2017: Release of debut album Matahari
L’Impératrice decided to focus on France and Europe initially, with the idea of later developing in North America. This territory had been a priority based on streaming figures from the first singles.
2018: Release of Matahari International Edition
The band recorded bonus tracks, some in English, to accompany their first US tour.
IDOL and microqlima selected press and radio partners together and IDOL coordinated the physical release with the local distributor.
Physical release:
– Showcase at Amoeba in San Francisco
– Spotlights and listening stations at Rough Trade in NYC and indie record stores across the country
Radio
– Album ranked in the College Radio Charts (NACC)
– Strong support from KCRW
– Interview with band at UCLA
Online
The band began to be noticed by influential media:
XLR8R: “A radiating pop essence that seems to exist outside of a time and place”
FLAUNT: “L’Impératrice is the latest synth-pop sensation”
LINE OF BEST FIT: “L’Impératrice revitalise the glittering French disco scene”
The new tracks helped regain a foothold with US DSPs and generate media interest. The work paid off, and the tour sold out.
March 2020
– set up promo teams in key territories, including the U.S., and define release strategy
– global pandemic takes music industry by surprise
April 2020
– decision to maintain release of first single ‘Fou’
– campaign launched without album release date
Second half of 2020
– adoption of a long campaign with 6 singles, 2 remixes + live streaming sessions
– creation of a virtual tour in 10 key cities
IDOL has succeeded in turning this handicap into a real asset and raising the group’s profile with DSPs.
+ 67% YouTube subscribers (82.5K -> 124k)
1.6M monthly listeners on Spotify at album release
March 2021
Release of Tako Tsubo album
Release party online live from new studio.
Then weekly events on Instagram
IDOL secured a global partnership with Spotify, which we linked to our billboard campaign in exchange for visibility on their platform in key markets.
Billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles
Spring 2022
Following a European tour, the band embarked on a full 11-date North American tour (Canada, Mexico and the USA), with a triumphant appearance at Coachella.
Variety – “L’Impératrice plays a set to a completely full crowd at #Coachella.”
Market share:
In 2018: France 51% – USA 12.7% – Mexico 3.3%
In 2022: France 25% – United States 18.4% – Mexico 11.2%
Over the first 2 years of operation, Tako Tsubo did 6.5x more streams than Matahari and sold 3x more vinyl.
October 2022
Release of the single ‘Everything Eventually Ends‘ with Rejjie Snow before returning to the studio.
In 4 months, the track reached over 4 million streams on Spotify, 23% of which streamed in the USA and 18% in France.
March 2023
‘Peur des Filles‘, single from Tako Tsubo, is certified gold export single in less than 2 years (15 million streams outside France).
The partnership between the microqlima label and IDOL has helped the band gain status in the US and consolidate a fanbase for the next album.
2017: Release of debut album Matahari
L’Impératrice decided to focus on France and Europe initially, with the idea of later developing in North America. This territory had been a priority based on streaming figures from the first singles.
2018: Release of Matahari International Edition
The band recorded bonus tracks, some in English, to accompany their first US tour.
IDOL and microqlima selected press and radio partners together and IDOL coordinated the physical release with the local distributor.
Physical release:
– Showcase at Amoeba in San Francisco
– Spotlights and listening stations at Rough Trade in NYC and indie record stores across the country
Radio
– Album ranked in the College Radio Charts (NACC)
– Strong support from KCRW
– Interview with band at UCLA
Online
The band began to be noticed by influential media:
XLR8R: “A radiating pop essence that seems to exist outside of a time and place”
FLAUNT: “L’Impératrice is the latest synth-pop sensation”
LINE OF BEST FIT: “L’Impératrice revitalise the glittering French disco scene”
The new tracks helped regain a foothold with US DSPs and generate media interest. The work paid off, and the tour sold out.
March 2020
– set up promo teams in key territories, including the U.S., and define release strategy
– global pandemic takes music industry by surprise
April 2020
– decision to maintain release of first single ‘Fou’
– campaign launched without album release date
Second half of 2020
– adoption of a long campaign with 6 singles, 2 remixes + live streaming sessions
– creation of a virtual tour in 10 key cities
IDOL has succeeded in turning this handicap into a real asset and raising the group’s profile with DSPs.
+ 67% YouTube subscribers (82.5K -> 124k)
1.6M monthly listeners on Spotify at album release
March 2021
Release of Tako Tsubo album
Release party online live from new studio.
Then weekly events on Instagram
IDOL secured a global partnership with Spotify, which we linked to our billboard campaign in exchange for visibility on their platform in key markets.
Billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles
Spring 2022
Following a European tour, the band embarked on a full 11-date North American tour (Canada, Mexico and the USA), with a triumphant appearance at Coachella.
Variety – “L’Impératrice plays a set to a completely full crowd at #Coachella.”
Market share:
In 2018: France 51% – USA 12.7% – Mexico 3.3%
In 2022: France 25% – United States 18.4% – Mexico 11.2%
Over the first 2 years of operation, Tako Tsubo did 6.5x more streams than Matahari and sold 3x more vinyl.
October 2022
Release of the single ‘Everything Eventually Ends‘ with Rejjie Snow before returning to the studio.
In 4 months, the track reached over 4 million streams on Spotify, 23% of which streamed in the USA and 18% in France.
March 2023
‘Peur des Filles‘, single from Tako Tsubo, is certified gold export single in less than 2 years (15 million streams outside France).
The partnership between the microqlima label and IDOL has helped the band gain status in the US and consolidate a fanbase for the next album.