, public subsidies, and venue-based sponsorships such as MAIF's support for La Puce des Arts. Distribution relies on regional venues (Théâtre Quintaou and Parc Baroja in Anglet, Espace Sokoburu in Hendaye, Maison des Associations in Bayonne) and cross-border collaborations reaching into Spain (Guipúzcoa). The organization works closely with the French Ministry of Culture on artist-status policy, supports the Manifeste des Arts Visuels alongside La Maison des Artistes, and distributes Radio Jazz International programming fronted by Dee Dee Bridgewater and Manu Dibango.

Operationally, Arcad combines a small permanent staff (described in 2016 documentation as 2 permanent posts maintained despite a difficult environment) with an intermittent and volunteer contributor base. It serves three core constituencies: visual and performing artists (its primary stakeholder), the general public attending cultural events, and corporate and individual mécènes. Its competitive positioning rests on regulatory expertise in the French intermittence regime, a curated regional artist network, and a portfolio of recurring events that double as distribution channels for member artists.

Name

Arcad

Legal name

Association de Rencontres pour la Création Artistique et son Développement

Website

https://arcad64.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arcad is a French non-profit cultural association based in Anglet that supports visual and performing artists in southwestern France through the Anglet Jazz Festival, La Puce des Arts, exhibitions, and Pôle Artistes services covering legal advice, intermittence social-security management, and representation with public authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Arts Association Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Booking Agencies (Live Performance) (MPAIAGAB), Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF), Casting & Talent Placement (Sessions, Bands, Touring Musicians) (MPAIAGAM)

Keywords

• Arts association services
• Cultural event management
• Artist support services
• Arts patronage brokerage
• Cultural newsletter publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Anglet

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees (Adhésion): Individuals pay annual membership fees to join Arcad. Members receive access to services including artist support, networking opportunities, and participation in association activities. The membership bulletin and rates are published in PDF format.
2. Mécénat (Sponsorship/Patronage): Arcad generates revenue through charitable donations (mécénat) from individuals and businesses. Mécénat can take the form of cash donations, in-kind contributions, or skills-based volunteering. Corporate sponsors can benefit from tax deductions of 60% of the donation amount plus 25% in counter-parties, making the effective net cost approximately 15% of the contribution.
3. Cultural events organization: Arcad produces and organizes cultural events including the Anglet Jazz Festival, exhibitions, concerts, and artistic gatherings. Revenue may be generated through ticket sales, venue partnerships, and public funding tied to event delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arcad is a non-profit arts association (Association de Rencontres pour la Création Artistique et son Développement) based in Anglet, France, that supports visual and performing artists in the southwestern Aquitaine / Pays Basque region. It organizes cultural events such as the Anglet Jazz Festival and La Puce des Arts art fair, maintains an online directory of more than 200 regional artists, provides administrative and legal support services (including Pôle intermittence for performing artists), and connects corporate mécènes with cultural projects through patronage brokerage.

