…and all the emotions in between

BETC Music was interviewed by japanese magazine Nero about all the work on Air France Music, this is what Fabrice Brovelli told them :

There were always major airline carriers that were involved in music, but Air France’s recent project seem to have taken their involvement into a whole new level. ‘BETC music has been working with Air France for seven years, especially on all music that is broadcasted in Air France planes, all around the world.’

We have talked to Fabrice Brovelli from BETC Music, an advertising agency in France, about their collaboration with the French Flag Carrier. ‘BETC Music has worked together with Air France to build an entirely new brand, and we came up with Air France Music.’

The collaboration between the two seems to be going quite well. ‘Since many people asked us about the music that are played in the flights, we thought it would be interesting if Air France would be present in social networks, and continue to tell a story about its sound and have its own identity, and posting information about music and artists. We also thought it would be a great op- portunity to organize special events and build a community through these social networks.’ BETC seems to have a strong link with the artists that they work with, which goes beyond just a business relationship. ‘During all these years we have built close relations with artists that worked with us, and since they loved our brand, working on this record they were very supportive in our effort to come up with an original track listing with original and unreleased tracks, as well as songs from new and upcoming artists that are soon to be discovered. With their collaborative effort, they intend to feature the original colors of Air France Music through their compilation ‘Air France Music, vol.1’. ‘Due to overwhelming response of the music played on Air France’s flights, we have decided to work on a record that would be available only during a flight, and through Air France e-shopping site.’ Unfortunately, this collection will not be released to the public. So were there any differences in contractual obligations than releasing the music normally, since it is a limited release? ‘We have the same obligation as the normal releases, and the only difference is the manner of the sale, and we thought the idea of not going through regular record shops were interesting.’ Overall the compilation has a very relaxing mood to it, filled with many original and creative time and space. ‘Yes, relaxing is the mood we chose when coming up with the collection, since we wanted the passengers in the flight to be relaxed!’ The album opens with Fink, and the collection includes 18 tracks by artists such as Gonzales, Phoenix, Kings of Convenience, Au Revoir Simone, Telepopmusik, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Are there any artists in particular that you might per- sonally recommend?

‘We love all the artists that have participated in this compilation, but I especially recommend Fink, Phoenix, Rob, The Shoes, and Telepopmusik.’ Were there any specific points that you wanted to achieve when coming up with this compilation?

‘I feel major record companies today does not want to create a value within the artists and records, and with this collection, we wanted to bring that back, to cre- ate a creative value.’ There are already several compilation produced by Air France, what would you say is unique or different about Air France?

‘We have worked on 2 records with Air France, and every time we work with them, we try to come up with a unique idea, perhaps like a track that would be exclusively available through Air France.’ The last 3 songs in the album by Monsieur Monsieur, Alb, and the Shoes, were written based on the inspiration from the flight experience between Paris and Tokyo with Airbus A380. Can you tell us how these 3 bonus tracks developed? ‘We have organized a special project on Air France flight from Paris to Tokyo, where we’ve asked several artists to actually experience the flight, and to cre- ate an original song relating to the mood of the flight and the feeling of the new Airbus A380, while actually on board. We wanted the finished songs to be only available through Air France Music, and based on the quality of these tracks, we have decided to include them as a bonus tracks for our compilation.’

This album further proves that categorization may be meaningless in music. When included as a part of a compilation, some songs may show their different sides when they are played along with other songs by other artists. ‘I think the most interesting part of this compilation is that when listening to the album, you might experience the similar feeling when you are on board. There is the take off and the landing, and all the emotions in between that you might experience during the flight.’

Can you tell us a little about what BETC does besides your work with Air France? ‘BETC Music is a sound and consulting department of BETC Euro RSCG Ad Agency, and we also work as an in-house service for artists and brands. We work with Air France, and also as a music consultant with companies like Lacoste, Peugeot, and Evian. We also organize parties and events, and we are already working on a big party in December with a secret line-up, so please keep this in mind! We also work as columnists for music magazines.’

It is always refreshing when you discover a good compilation like this, like dis- covering a hidden gem where you least expected. Lastly, we would love to hear about your future plans. Are there any plans to release more music beyond Air France music Volume 2?

‘We are working on a new project with the amazing Charlotte Gainsbourg. We’ll be able to give you more details soon! And yes, we are also working on Air France Music Volume 2!’