Drom

What Drom does

Drom (Association Drom) is a French non-profit cultural association (association loi 1901) founded in June 2001 in Brittany by Erik Marchand and Gaby Kerdoncuff, dedicated to the promotion, transmission, and professionalization of modal music of oral tradition. The organization operates a tiered educational ecosystem centered on Kreiz Breizh Akademi (KBA), a discontinuous ~400-hour certified professional training cycle (RS5509) in which cohorts of 10-18 musicians develop an original collective artistic project, release an album, and tour professional stages over a 24-month professional accompaniment phase. To date, Drom has produced 10 KBA collectives (Norkst through Mémé K7), trained 139 musicians, and certified 135, with an overall 98% certification success rate and 93% six-month professional placement rate.

The core methodology is oral transmission, conducted without written musical notation, focusing on modal scales, rhythm, variation, and improvisation specific to Breton and global oral-tradition music. The product portfolio includes the long KBA cycle, the condensed ~200-hour Parcours Musiques Modales (PMM) for experienced professionals, short professional workshops (14-35 hours, €840-€1,925) in Brittany and abroad covering traditions from the Balkans to Asia Minor and Moldova, and a second competency certification (RS7502) for short courses. Drom runs the Pôle International des Musiques Modales resource center, the modalmusic.eu pedagogical portal, and the biennial Colloque de la modalité symposium at Le Quartz in Brest. Supporting programs include discovery workshops, EAC (Education Artistique et Culturelle) school interventions, and custom à la carte training.

Drom generates revenue from tuition fees (KBA at €8,600, workshops €30-€1,925), annual membership dues (€5), and production/distribution income from touring collectives. The dominant funding line is public subsidies from Région Bretagne, DRAC Bretagne, three departments (Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, Morbihan), and cultural organizations (ADAMI, SPEDIDAM, CNM, FAMDT, FDVA), supplemented by trainee access to AFDAS, CPF, and Qualif Emploi funding channels. Drom is Qualiopi-certified since July 2021, holds a live-performance show license, and operates from Brest with a team of approximately 10 employees under Director Catherine Bihan Loison. Founder and long-time artistic director Erik Marchand passed away in 2025.

Name

Drom

Legal name

Association Drom

Website

https://drom-kba.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Drom is a French non-profit association founded in 2001 that delivers certified professional training in modal music of oral tradition, centered on the ~400-hour Kreiz Breizh Akademi program and shorter workshops serving professional musicians, music educators, and cultural organizations across Brittany and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education and Training

NAICS

Sound Recording Industries (5122)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Theory, Ear Training & Musicianship (EDAMANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Production, Recording & Audio Engineering (EDAMANAH), Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF)

Keywords

• Modal music training
• Professional music education
• Oral transmission pedagogy
• World music workshops
• Cultural music preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brest

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Fees: Tuition fees for Kreiz Breizh Akademi (€8,600) and short-term workshops (€840-€1,925). Income from certification-earning programs. Pricing varies by program duration and intensity.
2. Public Funding and Subsidies: Core funding from Region Bretagne, DRAC Bretagne, and territorial collectivities (Departments of Finistère, Côtes-d'Armor, Morbihan). Additional support from cultural organizations (FDVA, CNM, ADAMI, SPEDIDAM). Registered as DREETS training organization.
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for supporters (€5 annual adhesion mentioned). Members gain voting rights at general assembly and receive the bimonthly newsletter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Drom is a non-profit association delivering professional music training programs in modal and oral tradition music, centered on the Kreiz Breizh Akademi (KBA) — a certified ~400-hour discontinuous training program preparing musicians for the RS5509 certification. The offering is complemented by the shorter Parcours Musiques Modales (PMM) program (~200 hours), short professional workshops (14-35 hours) covering Balkan, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian modal traditions, custom on-demand training, biennial research conferences on modality, and territorial transmission actions across Brittany.

Product overview

Drom is a non-profit association (organisme de formation professionnelle) founded in 2001, dedicated to promoting and transmitting popular cultures of oral tradition and modal music. Its core offerings form a tiered educational ecosystem centered on Kreiz Breizh Akademi (KBA), a certified ~400-hour professional training program for modal music musicians producing collective orchestras with touring shows and albums, complemented by the shorter Parcours Musiques Modales (PMM) for experienced professionals, and a wide range of short professional workshops (stages) in France and abroad. Supporting these are competency certifications registered with France Compétences (RS5509 and RS7502), an international research network and biennial Colloque de la modalité conference, and territorial transmission actions including workshops and pedagogical concerts. The pedagogical portal modalmusic.eu serves as a digital resource hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kreiz Breizh Akademi (KBA): Professional musical training course dedicated to modal music, featuring approximately 400 hours of training with professionalization support component.

