BI:POLE

What BI:POLE does

BI:POLE is an independent, privately-held artist management and booking agency founded in 2009 and headquartered at the Friche la Belle de Mai cultural complex in Marseille, France. The company represents an international roster of more than 60 electronic music artists spanning dub, bass music, techno, house, afro-urban, and experimental genres, with artists originating from France, the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil, Argentina, the USA, and Australia. Its core service is full-service talent representation — booking, tour production, artist development, publishing, communication strategy, and career management — delivered to festival promoters, club and venue operators, and the artists themselves.

The business is structured around four revenue-generating activities: (1) commission-based artist booking and tour production for festival and club circuits; (2) festival production through its flagship Le Bon Air event and the Basses Fréquences festival operated via subsidiary Savon Noire; (3) record label operations through wholly-owned subsidiary Gros:Œuvre; and (4) ongoing artist management services. The company distributes its roster through direct sales relationships with European, African, and international festival promoters and venues, supplemented by earned media coverage in music press (Resident Advisor, Mixmag, FACT Magazine, DJ Mag) and radio (BBC Radio 1, FIP, Rinse FM, NTS). A team of approximately 108 employees, led by Director Julia Cappelle and Deputy Director Anaïs Monaco, runs booking, production, communication, administration, and label operations across the group.

BI:POLE has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and operates as a standalone private cultural enterprise. Its competitive position rests on the breadth of its artist roster, the guaranteed performance pipeline provided by its owned festivals, and 15 years of accumulated reputation in the European and international electronic music scene.

Name

BI:POLE

Legal name

BI:POLE

Website

https://bi-pole.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BI:POLE is an independent artist management and booking agency founded in 2009 in Marseille, representing 60-80+ international electronic music artists and operating the Le Bon Air festival, Basses Fréquences festival, and Gros:Œuvre record label.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artist Management & Booking Services

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Music Booking (Bands, Soloists, DJs) (HSACAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB), Record Labels (Major & Independent) (MPAIAAAA)

Keywords

• Artist management services
• Music booking agency
• Festival production services
• Tour production coordination
• Electronic music agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Artist Booking & Tour Production: Commission-based booking fees from artist tours and live performances across international festival and club circuits.
2. Festival Production: Revenue from organizing and producing major electronic music festivals including Le Bon Air and Basses Fréquences.
3. Artist Management & Development: Ongoing artist management services including publishing, communication strategy, and career development support.
4. Label Operations (Gros:Œuvre): Record label operations through subsidiary Gros:Œuvre, managing music releases and associated revenues.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BI:POLE is an independent artist management and booking agency that represents over 80 international electronic music artists and offers comprehensive services including tour booking, tour production, artist development (creation, management, publishing, communication, and strategy). The agency also produces flagship music festivals (Le Bon Air and Basses Fréquences) and operates the Gros:Œuvre record label, providing a vertically integrated platform for electronic music artists.

Product overview

BI:POLE is an independent artist management and booking agency founded in 2009, based in Marseille, France at Friche la Belle de Mai. The company operates as a unified talent agency offering artist booking, tour production, and artistic development services combining creation, management, publishing, communication, and strategy. BI:POLE has founded major events including the Le Bon Air Festival and manages subsidiary operations through Savon Noire agency (running the Basses Fréquences festival) and the Gros:Œuvre record label. The agency's artist roster spans over 60 acts across electronic music, dub, bass music, afro-urban, and experimental genres, representing artists from France, Europe, Africa, and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Booking & Talent Management Full-service artist booking and talent management for international and local electronic music artists, covering touring, live performance bookings, and representation.
• Tour Production End-to-end tour production services including logistics, scheduling, and coordination for represented artists across Europe and internationally.
• Artistic Development Support Comprehensive artist development services combining creation, management, publishing, communication, and strategic planning for represented artists.
• Le Bon Air Festival Major electronic music festival founded by BI:POLE in Marseille, showcasing emerging and established artists from the roster.
• Basses Fréquences Festival

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded major festival Le Bon Air
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friche la Belle de MaicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBi:Pole is a resident, member, and co-operator of the Musiques Actuelles venues at Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille, one of France's most important cultural centers. This provides permanent office space and venue access.
• Savon NoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary artist agency created by Bi:Pole, operating the Basses Fréquences Festival. Represents the agency's commitment to artist development and festival production.
• Gros:Œuvre (Label)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecord label founded by Bi:Pole, supporting artist releases and music production as part of comprehensive artist development services.
• Nyami Nyami RecordsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZimbabwe-based label releasing Bantu Spaceship's debut album. Bi:Pole books the artist internationally.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UTA (United Talent Agency): Global talent agency with music, electronic, and live touring divisions. Competes with Bi:Pole for artist representation in the electronic music space with substantially broader client services.
• CAA (Creative Artists Agency): Largest global talent agency with electronic music representation capabilities. A natural competitor for premium electronic music acts on Bi:Pole's roster, particularly those scaling toward mainstream commercial appeal.
• Paradigm Talent Agency: Major global talent agency with a significant electronic/dance music division. Competes for the same roster artists as Bi:Pole but at much larger scale, also offering film/TV/book publishing representation that Bi:Pole does not.
• WME (William Morris Endeavor): Global talent and entertainment agency with an electronic music booking arm. Represents many of the same festival-tier electronic artists that Bi:Pole books, but with vastly broader scope in music, film, TV, sports, and live events.

Direct peers

• Primary Talent International: London-based booking agency representing electronic, indie, and alternative artists for international touring. Operates a comparable agency model to Bi:Pole with artist management, live booking, and tour production services.
• Coda Agency: UK-based artist booking agency specializing in electronic, dance, and club music — a direct peer that books DJs and electronic acts for festivals and clubs internationally, mirroring Bi:Pole's core booking business with shared target markets and roster-style management.
• Eat Your Heart Out Agency: Independent booking and event agency focused on electronic and club music internationally. Direct peer to Bi:Pole with similar artist booking and tour coordination services for electronic music acts.
• Sónar Festival: Major electronic music festival and congress held annually in Barcelona with associated touring/promotion operations. A peer festival organizer in the European electronic music scene where Bi:Pole artists frequently perform.

Others

• Hiventy / Reservoir (music publishing): Independent music publishing company administering rights for songwriters and catalogues. Adjacent peer in the publishing/administration layer that Bi:Pole offers for its roster artists as part of its management services.

Regional players

• Le Sucre (Lyon venue operator): Electronic music venue and concert series in Lyon (France). Overlaps with Bi:Pole's club-venue booking segment as a regional French operator programming electronic music acts with shared artist-pool exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bi_pole
• Facebookfacebook.com/bi.pole
• Instagraminstagram.com/bi_pole
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bi-pole

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 BI:POLE