” It is the end. Juliette Armanet’s hit will thrill thousands of spectators in a few minutes on the shores of Lake Bourget, in Aix-les-Bains in Savoie, for the first of five days of Musilac. Last year, Rémi Perrier, one of the creators of the festival, also pronounced these words. Not to sing The last day of disco, but to take stock of the edition which celebrated the 20th anniversary of the biggest festival in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. After two years of cancellation due to Covid-19, the 2022 edition did not live up to the expectations of its founders. The deficit amounted to 1.2 million euros.
Neither one nor two, loyal festival-goers, donors and politicians mobilized so that a few months later… Musilac 2023 would finally be announced and could be held.
The weight of festival-goers
Unlike last year, one evening was sold out before the doors opened and over 85,000 tickets were sold. The festival-goers were there. “When I learned that there might not be new editions, I was very disappointed,” says Kathleen, 27. I couldn’t believe it, like many Musilac regulars. I even saw that there were petitions that had been launched. For this woman from Aix, Musilac means “the start of the summer”. Since she was 11, she has not missed any edition even after moving to Nice in 2020.
Same state of mind for Théo. For him, “it was unthinkable for Musilac to stop”. This 27-year-old Chambérien “grew up” with it. “My first edition was in 2003, I was 7 years old. And then, from 2007, I didn’t miss any. My musical culture was built around Musilac’s programming. He saw me grow but I also saw him evolve, in the size of the stages and the audience, which went from 6,000 to 30,000 spectators in twenty years. He was “afraid” to see the extinction of what represents “the rendezvous awaited all year”. In his own way, he has “contributed a little”, in particular by doing “free communication” by being the administrator of the Facebook page of 15,000 people named after the festival since 2014. “It’s so that the festival can continue to live he says.
“Coherent” programming to attract the public
According to Théo, and other “faithful”, the year 2022 has been “catastrophic” for, among other things, its programming “not strategic”. But this year, Musilac has “put the package”. Also in the events sector, the Chambérien analyzes: “The public is complicated. There are three generations of pop-rock to satisfy. Festival-goers pay for a whole, they are not ready to put more than 60 euros for a single artist, especially when, in 2008, the place was 38 euros. This year, the art direction has a more consistent distribution. And then there is Indochina as a safe bet and Artic Monkeys almost exclusively nationally”.
In addition to these headliners, a more rap touch is also on the menu to “attract younger generations”. “It has to speak to everyone,” says Theo. The community being made up of 80% of inhabitants of the region. “We are very attached to this festival and we will do everything so that it can continue to live,” he adds.
” See you next year “
And it’s on the right track. With 85,000 tickets sold before the doors open, the objective has therefore been achieved to be in financial balance, according to Rémi Perrier. “There are places left, except for Friday, he breathes, just before the doors open. It’s good news ! It’s rare. In history, there must have been only a dozen full evenings. We are reassured, we are happy because each year, we put our heads back on the block. Last year, we were really scared, we spent short nights. But we are still here! And it is presented under the best auspices. »
If a twenty-first edition was able to see the light of day, it is therefore thanks to “several actors”. “We can’t do it alone, assures the organizer. We found energy, signs of affection and we got the machine back on the road. And in these aficionados, Musilac was able to count on the support of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to perk up.
The grant granted has increased from 50,000 to 220,000 euros. This makes the region the first financial partner of the festival. “We could not let such an emblematic event of our territory disappear, explains Sophie Rotkopf, vice-president delegate for culture and heritage. By saving Musilac, we also wanted to show that we weren’t letting the Savoyards down in the cultural offer on offer, but also the town and all the economic spin-offs generated. » She assures him, this help will be « in continuity ». “We didn’t do all this for just one year”, she said during the inauguration before promising: “Long live Musilac” and “see you next year!” “.