FEATURE: CHANNEL HOPPING.

The musical relationship between France and the UK has never been closer. And, thanks to some smart business deals and a healthy crossover strike rate, those ties can only strengthen in 2009

By David McKenna

FOR THE UK AND FRENCH MUSIC INDUSTRIES, the watchword in 2009 is going to be rapprochement, as the two markets move ever closer together. While it looks unlikely that the volume of UK exports to France will ever be outweighed by music travelling the other way, there has probably never been a better time for artists from across the channel to make their mark here.

The UK would be an important territory for French acts even if they faced blanket indifference from British music buyers: there are some 500,000 French inhabitants in the UK, of which 300,000 live in London. A long-established French artist such as Julien Clerc is guaranteed to sell out Shepherd's Bush Empire purely on the basis of sales to French residents. But, since the Nineties, the crossovers to UK audiences have been increasing in frequency, with signs that 2009 could be a landmark year for the Entente Cordiale.

The new Eurostar service has made travel between London and Paris faster and more practical than ever before, and if the current exchange rate between the pound and the Euro holds, we are likely to see an increase in French consumers visiting London for weekend shopping trips or longer holidays.

The economic climate may have further implications, according to Wrasse Records joint managing director Ian Ashbridge. "Ticket sales will be challenged in 2009, so if there's strong support to tap into, as with French artists, promoters will go for that," he suggests. Indeed, the Eurostar not only carries more of the potential gig-goers that promoters will be looking to, but also makes it easy and cheap for artists to include a stop-off in Britain in their European touring schedule.

Ashbridge has a vested interest in the French market since Wrasse launched a new imprint, Blue Wrasse, that licenses Universal's international artists. Blue Wrasse is aiming to release 28 records in its first two months, with French music pre-eminent on the label. Wrasse has always released product from France, but the focus was previously aimed largely on music with an African element. Now, French pop and rock acts will also be coming to the fore, with albums from Zazie and Vanessa Paradis confirmed, while there are mooted future releases from The Do, Tahiti 80 and folk-blues duo Okou And Anais. The latter had a word-of-mouth hit in France with The Cheap Show, a self- produced debut album of witty pastiches and musical sketches, but the follow-up, The Love Album, is something else entirely; a sultry collection of swinging retro-modern lounge pop crafted with the assistance of Gorillaz collaborator Dan the Automator.