FESTIVAL PAROLES & MUSIQUES

What FESTIVAL PAROLES & MUSIQUES does

Festival Paroles & Musiques is an annual music festival organized by PM PRODUCTION, a privately held entertainment company headquartered in Saint-Étienne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. Founded in 2018 and operating with a lean team of 5 employees, the festival runs for seven days each May (May 18-24, 2026 for the latest edition) across four venues in Saint-Étienne: Le Solar, La Comète, Le Fil, and the Zénith arena. The programming features 30+ French-speaking artists spanning chanson, pop, rock, electro, rap, jazz, and folk, with the 2026 lineup including headliners Feu! Chatterton, Georgio, Vincent Delerm, and Terrenoire. The festival also operates the Paroles de Zinc OFF program (free concerts in 10 city-center bars), Paroles de Femmes (creative writing workshops for women in partnership with Giddy Up and Amicale Laique du Crêt de Roch), and an Eco Festival sustainability initiative. A 2026 extension, Fest'U at Université Jean Monnet's Campus Tréfilerie, adds a free campus concert on May 29.

The business model combines consumer ticket sales with institutional public funding. Ticket revenue is generated through tiered pricing (full-price, -50% solidarity rates for children, job seekers, and RSA beneficiaries, student reductions, group/committee rates) and a bundled Weekend Pass for Le Fil and Zénith venues. Tickets are distributed online via the Triumph platform, at the festival's physical bureau, and through third-party channels including Pass Région, Pass Culture, and Laboge.fr. Institutional revenue flows from Ville de Saint-Étienne, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Département de la Loire, Sacem, and Centre National de la Musique, complemented by corporate sponsorship from Crédit Mutuel and media partnership with Activ Radio. The festival operates under French entertainment licenses (PLATESV-R-2022-003149 / PLATESV-R-2022-003151) and combines event-driven consumer marketing (social media, newsletter, press) with partner-channel promotion. There is no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML components, and no disclosed digital revenue beyond ticketing. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

FESTIVAL PAROLES & MUSIQUES

Legal name

PM PRODUCTION

Website

https://festivalpm.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Festival Paroles & Musiques is an annual music festival in Saint-Étienne, France, organized by PM PRODUCTION since 2018. It features 30+ French artists across four venues plus free Paroles de Zinc bar concerts, Paroles de Femmes workshops, and operates with a 5-person team on ticket sales and institutional funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Festival & Event Producers/Organizers (MPAIAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA), Live Music Venues & Concert Bars (THAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Music festival
• Live concerts
• Cultural events
• Festival organization
• Live entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Étienne

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. Ticket sales: Primary revenue stream from selling tickets to festival events across various price tiers including full-price, reduced rates for students/unemployed/RSA recipients, and free admission for certain Paroles de Zinc events.
2. Pass Week-end: Weekend pass offering access to concerts at Le Fil and Zénith venues from May 24-26, providing bundled ticket revenue.
3. Sponsorship and partnerships: Revenue from institutional partners including Ville de Saint-Étienne, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Loire Department, and corporate sponsors such as Crédit Mutuel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Festival Paroles & Musiques is an annual multi-venue music festival held in Saint-Étienne, France, presenting French-speaking artists across venues including Le Solar, La Comète, Le Fil, and Zénith. The event runs over multiple days (May 18-24, 2026 edition) and bundles the core program with satellite offerings such as free Paroles de Zinc bar concerts, Paroles de Femmes creative writing workshops, and an Eco Festival sustainability program. Tickets and weekend passes are sold directly to the public via an online platform and a physical festival bureau.

Product overview

Festival Paroles & Musiques is a single annual music festival event held in Saint-Étienne, France. The core product is the festival itself featuring artist performances across four venues (Le Solar, La Comète, Le Fil, Zénith). Supporting sub-products include Paroles de Zinc (free Off festival concerts in city bars), Paroles de Femmes (women's creative writing workshops), and Eco Festival (environmental initiative). Additional services include a Weekend Pass for multi-venue access, accessibility services (PMR-PSH), a volunteer program, and ticketing services with various pricing tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Paroles de Zinc: The Off festival featuring free concerts in bars throughout Saint-Étienne city center, showcasing local talents from diverse musical backgrounds.
• Paroles de Femmes

