2022's biggest selling albums

 So what were the biggest-selling albums in France last year?

The SNEP website listed the top sellers of 2022, with French artists particularly rap acts - dominating the sales across the country.

Rap artists take the lead in 2022, with Orelsan at the top with his Civilisation album, released in November 2021. It's the second year in a row that Orelsan has topped the French annual sales chart, Civilisation being the best-selling album of 2021, shifting a record of almost 100,000 copies in the first few days of its release and producing two number-one singles including L'odeur de l'Essence, released just ahead of the album. Civilisation sold over 405,000 copies in France in 2022.

The second biggest seller came from Ninho, with his Jefe collection. It sold just over 283,000 copies in France, and while this might seem like quite a gap between it and Orelsan's album, it's a hugely impressive amount for his sixth album, a triple platinum seller that was released in December 2021. 

Stromae sits in third place, with Multitude not far behind the number two seller, amassing sales of just over 241,000. Multitude, released in March last year, followed his massive-selling Racine Carrée album from 2013. Multitude spawned four singles, October 2021's Santé, L'enfer - which reached number one in France in January 2022 - Fils de Joie reaching the top ten in June and Mon Amour, a duet with Camila Cabello.

Rap dominates the top ten, with other albums including Gazo's KMT,  Jul's Extraterrestre, Lomepal's Mauvais Ordre, Vald's V and Tiakola's Melo. For all they might be rap acts, there's a wide range of styles on display here and the figures reveal not only a genre that is commercially successful but is in fine artistic health. 

There are only two female artists in the top ten, with Angèle's  Nonante-Cinq at number six, selling over 185,000 copies in 2022 after its release in December 2021. A re-issue, Nonante-Cinq La Suite followed in November 2022 with six extra tracks.

Clara Luciani's second album Coeur sits at number 10, clocking up just over 155,000 sales over 2022 since its release in June 2021.  Mylène Farmer's L'Emprise is one place behind it with 146,000 sales, and although you would perhaps expect Farmer - probably the most significant performer in France - to be higher in the end-of-year-sales-chart, it's worth remembering that this number one album was only released at the end of November 2022. I'd be surprised if it doesn't feature as one of 2023's biggest sellers too.

What's significant is that out of the top 20 best-selling albums in France in 2022, the overwhelming majority are by Francophone artists. Of the 20 listed, only Ed Sheeran (no. 13), Imagine Dragons (no. 14) and Harry Styles (no.20) fall outside the francosphere.  A deeper look at the SNEP figures shows that in fact 77% of the biggest-selling albums of 2022 are French productions.

A look further down the list reveals many, many more French names. From the familiar - like Renaud, -M-,  Michel Polnareff and even Johnny Hallyday to new acts releasing their debut, it shows that it's not just the significant best-sellers who are Made in France. 

Looking at statistics and focussing on sales doesn't give the whole picture by any means, but it's hard to deny that the figures are very positive and they clearly show that French musical acts remain one of the country's most significant contemporary artistic achievements.

Des Larmes: Another video from Mylène Farmer

A new video from Mylène Farmer, with a clip for Des Larmes another track from her recent Désobéissance album.

If I had to point to one example as to where French music taste and anglo music taste differ vastly it would have to be Mylène. She's probably France's biggest living artist (yes, I know she's from Canada...) and a cultural icon somewhere in an intersection of Madonna, Kate Bush, Lady Gaga and Rimbaud.

But I'd love to hear her take some genuinely unexpected turns with her music. We all know she can do the polite club music with vaguely melancholic lyrics and some vocal gymnastics, but wouldn't it be something if she really went outside her commercially successful comfort zone?

She should step away from working with the likes of Sting (yes, I know it was a number one in France...) and think about a collaboration with Gojira. Maybe guesting on some hard-edged rap? Working with some serious electronic artists?

Still, nine number one albums in France tells its own story. I don't think she'll be in a hurry to change an apparently winning formula. But for the record, I think the work she did with Moby on Bleu noir was one of the best things she's ever done.

Désobéissance has already spawned three number one singles since its release last year. Des Larmes is released in physical formats on June 7 as she begins a series of live shows at the Paris La Défense Arena in Nanterre near Paris.

Mylène Farmer: Live dates in 2019

With the new album by Mylène Farmer on the immediate horizon, radio station Europe 1 say that she will be playing a series of a series of live concerts in 2019.

