A Tempo

What A Tempo does

A Tempo is a founder-owned French music retailer operating two physical storefronts in Le Puy-en-Velay and Saint-Étienne, both within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The company sells new and used musical instruments (saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, brass) sourced from manufacturers including Selmer, Yamaha, King, Jupiter, Buffet Crampon, Fender, and Ozark, alongside music accessories, sheet music, and pedagogical materials. It also rents instruments to students and musicians on a recurring basis.

Beyond retail, A Tempo offers specialized repair services distributed across its two locations: lutherie (string instrument repair) at the Le Puy-en-Velay workshop managed by trained luthier Damien Lagarde, and wind/brass/woodwind instrument repair at the Saint-Étienne atelier staffed by ITEMM-certified technicians (CAP Facteur d'instruments à vent). All team members are themselves practicing musicians, supporting both service credibility and customer-facing expertise.

The business operates with no external funding and is organized as two French private limited entities (SARL for Saint-Étienne, SAS for Le Puy). GTM is direct-to-consumer through physical retail, with an online partition reservation form feeding in-store pickup, and a Pass Culture merchant partnership that grants access to French-government subsidized youth consumers aged 15–18. Pricing on disclosed used instruments ranges from €600 to €2,850; services and rentals are not publicly priced.

Name

A Tempo

Legal name

A Tempo Saint-Étienne – SARL 522 504 554 00026 / A Tempo Le Puy – SAS 829 851 880 00023

Website

https://atempo-music.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A Tempo is a founder-owned French music retailer operating two physical stores in Le Puy-en-Velay and Saint-Étienne, selling new and used musical instruments, sheet music, and accessories while offering specialized lutherie and wind instrument repair, instrument rentals, and a Pass Culture merchant channel targeting student musicians and educators in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Retail

NAICS

Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Repair, Maintenance & Luthier Services (CRALAEAF), Instrument Rentals & Leasing (Band/Orchestra Programs) (CRALAEAG), Used & Vintage Musical Instruments Retail (CRALAEAH), Instrument Accessories & Consumables Retail (Strings, Reeds, Sticks, Cables) (CRALAEAE)

Keywords

• Musical instrument retail
• Instrument repair services
• Lutherie services
• Instrument rental
• Sheet music sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Puy-en-Velay

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Musical instrument sales: Sale of new and used musical instruments including saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, and brass instruments. Products range from entry-level to professional-grade instruments from brands such as Selmer, Yamaha, King, Jupiter, Buffet Crampon, Fender, and Ozark.
2. Repair and maintenance services: Workshop services for instrument repair and maintenance, including lutherie (Le Puy) and wind instrument repair (Saint-Étienne). Revenue generated through service fees for inspection, adjustment, and restoration work.
3. Instrument rental: Rental of musical instruments to students and musicians, providing flexible access to instruments without full purchase commitment.
4. Music sheet and pedagogy sales: Sale of music scores, sheet music, and pedagogical accessories for music education. Includes special orders through online reservation system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A Tempo operates two physical music stores in Le Puy-en-Velay and Saint-Étienne, France, selling new and used musical instruments (saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, brass), sheet music, and pedagogical accessories. The stores also offer instrument rentals and specialized repair services: lutherie for string instruments at Le Puy and wind/brass/woodwind instrument repair at Saint-Étienne, performed by certified technicians.

Product overview

A Tempo is a French music retail chain consisting of two physical stores located in Le Puy-en-Velay and Saint-Étienne, France. The company offers a unified retail experience combining the sale of new and used musical instruments (saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, brass instruments), sheet music, and music accessories. The two locations provide complementary specialized services: the Le Puy store features a lutherie workshop for string instrument repairs, while the Saint-Étienne store specializes in woodwind and brass instrument repairs. Both locations offer instrument rental services. The product portfolio is centered around physical retail with service offerings including repairs, rentals, and sheet music sales, with no digital or SaaS products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vente d'instruments de musique (new instruments) Sale of new musical instruments including saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, and brass instruments from brands such as King, Selmer, Yamaha, Fender, Jupiter, Buffet Crampon, and Ozark, targeting amateur and professional musicians and music students in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
• Instruments d'occasion (Occas' du Puy and Occas' de Saint-Étienne) Used and second-hand musical instruments sold at both store locations, including saxophones, clarinets, flutes, guitars, and brass instruments, typically serviced before sale and available at various price points (e.g., 600€–2,850€ for saxophones).
• Lutherie et réparation d'instruments à vent Specialized instrument repair and maintenance services: lutherie (string instrument repair) at the Le Puy-en-Velay workshop managed by trained luthier Damien Lagarde, and wind/brass/woodwind instrument repair at the Saint-Étienne atelier staffed by ITEMM-certified technicians.
• Location d'instruments Rental of musical instruments for students and musicians, providing flexible access to instruments without full purchase commitment, available at both store locations.
• Partitions de musique et accessoires pédagogiques Sale of sheet music, music scores, and pedagogical accessories for music education, including Fuzeau editions and special-order partitions via online reservation with in-store pickup.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Albaynac MusiquecoreOthers · 1 April 2021A Tempo Saint-Étienne shares physical premises with Albaynac Musique at 8 Place Villeboeuf. This co-location arrangement places both music businesses together, creating a combined offering for customers. Albaynac Musique was the original employer of A Tempo co-founders Nicolas and Myriam from 2000-2003 before they founded A Tempo in 2010.
• Pass CultureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Pass Culture, a French government cultural initiative for young people aged 15-18. A Tempo locations offer Pass Culture credits for instrument and music purchases, allowing teenagers to use their cultural allowance at the stores.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sonovente: French online music retailer specializing in instruments, sheet music, and accessories. Comparable to A Tempo on core product mix and French market focus, but competes primarily on price and online convenience rather than in-store service and repair expertise.
• Thomann: Europe's largest musical instrument retailer, headquartered in Germany with a massive catalog spanning instruments, pro audio, and accessories across online and physical channels. Comparable to A Tempo as a multi-channel musical instrument retailer, though operating at vastly greater scale and with a broader assortment.
• Woodbrass: Leading French online musical instrument retailer offering instruments, accessories, and pro audio with nationwide delivery. Closely comparable to A Tempo on core merchandising (instruments, sheet music, accessories) and serves the same French customer base, but competes via scale, pricing, and online reach rather than service specialism.
• La Flûte de Pan: Independent French musical instrument retailer with a long history of selling woodwind, brass, and string instruments along with sheet music. Closely comparable to A Tempo on product mix (wind instruments and partitions) and on independent specialist positioning, though historically more Paris-centric.

Others

• Allegro Musique: France-based platform connecting students with private music teachers nationwide. Adjacent rather than directly competitive to A Tempo, but serves overlapping musician-student segments and could be considered a complementary ecosystem participant in the French music education market.

Broad incumbents

• Star's Music: Established French chain of multi-category music stores (instruments, pro audio, lighting, recording) with physical locations in major French cities. Comparable to A Tempo as a French specialist music retailer, but operates as a broad incumbent with much larger stores, broader assortment, and a wider geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@atempo7450
• Facebookfacebook.com/ATEMPOSaintEtienne
• Instagraminstagram.com/atempo_saint_etienne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-tempo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 A Tempo