Le REFRAIN

What Le REFRAIN does

Le REFRAIN is a nonprofit alliance founded in 2020 to support independent regional artistic festivals through advocacy, promotion, networking, resource sharing, professionalization, and sustainable-development practices. It reports 110 member festivals and events across all 16 Quebec administrative regions, spanning 10 artistic disciplines and more than 10,000 artists presented annually across 650 days of festivities. REFRAIN itself has 1-10 employees; the reported 325 permanent and 2,000 part-time employees belong to the broader member-festival network.

Its principal digital product is ACCÈS REFRAIN, a web and mobile platform for borrowing and sharing equipment, exchanging services, and pooling specialized personnel across Quebec and Canada. The platform supports iOS 13.4+ and Android 8+ and is accompanied by a public festival directory searchable by region, activity type, and date. No public or partner-facing API, SDK, or developer portal is disclosed.

REFRAIN recruits eligible nonprofit cultural events with budgets under $5 million through an application process and distributes ACCÈS REFRAIN through web and mobile self-service channels. The platform carries a $100 annual subscription for eligible members and Canadian nonprofit organizations involved in event organization; membership dues and government grants are additional funding channels, but their amounts are not disclosed.

Name

Le REFRAIN

Legal name

Regroupement des festivals régionaux artistiques indépendants

Website

https://lerefrain.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Le REFRAIN is a nonprofit alliance supporting independent regional arts festivals through advocacy, promotion, networking, and ACCÈS REFRAIN, a web and mobile platform for sharing equipment, services, talent, and festival information across Quebec and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Festival Alliance & Resource Sharing

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

Keywords

• Festival industry alliance
• Cultural event network
• Resource sharing platform
• Arts festival advocacy
• Festival directory discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Sainte-thérèse

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from active members, associate members, and network members. Membership categories include organizations meeting eligibility criteria for cultural festivals with budgets under $5 million.
2. ACCÈS REFRAIN Platform Subscription: Annual subscription revenue at $100/year for the resource-sharing platform, providing access to equipment sharing, service exchanges, and talent pooling.
3. Government Grants and Funding: Financial support from government bodies including Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Quebec Council for Cooperation and Mutuality, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Quebec Arts and Letters Council, Ministry of Culture and Communications, and Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Le REFRAIN is a non-profit alliance that unites, represents, and supports 110 independent regional artistic festivals across Quebec's 16 administrative regions through advocacy, networking, professional development, and resource mutualization. Its flagship ACCÈS REFRAIN platform enables member festivals to share equipment, exchange services, and pool talent, complemented by a public festival directory, the Festivaler! podcast, the Horizons media-training project, and the Tournée EKOTE eco-responsibility tour.

Product overview

Le REFRAIN is a coalition representing independent regional artistic festivals across Quebec. The organization operates ACCÈS REFRAIN as its primary digital platform—a resource-sharing marketplace enabling member festivals to share equipment, exchange services, and pool resources. Additional offerings include Festivaler! Le balado (a podcast series), Project Horizons (media training for emerging journalists), and Tournée EKOTE (eco-responsibility initiative). These products collectively support festival operations, visibility, and sustainable practices across Quebec's independent arts festival ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACCÈS REFRAIN: A resource-sharing platform for sharing and borrowing equipment, exchanging services, and pooling talents across Quebec and Canada among member festivals.
• HORIZONS
• EKOTE
• Festivaler!

Products and services

• ACCÈS REFRAIN

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• TéléQuébecmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec's public media partner providing visibility and promotional support for cultural events.
• La Fabrique CulturellemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural media platform partnership providing promotional coverage of festivals and cultural content.
• Partage ClubcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical support provider for the ACCÈS REFRAIN platform, offering support via email and in-app messaging Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-refrain

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 Le REFRAIN