Europe 1 say that Mylène Farmer will play ten shows at the Paris La Défense arena in Nanterre on the west of Paris.

The Paris La Défense arena is a stadium that can hold 40,000 people when its being used for live concerts.  The 360 million euro building - the biggest concert hall in Europe - has been open since 2017 and regularly hosts sports events and is home to rugby club Racing 92.

The Rolling Stones were the first artists to play there, performing there for three nights in October 2017. Since then, Roger Waters  has played there, with Booba scheduled for next month.

There has been no official confirmation of the shows so far, nor details of the dates or when tickets might be available.

Mylène's last tour was in 2013, with the Timeless tour supporting her 2012 Monkey Me album. That tour saw her perform 39 shows in five countries, France, Switzerland, Russia, Belarus and Belgium. The tour began with with ten nights at Bercy in Paris, the final show of the tour taking place in Nice on December  6 2013.

Ahead of any live dates next year, Mylène has been invited to appear on a TV show focussing on Jean-Paul Gaultier on France 2 next month. The French TV channel is screening a special programme about the French fashion legend, who has influenced a generation of artists in fields including fashion and music.

Gaultier, a friend od Mylène, designed costumes for Mylène's Tour 2009 and Timeless 2013 live shows as well as for some of her videos. Speaking earlier this year, Gaultier said that he could design the costumes for a forthcoming Mylène Farmer tour.

Among the others expected on the show are Catherine Ringer, Indochine and Christine and the Queens.

Mylène releases her 11th studio album, Désobéissance on Friday, a collection that includes the singles Rolling Stone, N'oublie pas and the recently released Sentimentale.

Mylène Farmer: Sentimentale

A new track from the forthcoming new album by Mylène Farmer has emerged, with a video for the track Sentimentale the week ahead of the release of Désobéissance.

It's a fairly basic video, mostly a graphic with what looks like home movies of  Mylène enjoying some down time alone with her dogs. It's perhaps a lower key clip than usual,  no costumes, no locations and no rich cinematography. Instead it has the feel of something more relaxed, perhaps to show a more approachable side to Mylène, or perhaps it was just put together quickly to accompany the release of the track.

Fans will no doubt still be scouring it in minute details to determine exactly the state of Mylène's art.

The single is availeble from all the streaming and legal download platforms. No word as yet on a physical release, but that can't be far away.

Sentimentale is the third track to come out ahead of the release of Désobéissance, following Rolling Stone and N'oublie pas. It was produced by Feder, who aso produced Rolling Stone and is involved in many of the other tracks on the new album,

Désobéissance will inevitably be one of the biggest releases in France this year. The two previous singles have both added to Mylène's impressive collection of number one singles in France since the start of her career in the 80s. It's a fair bet that this one will also make a significant chart impact.

But the real test will be with the release of the new album. It is Mylène's first release on a new label, Sony, so there will perhaps be more eyes measuring its impact than before as well as determining her next moves.

More singles? More film work? A tour? Mylène always keeps her plans well guarded, but the success of the new album may play a significant measure in what Mylène does next.

Mylène Farmer: Désobéissance album details

More details have emerged about the forthcoming Mylène Farmer album, her 11th studio collection and much-anticipated follow up to 2015's Interstellaires.

With its title confirmed as Désobéissance, as suggested during her appearance on the final of the French edition of The Voice, the new collection comes out on September 28.

The cover of the new album features a portrait of Mylène by French photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, an artist who has had close associations with music throughout his career. He's directed videos by French artists including Téléphone, Les Rita Mitsouko and Vanessa Paradis, as well as more recently videos for Carla Bruni, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sébastien Tellier.

He's also created clips for Madonna, Don Henley, Bryan Ferry and Tom Waits, as well as Prince and David Bowie. But no videos for Mylène. So far anyway.

Mylène fans will notice she seems to be dressed in a style that perhaps suggests the period settings of her Libertine and Désenchantée videos, work that very much helped established her career.

The new album features 12 tracks, including the two singles that have been released so far, Rolling Stone and N'oublie pas. Both singles reached number one in France, as did Interstellaires which went on to sell over 300,000 copies.

Désobéissance was around 80% produced by French DJ Feder, who collaborated with her on the Rolling Stone single.