Products and services

• Kreiz Breizh Akademi (KBA) Long-form professional music training course dedicated to modal music, comprising approximately 400 hours of discontinuous training over 12-15 months, followed by 24 months of professional accompaniment including show creation, touring, and album release. Each cohort of 10-18 musicians develops an original artistic project. Since 2021, the course prepares for the RS5509 certification. Tuition: €8,600.
• Parcours Musiques Modales (PMM) Condensed certifying professional training course for experienced artists with an established artistic career and at least 2 years of professional experience. Runs in parallel to KBA, provides approximately 200 hours of training, and prepares for the same RS5509 certification. Targets professional musicians seeking certification without the full 400-hour commitment.
• Professional Workshops (Stages professionnels) Short professional workshops in France and abroad lasting 3 to 5 days (14 to 35 hours), led by international master musicians and pedagogues. Cover diverse modal music traditions including Balkans, Mediterranean, Middle East, Central Asia, and Brittany. Prices range from €840 to €1,925 + €5 adhesion. Lead to the RS7502 certification 'Interpréter une musique du monde de tradition orale'. Examples include Musiques populaires moldaves (Moldova, €1,925), Musique d'Asie Mineure et de la Mer Égée (€1,200), Explorer les musiques des Balkans (€840), and Windborne Singers 3-hour workshop (€30).
• Custom Training (Formations à la carte) Custom-built training programs developed on demand for former KBA trainees and external clients. Includes long courses, master classes, conferences, and pedagogical interventions. Programs are tailored to specific artistic and administrative needs of requesting organizations or individuals.
• Certification Interpréter une musique modale de tradition savante et populaire (RS5509) Professional competency certification registered with France Compétences Répertoire spécifique under reference RS5509 (formerly RNCP24807). Prepares musicians to interpret modal music of learned and popular tradition using non-equal temperament scales, specific rhythms, improvisation, composition, and arrangement in traditional forms. Can be obtained through KBA (~400h), PMM (~200h), or the Caminaires program run by partner Sirventes in Occitania.
• Certification Interpréter une musique du monde de tradition orale (RS7502) Competency certification registered with France Compétences Répertoire spécifique under reference RS7502, active until 28 January 2031. Awarded upon completion of short professional workshops of 3 to 5 days, following evaluation by an independent jury.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% certification success rate across KBA and Caminaires programs combined
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Région BretagnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary public funder and institutional partner. Supports KBA training, professional accompaniment, and territorial actions. Co-funds Qualif Emploi program for job seeker access to training.
• DRAC Bretagne (Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cultural authority providing operational grants and supporting KBA collective creation, EAC projects, and the modality symposium.
• La Grande BoutiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey production partner hosting KBA training sessions in Langonnet. Provides rehearsal spaces, accommodation, and co-produces KBA collective creations.
• Le Quartz - Scène Nationale de BrestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of biennial modality symposiums as part of NoBorder festival. Registered headquarters location. Co-produces KBA#10.
• Festival Interceltique de LorientmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor Celtic festival featuring KBA collectives annually. Co-producer of Mémé K7 (KBA#10) performances.
• Naïade ProductionsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional producer-tourner handling distribution of multiple KBA collectives including Bruulu (KBA#9) and Ba'n Dañs (KBA#8).
• Amzer NevezcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue in Ploemeur hosting KBA training sessions and collective creation residencies. Co-producer of KBA#7 and KBA#8.
• Run Ar PuñscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural center in Châteaulin hosting KBA collective creations. Co-producer of Bruulu (KBA#9) and Ba'n Dañs (KBA#8).
• Festival NoBordermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFestival of popular world music co-created with Le Quartz and Bretagne(s) World Sounds. Hosts biennial modality symposium and showcases KBA collectives.
• FAMDT (Fédération des Associations de Musiques et Danses Traditionnelles)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational federation of traditional music and dance associations. Drom is member; FAMDT co-organizes modality symposium and supports sector networking.
• Bretagne(s) World SoundscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of world music producers in Brittany. Co-creator of NoBorder festival and network for professional cooperation in traditional music.
• DastumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization collecting and preserving Brittany's oral heritage since 1972. Provides resources for KBA training and research on modal music.
• Zone Franche - Réseau des Musiques du MondeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of world music professionals (festivals, venues, labels, media). Drom member for sector representation and project collaboration.
• SirventesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation in Occitanie running the Caminaires training program (parallel to KBA). Joint habilitation for RS5509 certification; alternating program schedules.
• Festival Arrée VoceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual vocal music festival in Brittany. Co-organizes public workshops and concerts featuring modal music traditions from Brittany and Europe.
• L'Appentis ProducteurminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMusic producer label associated with Youenn Le Cam (KBA#6 collective patron). Involved in Pobl' B'ar Machin[e] album production.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Bretagne(s) World Sounds: Brittany-based collective of world music producers that co-creates the NoBorder festival with Drom and Le Quartz. Operates in the same Breton world-music ecosystem with overlapping artist pipelines and producer networks.
• Festival Interceltique de Lorient: Major annual Celtic festival in Brittany that regularly features KBA collectives and co-produces Mémé K7 performances. Operates in overlapping traditional/world-music programming and shares the same territorial and audience base as Drom.

Broad incumbents

• Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Brest: Regional conservatory in Brest partnering with Drom for educational interventions and symposiums. Represents the broader institutional music-education ecosystem where oral-tradition modal music is normally underrepresented.

Direct peers

• Dastum: Organization established in 1972 to collect and preserve Breton oral heritage, providing source archives and research resources to Drom's KBA program. Same region (Brittany), same Breton oral-tradition domain, complementary transmission mission.
• Sirventes: Association in Occitanie running the Caminaires program, the parallel pathway to Drom's KBA. Joint habilitation on RS5509 certification, alternating cohort schedules. Closest direct comparable by mission, certification portfolio, and pedagogical model.

Others

• FAMDT (Fédération des Associations de Musiques et Danses Traditionnelles): National French federation for traditional music and dance associations of which Drom is a member. Co-organizes the modality colloquium and represents Drom at the national sectoral level; comparable in serving a coordinating role across regional traditional-music ecosystems.
• La Grande Boutique: Production center in Langonnet hosting KBA training sessions and co-producing KBA collective creations. Operates a parallel production-transmission model in the same Breton traditional-music ecosystem.
• Le Quartz - Scène Nationale de Brest: National stage venue in Brest that hosts Drom's registered headquarters and co-organizes the modality colloquium and co-produces KBA shows. Comparable as a Brittany-based institutional cultural infrastructure partner rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/memek7_kba10
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-drom

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Drom