" We count on you ".
For more than twenty years, the Restos du Cœur have been able to count on the Enfoirés to provide them with up to 20% of their resources.
The CD and DVD of their show have long been at the top of sales, accumulating still 800,000 copies in 2007. Since the arrival of streaming, the Enfoirés resist - they brought in 15.7 million euros last year to the association - but their physical sales are falling like those of all artists.
And the pandemic has not helped.
Not only did the first confinement stop their sales in 2020 - 182,000 CDs and 131,000 DVDs sold, a drop of 18% and 7% - but the absence of an audience - and therefore of ticketing and merchandising - during their Lyon show in January made them lose nearly 5 million euros.
“The Enfoirés remain a cultural exception, welcomes their manager in Restaurants, Sophie Bazou, but they only represent 9.2% of our income, because the costs of our missions are increasing.
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Artists are well aware of this.
Slimane, who signed "Here and Now", the new hymn of the Enfoirés, put the pressure "because this song must be broadcast on the radio and that it relates to the association, which is going through a very difficult period.
We are looking for ideas to find new financial sources, such as live streaming concerts ”.
“It's a hypergenerous momentum but we have to see if it's possible, tempers Sophie Bazou.
At Restaurants, we always take our time before launching projects, because money is precious.
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"A change of policy"
However, we are diversifying more and more.
“Six years ago, when we almost lost the European subsidies, there was a change in policy within the association, recognizes Marie Gérard, responsible for partnerships.
Previously, for example, Restaurants were very cautious about businesses.
And now, a hundred partners bring us a dozen million euros.
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Diversification also in art and sport.
In 2018, astronaut Thomas Pesquet donated all copyright for a photo book, i.e. 300,000 euros.
In 2019, an initiative with cinemas and distributors raised more than 1.7 million euros.
Last year, operations multiplied, Radio Restos, the Enfoirés 30th anniversary exhibition, “Sport a du Cœur”, the comic strip “Un coin d'hanité” by Kek, author and volunteer at Les Restos… Without talk about the 300 annual local initiatives, such as the Enfoiros in Toulouse, which help the departmental branches.
Finally, there are beautiful bastards among writers.
Since 2014, on the initiative of Pocket editions, a new book of unpublished short stories has been released each year called “13 à table!
»More than forty authors took part, including Guillaume Musso, Marc Levy, Véronique Ovaldé, Michel Bussi, the Goncourt Leïla Slimani, Jean-Paul Dubois, Pierre Lemaitre… Each book at 5 euros delivers 4 euros to Restaurants.
“And it is a hit to the point of having already brought in 6 million euros, enthuses Marie Gérard.
We hope to reach one million euros with the last one published in November.
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