CNM — Aide aux festivals

This is money for the organisation running a French music or variety festival, not for the artists playing it. It goes toward the costs of an edition, and the CNM looks hard at how the festival is governed and how it treats the people who work on it.

To apply you must be the structure legally responsible for the event, affiliated to the CNM, holding a licence 3, in good standing on the variety-show tax and handling at least part of the ticketing. Local authorities and direct municipal operations are excluded. The festival needs at least two-thirds of its programme within the variety-tax field, a minimum of ten musical acts, a run of two to thirty days, at least one previous edition with a live audience, and a total budget of at least EUR 100,000.

Support is capped at 10% of eligible costs and at EUR 200,000 per festival per year, paid in a single instalment. Applications go through the monespacepro platform - nothing sent by email or post is processed - and must be filed before the edition runs, allowing six weeks for assessment. Affiliation itself takes about twenty working days, so start early.

The commission weighs artistic risk (emerging acts, under-supported genres), economic risk (box office above 15% of budget, less than half the funding public), respect for collective agreements, and public-interest measures: at least 30% women and gender-minority leads on the bill, harm reduction on site, and environmental steps. Festivals with budgets over EUR 2.5m face extra accessibility and carbon criteria.