Mylène is probably the biggest music star in France, with the kind of career that Madonna would be envious of,  and the release of a new album will be one of the biggest events of this year's release schedule. Fans are already speculating that tour dates could be just over the horizon for next year.

Pre-sales of the new album have opened, with CD with a booklet, vinyl and a special collector's edition CD available.

Mylène Farmer: N'oublie pas (video)

The video has finally arrived for the new Mylène Farmer single N'oublie pas.

The song is a duet with American singer LP who also features on the video. The clip, directed by long-time Mylène collaborator Laurent Boutonnat, was shot in Iceland, an appropriately dramatic landscape.

Boutonnat has, of course, worked on some of Mylène's most memorable videos since the beginning of her career and has also written some of her most loved songs.

Having an artist like LP alongside Mylène probably won't do her any harm in the anglophone market. In recent years she's worked with Sting, Seal and Moby, and while she's probably France's biggest musical performer, she remains somewhat less of a household name in the UK and USA.

 N'oublie pas follows the release of the single Rolling Stone earlier this year, a collaboration with French DJ Feder which gave her the latest in a long catalogue of number one singles in France.

Farmer has a new album scheduled for later in the year, a follow up to 2015's Interstellaires, expected to be entitled Désobéissance.

While nothing has been confirmed as yet, the possibility of a tour next year has already got her fans in a frenzy.

Mylène Farmer: N'oublie pas

After hinting during her performance on TF1's Chanson de l'année show earlier this month,  Mylène Farmer's new single is indeed called N'oublie pas and is a duet with American singer LP.

The release, which was confirmed earlier this week, is a follow-up to her Rolling Stone single which came out in January.

Rolling Stone, produced by French DJ Feder, reached number one in the French charts. This was the 17th time Mylène reached number one in the French charts with a single since she reached the top of the charts with Libertine in 1986.  Eight singles in a row reached number one between 2008 and 2011.

A video clip, which was filmed in Iceland, was directed by long-time Mylène collaborator  Laurent Boutonnat who not only wrote many of her songs but has also been behind some of Mylène's most memorable promo videos since her Maman a tort debut in 1984. The prospect of the pair working together on a new video will have Mylène's many fans excited.

Farmer has a new album scheduled for later in the year, a follow up to 2015's Interstellaires that looks like it will be called Désobéissance.

With 2018 already seeing Farmer starring in a new film (Ghostland) and a number one single, the rest of the year will be interesting. Will there be a tour in 2019? Will she have another number one single? We'll have to wait and see.

Mylène Farmer: New album details

Mylène Farmer's spoken in a rare interview, confirming her plans for a new album later this year and another single ahead of it following up her recent release Rolling Stone.

She spoke on TF1's JT programme on Sunday night, where she was on to discuss her new film Ghostland.

She confirmed the new album can be expected in the autumn, with another track emerging beforehand. She's currently working on the album and wasn't able to confirm the final release date yet.

Rolling Stone, a track that saw her work with French DJ Feder, gave her another number one single in a career that's seen her establish a record that few other artists seem likely to match.

Mylène attended the premier of the film in Paris last night alongside others in the cast of the film and its director. It goes on general release in France from tomorrow, March 14.

With Mylène probably now the biggest living French music star, a new album's a kind of a big deal. Farmer's new collection comes three years after Interstellaires and as there was no tour to support that release, fans are hoping that 2019 will see her again take to the stage of the arenas and stadiums around France and beyond.

Editorial: March 2018

A successful February on the blog here, the highlight for me being the number of visitors to the site. An absolute record by quite a margin in the last month, not bad especially when you're considering it was the shortest month of the year.

That's all very well, but its the content here that matters at the end of the day. I'm pleased with what I managed to do. As always, could have done more, but there are always a huge number of competing demands on my time and spending time writing planning and organising posts on this blog can often take a back seat.

But on the whole, a successful month. Mostly down to some great releases and news, from Mylene Farmer dropping a new single unexpectedly, to Barbagello touring (most of) the UK, via this year's Victoires de la Musique awards in France.

There was plenty happening last month, and it certainly looks similar in March. The month gets under way with more awards, the César awards on Friday have a serious amount of music related content with Grand Corps Malade up for four awards and 120 battements par minute leading the nominations.

Elsewhere, there are live appearances from Charlotte Gainsbourg in the UK at the end of the month, as well as shows from Kid Francescoli at London's 100 club. Significant releases include the new album from Cats on Trees and Julien Doré, and events in March include the Paris Music Festival which brings musicians to some of the French capital's more interesting locations.