Product overview

Arcad is a non-profit arts association based in Anglet, France (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), operating primarily as an arts promoter and event organizer rather than a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of cultural events including the Anglet Jazz Festival (formerly Jazz sur l'Herbe), La Puce des Arts art fair, and various exhibitions (Sans Titre, Art aux Fenêtres, Flak). It maintains a directory of over 200 regional artists and provides support services including legal advice, social management for intermittents, and patronage services. The association also publishes a monthly newsletter 'Passerelle' covering regional arts news. The portfolio is event-focused rather than technology-based, with no software products, platforms, or digital tools identified in the source material.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anglet Jazz Festival (formerly Jazz sur l'Herbe) Annual jazz music festival held in Anglet, featuring national and regional jazz artists across indoor (Théâtre Quintaou, ticketed) and outdoor (Parc Baroja, free) venues. Tickets sold through the Festik.net platform.
• La Puce des Arts art fair Biannual art fair rotating between Espace Sokoburu (Hendaye) and Maison des Associations (Bayonne), showcasing a curated selection of artists from La Maison des Artistes and Agessa across disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, and mosaic. Open to the public with free admission.
• Pôle Artistes / Pôle intermittence (Artist Support Services) Comprehensive support services for artists including legal advice, social-security and remuneration management for intermittent entertainment workers, project structuring, and advocacy with public authorities. Since 2003, Arcad has supported over 130 artists, particularly from the Sud Ouest region, and represents artists before policymakers to defend and extend the intermittence status.
• Répertoire Artistes (Artist Directory and Virtual Gallery) Online directory and virtual gallery listing over 200 visual artists in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and southern Landes region, providing reference and discovery tools for the public, institutions, and arts professionals.
• Passerelle newsletter Monthly information bulletin covering arts and cultural events across the south-Aquitaine region, distributed to members and subscribers.
• Mécénat (patronage brokerage services) Service connecting businesses and individuals with cultural projects through charitable donations (cash, in-kind, or skills-based), offering sponsors French tax deductions of 60% on contributions plus counter-parties.
• Sans Titre exhibitions Annual contemporary art exhibitions organized by Arcad featuring works from regional artists.
• Ateliers Thématiques (thematic workshops) Thematic workshops for artists covering various artistic disciplines and professional development topics.
• LegoART education program Art education program for children and families featuring artist demonstrations and creative workshops (notably hosted at Espace Culturel Mendi Zolan, Hendaye, in November 2011).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 130 artists supported since 2003
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dee Dee BridgewaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternationally renowned jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater serves as a sponsor/parrain of Radio Jazz International, the jazz radio station that Arcad promotes on its platform. This partnership enhances the credibility and visibility of the radio programming Arcad distributes.
• Manu DibangominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegendary saxophonist Manu Dibango serves as a sponsor/parrain of Radio Jazz International alongside Dee Dee Bridgewater, lending his name and reputation to the jazz radio station that Arcad promotes.
• Radio Jazz InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRadio Jazz International is a jazz radio station that Arcad promotes on its website, offering exclusive jazz programming from around the world along with artist information, news, and concert broadcasts. Arcad distributes the station's player on its platform.
• ADMICAL (Association pour le Développement du Mécénat Industriel & Commercial)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADMICAL is France's leading organization for corporate patronage and sponsorship. Arcad references ADMICAL on its philanthropy/mécénat page as a resource for companies interested in learning more about patronage, demonstrating its alignment with established French philanthropy frameworks.
• Ministry of Culture (Ministère de la Culture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArcad's activities are closely tied to the French Ministry of Culture, particularly regarding artist status advocacy (intermittence), the Manifeste des Arts Visuels initiative, and broader cultural policy. Arcad works with public institutions to advocate for artist recognition.
• La Maison des ArtistescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Maison des Artistes is France's largest association for visual artists. Arcad aligns with its 60th anniversary manifesto (2012) advocating for 15 key rights for professional visual artists, including broader access to the intermittence status. Arcad supports and disseminates the manifesto.
• Mieux Vivre Mon CancerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArcad partnered with Mieux Vivre Mon Cancer to produce the 'FRAGILE - Art & Cancer' exhibition, a traveling exhibition featuring 23 artists from Aquitaine exploring themes of cancer. The exhibition was shown at multiple venues including the CPAM of Bayonne and the Centre d'Oncologie du Pays Basque.
• MAIF (Mutuelle d'Assurance des Instituteurs de France)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMAIF, a French mutual insurance company, is listed as a partner of La Puce des Arts art fair organized by Arcad, providing sponsorship or support for the event.
• Espace Sokoburu (Hendaye)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEspace Sokoburu is the venue in Hendaye that hosts La Puce des Arts art fair. The venue provides the physical space for the exhibition of artists selected by Arcad's artistic committee.
• Maison des Associations (Bayonne)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Maison des Associations in Bayonne serves as the venue for La Puce des Arts art fair, providing space for artist exhibitions and related events.
• FJT Côte Basque (Foyer des Jeunes Travailleurs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArcad collaborated with FJT Côte Basque to organize the 'Semaine AJT' event celebrating the FJT's 50th anniversary. Artists from the Arcad network conducted workshops in photography, writing, and music with young residents, culminating in an exhibition and concert.
• Espace Culturel Mendi Zolan (Hendaye)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Espace Culturel Mendi Zolan in Hendaye hosted the LegoART exhibition organized by Arcad in November 2011, featuring 21 artists and art workshops for children and families.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Maison des Artistes: France's largest association for visual artists, with which Arcad partners on the Manifeste des Arts Visuels. Comparable in that it provides administrative, social security, and advocacy services specifically to French visual artists.
• FEDELIMA: Federation of contemporary music venues in France. Comparable as a French non-profit network supporting live music infrastructure, although focused on venues rather than individual artists and festivals.
• Jazz à Vienne: Established French jazz festival. Comparable in that it is a recurring jazz event combining ticketed indoor performances with free outdoor programming, similar to Arcad's Anglet Jazz Festival structure.
• Jazz in Marciac: Major French jazz festival. Comparable in format and audience as a recurring regional jazz event, although at significantly larger scale than Arcad's Anglet Jazz Festival.

Emerging players

• Le Pont des Arts: French artist residency and support organization. Comparable in providing multi-service support to visual artists including career development and exhibitions.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Export de la Musique Française: National organization supporting French music internationally. Comparable in mission (artist and music advocacy) but operating at national scale rather than regional artist support.
• AGESSA: French social security management body for artists and authors. Comparable in that it administers artist remuneration and social contributions, the same regulatory space in which Arcad's Pôle intermittence operates.

Regional players

• FRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine (MECA): Regional contemporary art fund and venue in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Comparable as a regional institution supporting visual artists in the same southwestern France territory that Arcad serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcad64

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arcad