Band manager Isadora Chappuis thought there had to be a better way to connect music industry professionals together for projects.
The lead singer of their band had a difficult time finding contacts in the industry to start. Chappuis said in France you often have to wait until a manager finds you. Or it’s word of mouth.
At that time, Chappuis figured something needed to be done. She partnered up with Margaux Chouraqui to found France-based company The Artist’s Corner.
They envisioned a place where musicians could access a panel of professionals to aid them in building their careers. It could be anything from sound to video and management to musical collaborators – this was a marketplace waiting to be built.
“They can find any other professional they need so they can develop that project from the beginning until the end,” said Chappuis.
Ever since she was a kid, Chappuis has wanted to work in the music industry. As she grew up, she was really into making music anymore. She’d rather work with the musicians. Chappuis got into musical production. Fellow co-founder Chouraqui handles the more technical aspects of music.
Together, they’ve built a collection of professionals connecting to create music.
Real music experience
All of the professionals they work with are vetted before being added to the platform. Chappuis said they ensure that the providers have real music experience.
So, when potential collaborators go online, they begin their search for the right fit – at the right price.
Users have to create an account if they want to connect with other folks on the Artist’s Corner platform, but from there, the collaboration is up to the individuals.
“Then they can send reservation requests to the providers they want to work with, and the provider is free to accept or refuse the reservation depending on if he or she believes in the project,” Chappuis said.
Once that connection is made, the work begins.
Chappuis said she wanted to create a system that was like any other sector.
“If you have like a problem in your house, they come, they talk about it with you, what they will do, and they give you a proposal,” she said.
“We just wanted to be sure it was clearer for people to know the prices people have and have an idea of what they’re going to work with a contact. And I think it was very important for us because it’s not very common in the music industry.”
Steps of a business
Working with the Platform Calgary Reverb program, Chappuis said they learned a lot right from the beginning.
They learned about building a business from the ground up, she said.
“I think it’s very important knowing the clients you had, why they’re going to talk about your platform to other people. What they like, what they don’t, what they expected from it,” she said.
“I think maybe we didn’t ask those questions to ourselves enough.”
They have dozens of providers currently signed up. The long-term plan is to build out more categories, add more providers and hold more events.
They recently held a sort of speed-dating event for different music industry folks to stimulate those connections.
Future expansion is on the table, but first across Europe, where legalities are the same. As they grow, they’ll explore a move into North America.
