- Title: Meet the musicians vying for a gig in the Paris metro
- Date: 15th October 2021
- Summary: VARIOUS OF NIGERIAN MUSICIAN AND SINGER WHO HAS BEEN LIVING IN PARIS FOR 15 YEARS, DAVID NKAN, AUDITIONING
- Embargoed: 29th October 2021 11:15
- Keywords: France Paris RATP auditions metro musicians
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe,Music
- Reuters ID: LVA00CEZ9QTEH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Passengers in Paris's metro stations may ignore the buskers playing instruments and singing popular tunes, but such a gig is highly coveted by many musicians in France seeking to boost their artistic careers.
Clinching a spot to play at Bastille, Gare de Lyon, or in one of the many stations in the city's sprawling transport system, which serves more than 4 million commuters daily, is not a simple feat.
French country musician Philippe Pineau recently came to Paris for an audition. He plucked the strings of his guitar, finding the right tune, as the clapperboard signalled the start of his tryout.
Onstage in front of a jury of 10 staff members of the RATP, the company operating the Paris metro, the 53-year-old artist is among the more than 1,000 performers vying to be in the list of 300 people who will be granted permits to play.
Pineau said that if the jury picked him, he would be ready to move to the capital from Rennes in western France.
"When performing in the metro, there's no cheating… There's no gimmicks," he said. "People don't come to the metro to listen to music, they come to use a mode of transportation. That's where all the challenge lies, capturing their ears."
Founded by the RATP in 1997, the "Musiciens du Metro" ("Musicians of the Metro") programme allows musicians to play in fixed locations around the city's stations.
Judges cast candidates based on originality, mastery of instruments and lyrical composition of their pieces, said Stella Sainson, the head of the "Musiciens du Metro" label who runs the auditions.
"Singing in the metro could indeed be a springboard...there's visibility for the artists, it allows them to be seen and to be recognised, and to be able to attract a new audience," Sainson said.
The metro performers receive no salary, but usually get donations from passengers. One said he earns up to 100 euros ($116) a day in tips. Some also sell their CDs.
Artists are required to audition every six months, along with newcomers, to renew their permits.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns the past year, metro musicians were not allowed to play. The RATP had to shut down the auditions from early 2020, only resuming them in September.
For the Parisian acoustic duo Plumes, the latest series of tryouts comes as a relief, as they have been waiting to come back to perform in the metro since social distancing forced the programme to a temporary halt.
"Now, having the opportunity to go back, that's great, we'll have fun," Plumes guitarist and singer Loris Assadian said.
Nigerian musician David Nkan, who has been living in Paris for 15 years, was auditioning for the third time in four years to snag a badge.
He said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his musical inspirations, Keziah Jones and Manu Dibango, who also began their careers busking in the subway.
"I think it's very important to have this musical culture in the subway," Nkan said.
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