In conversation with Pascal Bittard at MaMA festival 2023

On October 12, during the 14th edition of the MaMA festival, Pascal Bittard was interviewed by journalist Ouafae Mameche Belabbes. On this occasion, IDOL’s president looked back on his career, from his early days at Sony, to the founding of a company now present in five key territories, explaining the evolution of digital technology and music consumption patterns. Considered a pioneer in music distribution, and one of Billboard’s 100 International Power players, Pascal Bittard explains how he came to set up his company, and why he has always insisted on remaining independent: “I like this David versus Goliath position,” he reveals.

At a time when Deezer and Spotify were still in their infancy, the IDOL founder recounts the first labels to place their trust in the company, and how new signings are chosen collegially. ” I’d say it’s our quality of work and service that convinces artists to sign,” he confides.

In this interview, Pascal Bittard also takes the time to discuss current issues in the music industry: the phenomenon of entrepreneurial artists, fake streams and the different remuneration models for streaming.

00.36 – Pascal Bittard’s career path, pioneering digital distribution
04.47 – The first IDOL signatures
06.55 – The evolution of the industry and the advent of streaming
13.00 – Independence is at the core of our model
16.59 – Our labels, selectivity is in our DNA
20.30 – A team of passionate experts
22.57 – Should you be an artist-entrepreneur?
28.58 – Artist & label services, tailor-made services and offers
31.32 – The world is our playground
34.43 – Labelcamp, a state-of-the-art tracking and monitoring interface
36.43 – Streaming remuneration models
43.26 – Fake streams
45.55 – Prospects for the future