Products and services

• Festival Paroles & Musiques 2026 Core annual music festival presenting French-speaking artists across multiple Saint-Étienne venues, for the general public and music enthusiasts seeking live concerts in chanson, pop, rock, electro, rap, jazz, and folk genres.
• Festival Pass Week-end Weekend pass granting access to all concerts at Le Fil and Zénith venues across the festival weekend, sold as a bundled ticket offering to festival attendees.
• Paroles de Zinc Off-festival sub-program featuring free concerts in 10 bars across Saint-Étienne city center, showcasing local and emerging artists from various musical backgrounds.
• Paroles de Femmes Creative writing workshops for women (cis and trans), organized with Giddy Up and Amicale Laïque du Crêt de Roch, providing artistic practice development and culminating in a live performance.
• Eco Festival Environmental sustainability program embedded in the festival, featuring reusable cups, waste recycling, seasonal catering, and promotion of clean transportation and carpooling for attendees.
• Accessibility Services (PMR-PSH) Accessibility services for people with reduced mobility (PMR-PSH), including dedicated pricing, guided assistance, and accessible seating across all festival venues.
• Ticketing Services Ticketing service offering online and in-person sales across multiple price tiers, including solidarity rates for children under 12, job seekers, RSA beneficiaries, students under 26, and group/CE bookings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission for Paroles de Zinc events and Danyl concert at Fest'U campus
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Ville de Saint-ÉtienneflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Saint-Étienne is the primary institutional partner, hosting the festival across multiple venues including Le Solar, La Comète, Le Fil, and Zénith. Provides municipal support and promotion through city channels.
• Région Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional council provides institutional funding and support for the festival as part of regional cultural development initiatives.
• Département de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLoire Department provides departmental funding and support for cultural events in the territory.
• SacemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSacem (Société des auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique) supports the festival as a music rights organization committed to supporting musical creation and live performances.
• Centre National de la Musique (CNM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational music center provides institutional support and funding for the festival as part of France's music industry development.
• Giddy UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Paroles de Femmes program, working with festival to provide creative writing workshops for women and support artistic development.
• Amicale Laique du Crêt de RochcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal education association partners for Paroles de Femmes workshops and Paroles de Zinc events at La Cale venue.
• Fest'U / Université Jean Monnet (UJM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity campus hosts Fest'U event featuring Danyl concert on May 29, 2026. Provides free admission campus venue for festival extension.
• Activ RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional radio partner providing media coverage and promotion for festival events and artists.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Festival Beauregard: Annual music festival in Normandy, France, mixing headliners with emerging acts across several stages. Comparable in multi-venue programming, regional French focus, and similar audience development trajectory.
• Nuits de Fourvière: Annual performing arts and music festival held in Lyon, also in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, programming across multiple venues including intimate and large-capacity sites. Closely comparable to Festival Paroles & Musiques in regional French context, multi-venue architecture, and French-language artist focus.
• Festival Pause Guitare: Annual music festival in Albi, France, programming emerging and established artists across multiple stages. Comparable as a mid-size regional French festival with similar multi-day, multi-genre, and institutional partnership structure.
• Festival Papillons de Nuit: Annual multi-stage music festival in Normandy, France, featuring established and emerging French and international artists. Comparable as a mid-size French regional festival with similar multi-day programming and institutional support model.
• Festival Jazz à Vienne: Long-running music festival in Vienne, France (also Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), combining headline and emerging acts across multiple venues. Comparable as a regional French music festival with multi-venue format and similar institutional and sponsor backing.
• Solidays: Paris-based music festival organized around a solidarity and public health mission, with free or reduced access programs. Comparable as a French festival combining commercial programming with explicit solidarity/accessibility positioning similar to Festival Paroles & Musiques' pricing model.
• La Route du Rock: Independent music festival in Brittany, France, programming across multiple venues with a curated indie/alternative focus. Comparable as an independent, mid-size French music festival with multi-venue architecture and curated artist discovery.

Broad incumbents

• Les Eurockéennes de Belfort: One of France's largest outdoor rock and music festivals, with broader genre reach and significantly larger audience scale. Comparable as a multi-stage French festival competing for similar artist and sponsor pools, but at a much larger scale.
• Le Printemps de Bourges: Major French music festival in Bourges known for launching emerging artists across multiple venues. Comparable in French-language discovery focus and multi-venue format, but operates at substantially larger national scale.

Others

• SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique): French collective rights management organization supporting live music and creators, already a core institutional partner of Festival Paroles & Musiques. Included as an adjacent ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@festivalparolesmusiques42
• Facebookfacebook.com/festivalpm42
• Instagraminstagram.com/festivalpm42
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-paroles-musiques

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 FESTIVAL PAROLES & MUSIQUES