Florent Pagny’s rant on the era of streaming

Should we completely review the music sales accounting system? Since the era of streaming, launched around ten years ago, Snep has established that 1,500 plays on platforms are equivalent to one sale, whether for albums or singles. Result ? The music charts highlight, almost every year, artists who are mostly popular with young people. And in particular rappers, like Gims, Jul or Werenoi who continue to achieve diamond records or platinum singles.

All this is not to the taste of the great figures of French song who are campaigning for a return to the system of yesteryear, where physical sales were fully taken into account. Among them, a certain Florent Pagny, whose album Life size only rose to 67^e place of the last annual report of Snep. At the microphone of Publicon January 13, he confided that he had “a little problem with the stream”the term used to designate eavesdropping. “I don’t think it’s fair.he remarks. Today, we are not able, with this system, to know how many albums an artist has sold. »

 

In rap, ultimately it suits them well, so the day I decide to get involved, it will be complicated I think

Florent Pagny

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The interpreter of Know how to love point one “system which does not work, which is opaque”. He also thinks that the era of streaming encourages cheating. “We know it, it’s possible to do itregrets the singer. For a few thousand euros, an artist can really increase their listening. » For him, this new method of calculation favors urban artists. “In rap, ultimately it suits them well, so the day I decide to get involved, it will be complicated I think […] and that will open the debates”explains Florent Pagny.

Snep changes its calculation methods

Our colleagues from Public also questioned him about ticketing for Jul’s concerts at the Stade de France and the Vélodrome next May. Ticket prices increased by 40% when it opened, because the Marseille rapper had combined the tickets with the purchase of an album. “It’s a technique and it’s not badadmits Florent Pagny. Then he forces you to buy his record. The concert ticket should be 80 euros, but since he puts his album with you, he will sell it to you for 100 euros. »

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Gims, Jul, Florent Pagny… The results of music sales in 2025

Snep, however, made some changes at the start of 2026. Artists will now have to put their records on sale at a minimum price of seven euros and they will only be able to sell three copies per order. It also prohibits the simultaneous sale of concert tickets with albums and the number of pieces per disc will be limited to avoid lengthy reissues as Gims was able to do last year with The North rememberswhich has sold more than 550,000 copies.