As always, you can contact us at johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the appropriate punctuation where you'd expect it to be.

I'm always pleased to hear from record companies, PR companies and promoters, so do drop me an email. I'm always keen to hear new things, and relay information about acts I already know and love.

The blog is also on Twitter as @viveleroq, although that's pretty much just an autofeed when we update with a new article. You can usually find me on my personal Twitter account quicker, @karnag

If you're around Facebook, remember to like the French Music Podcast UK page, where you can get regular updates with both fresh and vintage French music.

Thanks as always to the good folks at Oui Love Music From France.

John K

Editorial: February 2018

If 2017 went out with a sombre note with the passing of Johnny, 2018 seemed to continue that theme with the death of France Gall. 

A few years ago I noticed that in my day job I was having to write an increasing number of obit pieces for stars of the 60s and 70s, as time began to take its toll. Inevitably there will be more losses to the music scene over 2018, that's part of life and there's no escaping it. But no point in getting too maudlin, I've always been keener to celebrate what's happening now and in the future than to dwell on what has been. The likes of Johnny and France Gall will never be forgotten, but those who continue the work these pioneers began deserve our attention.

As I mentioned elsewhere, 2018 has so far been a year of acts I've previously featured on this blog returning with strong new material. Bagarre, Cats on Trees, Feu! Chatterton, Dominique A and Owlle to name just a few.

It's also been worth noting how France's female artists have been getting some serious recognition. Maybe it's a consequence of Christine and the Queens carrying the flag for French music to an international audience like few others have done in recent years, but maybe France has been a more fertile place for female artists over the preceding decades.

While the likes of Mylene Farmer, Jane Birkin and France Gall have been measured by critics in terms of their male collaborators, their enduring careers tell a story of a popular audience that perhaps welcomes the female artist more that the male music critic does.

Did you notice, incidentally, the run of posts featuring female artists in January? It actually wasn't intentional and just unfolded that way, with the likes of Cats on Trees, Mylene, Owlle etc all getting my attention over a period of time and before I noticed there was more than ten female artists in a row.

One other female artists who will hopefully be attracting some attention in the UK in the near future is Halo Maud, who plays live dates across the country supporting Baxter Dury. Many of the shows are already sold out.

Also taking to the road around the UK is Barbagallo, ahead of their new album to be released in March. Their L'echappee video was one of January's real delights, and their album is likely to be one of 2018's real highlights.

There are also London shows from a few key French acts, with Petit Biscuit at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on February 10, Kungs playing Ministry of Sound on February 17 and a sold-out show from Ibeyi on February 28 at the Electric in Brixton.

Weird statistics this month in terms of visitor numbers, but the only statistic that really matters to us here is the number of posts we managed to make. I know we're a long way from delivering anything like the number of short pieces we did a few years ago, but any month that sees more than 24 posts leaves me happy that I've been doing my job here.

Why 24 posts? Because that was the total we managed to do on the first year of the vive le roq blog. That's right. 24 posts over A WHOLE YEAR. So more than that in a month always feels like some kind of victory!

As always, you can contact us at johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the appropriate punctuation where you'd expect it to be.

I'm always pleased to hear from record companies, PR companies and promoters, so do drop me an email. I'm always keen to hear new things, and relay information about acts I already know and love.

The blog is also on Twitter as @viveleroq, although that's pretty much just an autofeed when we update with a new article. You can usually find me on my personal Twitter account quicker, @karnag

If you're around Facebook, remember to like the French Music Podcast UK page, where you can get regular updates with both fresh and vintage French music.

Thanks as always to the good folks at Oui Love Music From France.

John K

Mylène Farmer: Ghostland film

The trailer has come out of a new horror film Ghostland starring Mylène Farmer, who is now, following the death of Johnny, probably France's biggest music star.

Farmer's last excursion into film was in 1994, with Giorgino, a movie described as a horror/adventure directed by Farmer's regular collaborator Laurent Boutonnat.

Ghostland is directed by Pascal Laugier, a French horror movie director behind movies like Saint Ange, Martyrs and 2012's The Tall Man.

More recently he directed Farmer's City of Love video for the track that featured on her 2015 Interstellaires album.

