Founded by Gérard Drouot in 1986, Gérard Drouot Productions has become a pillar of concert production and the music industry in France over the past three decades. What's more, its name is recognized and appreciated by artists and audiences the world over.
And if the company has managed to remain independent year after year, establishing itself firmly in the French landscape, it's first and foremost because it has known how to renew itself. Gérard Drouot was a great lover of jazz, but right from the start, the company also turned its attention to rock, pop and, more recently, rap, film-concerts or hard rock. Gérard Drouot Productions' eclectic programming is a challenge for its teams, and has established the company in the intimate world of live show producers. The word is out: the company knows how to adapt and offer memorable concerts to any artist.
But it also knows how to build relationships based on trust. Without ever trying to change the essence or nature of those it produces, it doesn't hesitate to break with the norm. If the tracks are too long to be played on the radio, they will be played live! If an artist wants to try his hand at vocal piano, the accompanist is there. And more... Because Gérard Drouot Productions has always been able to unearth talent and propel it into the limelight. Whether it's for the Stade de France or a 400-seat concert hall, our teams vibrate with the same energy.
Despite the death of its founder in 2022, Gérard Drouot Productions still has a bright future ahead of it, since Matthieu Drouot has been working alongside his father since 2008, learning all the tricks of the trade and taking up the challenge of his succession with brio over the past year.
Gérard Drouot
Founder of the Gérard Drouot Productions company.
He's the man behind the name. The roots on which the story is anchored. In 1974, Gérard Drouot gave up everything to start producing live shows. And a decade later, he launched his own company to give budding artists a chance, as well as to accompany the biggest names on the bill.
Rock and jazz legends have put their trust in him. From AC/DC and ZZ Top to Asaf Avidan, Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Diana Krall, Elton John, Joan Baez, Joe Satriani, Lenny Kravitz, Luciano Pavarotti, Melody Gardot, Ray Charles, U2...
He owes his dazzling success to his proximity to the artists. Gérard Drouot was an attentive listener, who never hesitated to go into great detail to produce concerts that came dangerously close to perfection. But he also owed it to his sense of craft, learned on the job while still a student.
A legend in the world of live performance, he leaves behind a huge void in the hearts of those who crossed his path, both on and off stage.
Matthieu Drouot
Chairman and CEO
Matthieu Drouot says it himself: at the age of three, he was already playing among the faxes and documents of his father, then a young entrepreneur in concert production. He was practically born in the dressing room. Yet his career path was far from straightforward.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled in business school, but quickly realized that it wasn't really for him. So when one of his friends, a guitarist in a rock band, told him about the roadie job he was doing for a living, it immediately seemed a lot more exciting. For three years, he loads and unloads tour trucks to set up a new concert every night. It was a highly formative experience for the man who recalls that "you don't learn show production at school, you have to go out into the field".
Eventually, he decided to join the family business. In 2008, he became production assistant at a time when Gérard Drouot Productions was experiencing unprecedented growth. He became the little hand behind the organization of major shows, before taking on more responsibility alongside his father.
In his turn, he set out in search of new nuggets to renew an already extensive catalog. Avenged Sevenfold, James Blunt, Kimberose and Beth Hart are among the new artists spotted and signed by Matthieu Drouot. And in 2016 and 2017, the triumphant Les Insus tour was a symbol of what a father and son working together to produce a legendary event can achieve.
Since his father's death, Matthieu Drouot has taken over the reins of the company as Chairman and CEO. And there's no doubt that the passion for live music that runs through his veins has many more triumphant decades in store for Gérard Drouot Productions.