Club-Culture aims to take a similar shape and ethos to Berlin's Clubcommission.
A new initiative has launched in France to help clubs gain cultural status.
A joint venture between all the venues involved, Club-Culture brings together 38 clubs across France wanting to legitimise their cultural status and value.
The critical impact of the pandemic on electronic music culture was the catalyst for the project, which looks to schemes like Berlin's Clubcommission for inspiration. Club-Culture aims to better protect the eco-system that dance music operates within. Research has found that the 38 venues involved are responsible for over 1,000 jobs. Each year, these clubs attract almost three million visitors, host more than 5,000 events and bring in almost €60 million.
"The Covid-19 crisis has proven the importance of a well-structured scene," Alexis of Macadam's in-house collective and label, Androgyne, told Resident Advisor. "The necessity of gathering all actors under a common force. A lot of goals are yet to be reached, but it cannot happen without the creation of a global community that can set up a political agenda for the club-culture scene."
Other participating clubs include I-Boat, KALT, La Machine Du Moulin Rouge, Le Petit Salon, Le Sucre, Rex Club and Warehouse in Nantes. Some artists have also expressed their support, including Laurent Garnier, Pedro Winter, Étienne De Crécy, Jennifer Cardini and Teki Latex.
From November 25th through 27th, Club-Culture has organised nationwide events to promote their demands. Find out more about the series on the website. Some of the parties are listed below.
In May, Berlin officially declared clubs as cultural institutions after a year of campaigning by the multi-party Parliamentary Forum For Club Culture & Nightlife. In 2016, Berghain was awarded cultural institution status as a standalone venue.
Photo: Romain Guédé
Correction: A previous version of this article said that Club-Culture was spearheaded by BADABOUM and Macadam, when the initiative is actually a joint venture by all the clubs involved.