There was talk of a new Mylène album before the end of 2017, but that came to nothing, but there remains a possibility of a new release later this year with rumours of a 2019 tour to follow an album. We'll see what happens.

Ghostland has a release date of March 14 in France with a premier on March 12 at the Grand Rex in Paris with Mylène Farmer expected to attend the event along with the other stars of the movie.

Mylène Farmer on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

A high-profile appearance by Mylène Farmer in the USA, as she appeared with Sting on the Tonight
Show with Jimmy Fallon performing her single Stolen Car.

It was, surprisingly perhaps, Farmer's US TV debut. Sting is unquestionably a bigger name in the US that Farmer is, and his presence may have helped persuade the show to put her on.

The song was, of course originally by Sting, appearing on his 2003 Sacred Love album.

Farmer's version reached number one in France on its release at the end of August, and features on her  Interstellaires album.

Before they performed their duet, the pair appeared for a brief good humoured interview with Fallon.
There's been more of a focus on establishing Farmer as an artist in the USA with the release of Interstellaires, with an interview appearing in Rolling Stone magazine in September.

An CD EP featuring five remixes of the track emerged at the end of last week, two vinyl releases of remixes are expected at the end of January.

Mylene Farmer: Timeless 2013 Film

Today sees the release of the much-anticipated - by her many fans anyway - new DVD/Blu Ray by Mylene
Farmer.

The live DVD Timeless 2013, which was filmed at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon last year, captures one of the shows on her Timeless tour, which saw her perform ten sold-out nights at Bercy in Paris, as well as shows elsewhere in the country and in Switzerland, Belgium,  Belarus and Russia.

The DVD follows the release of a 2 CD live album Timeless 2013, released in December last year. The film that has now been released got a special screening at over 200 cinemas in France, Belgium and Switzerland at the end of March.

It's released in three formats: a double DVD, a double Blu Ray or as a collector's box edition. Each has the film of the live show and a pile of bonus extras, the collector's box with a 40cm reproduction of the robot used on stage, which moves and lights up. Yours for 150 Euros.

Following the success of the tour, and the success of the subsequent success of the live album, it's probably a safe bet that this will be one of the biggest music DVD releases in France this year.

Mylène Farmer: Timeless 2013 film

An evening at the cinema with Mylène Farmer was on the schedule for many in France this week, with the
preview screening of her latest DVD Timeless 2013 being held at cinemas around the country.

The special one-off screenings were seen by over 100,000 people at 220 cinemas in France,  Belgium and Switzerland, smashing previous records for similar screenings.

The film captured the shows she performed at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon last year. A live CD was released last year, in the wake of her tour that saw her play ten nights in Paris.

The film is available as a DVD and Blu-Ray from May 16.

Farmer is apparently working on a new studio album, a follow-up to her 2012 Monkey Me album.

Mylène Farmer: Diabolique Mon Ange

With the relase of Mylène Farmer's new live collection Timeless 2013, the track Diabolique Mon Ange has
been selected to get the treatment as a single release.

The video is, unsurprisingly, a live one from the tour that saw her take to the stage around France and elsewhere last year.

The tour came in the wake of  her Monkey Me studio collection which came out towards the end of 2012, and it began with with a ten night run at Bercy in Paris.

The new album, released in December, reached the top ten in France, selling over 100,000 copies.

The Lyon concert in September was filmed for a forthcoming live video release, which is expected to come out next year. It will initially appear as  a limited film release in  March, with a subsequent blu ray and DVD.

Meanwhile, there are suggestions that Mylène is to get to work shortly on a new studio album, and on their news bulletin on January 4 TF1 reported on rumours  that 2014 would see Mylène collaborating with the band Muse.

Mylène Farmer: Timeless 2013

A new live album by Mylène Farmer arrives in the stores today, following her tour which was probably one
of the most eagerly-awaited in France for some time.

The Timeless 2013 tour followed her Monkey Me studio collection that was released in 2012, and it started with ten nights at Bercy in Paris before moving around the country and beyond, with dates in Switzerland, Belarus, Russia and Belgium.

The tour came to an end last week on Friday December 6 in Nice.

The live album was recorded at her shows at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon on September  24, 25, 27 and  28.

It is her sixth live collection, and is a 2 CD affair, and includes the track Slipping Away(Crier  la Vie)  as a duet with Moby, and two tracks (Mad World and Les Mots) as a duet with Gary Jules.

While it features some of the songs of her last two studio albums, with number like Monkey Me, Bleu Noir and Oui...mais non, there's still room for some of her classics like Sans contrefaçon and Désenchantée.

A DVD of the tour is expected to be released next year.

Mylène Farmer: Diabolique mon ange (Timeless 2013)

Mylène Farmer has released the track Diabolique mon ange as a single to promote her new live album
Timeless 2013.

The track comes ahead of the new album which is due to be released on Monday December the ninth.

The song originally featured in its studio version on her 2010 Bleu Noir album, which preceded her Monkey Me album that came out in 2012.

A few (very short) teaser clips have been released ahead of the new album, which chronicles her tour this year that kicked off with ten nights at Bercy in Paris in September.

The live album was recorded at her shows at the Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon on September  24, 25, 27 and  28.

A DVD of the tour is likley to emerge next year, and she still has a couple of shows before the tour ends on December 6 in Nice.

Mylène Farmer: Monkey Me

A new video has emerged for the track Monkey Me, the new single by Mylène Farmer.

The song is the title track from Farmer's most recent studio album , the release coincides with her Timeless 2013 tour, that has so far seen her play a lengthy engagement in Paris, and is currently touring around France.

The video is by Eric Delmotte and Luc Froehlicher, Froehlicher having worked on visual aspects of Farmer's tour. It had been expected that there wouldn't be a video released to accompany the song, but

Mylène herself doesn't feature in the video, perhaps she's been a little busy putting the tour together to get involved.

The single gets a physical release at the beginning of next week, it will be interesting to see if it gives her another number one single to add to her growing collection.

The cover for the single was chosen from potential designs submitted by fans in a competition, with Mylène selecting her favourite to appear on the cover.

It's the third track to be released as a single from the album which emerged last year, following À L'Ombre and Je te dis tout.

Farmer's tour continues, Monkey Me being one of the tracks featured in her set, and some of her earlier albums get a special release as picture discs next week, while there's speculation that a recording of one of her shows might be releases as a live DVD before the end of the year.

Mylène Farmer: Timeless 2013 videos

The first official videos from Mylène Farmer's Timeless 2013 tour have emerged, with footage from her
Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy shows being made available.

The series of shows in the French capital were the opening concerts of her long-awaited tour that follows the release of her Monkey Me album last year.

Her next stop is in Lyon, where the shows will be filmed for a live DVD.

Farmer plays shows across France for the remainder of the year, with shows also in Belgium, Switzerland, Russia and Belarus.

Farmer is France's most successful female solo artist ever, and the tour has been greeted with acclaim from critics and fans alike.

It certainly looks like it was a spectacular show.

There are reports that a live album from the tour is in the pipeline and may be released as early as December.

The track Monkey Me  is being released as a single at the beginning of next month, with two different versions of the track already being played by radio stations.

Record Store Day 2013

While there's obvious and justified excitement about some of the big name releases from the likes of Dylan, Pink Floyd  and Bowie, there are some great French related releases being issued to celebrate the record shop.

There is a collection of remixes of Benjamin Biolay, an EP Terre Brûlée by Team Ghost and a seven inch by Stranded Horse featuring a cover of the Joy Division song Transmission.

There's also a 12' mix by Miss Kittin featuring material from her new album that's due out next week.

The occasion is also being marked in independent record stored in France today.

Among the releases that are likely to be snapped up in France, Miossec releases a Seven inch entitled Planter des primevere and there's a Mylène Farmer seven inch picture disc Je te dis tout. Skip the Use also releases a 12' of remixes.

Le Disquaire Day, as Record Store Day is know in France, is organised by CALIF (Club Action des Labels Indépendants Français) in partmership with the US organisation of independent record stores Coalition Of Independent Music Stores and the UK organisation the Entertainment Retailers Association. CALIF was founded in 2002 with the support of the ministry of culture and communications to maintain and develop a network of independent record shops offering a diverse range.

I'm sure in the UK struggling record stores could only dream of something like that

Whether in France or in the UK or elsewhere, stocks of the special items are limited,in some cases very limited indeed. There are only 900 copies of the Mylène Farmer single for instance, so you'll be exceptionally lucky to find exactly what you set out to purchase. But you might get something else instead that surprises.

T
here are also plenty of events, with bands DJs and appearances.

Good luck and enjoy the music!