French live music pioneer Daniel Colling passes

The creator of the Printemps de Bourges festival, French music pioneer Daniel Colling, has died aged 78.

Co-founding the April festival in 1977 alongside Alain Meilland and Maurice Frot, Colling was a pivotal figure in the development of the French live music scene.

He is also credited with inventing the Zénith concert hall concept, beginning with Le Zénith in Paris in 1984, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. In addition, he co-founded Paris’ MaMA Music & Convention, retiring from the event only last year, and served as a record producer for multiple French language artists such as Jacques Higelin and Bernard Lavilliers.

“It is difficult to measure everything that Daniel was able to imagine and build throughout his life,” reads a tribute from the Printemps de Bourges team. “The Printemps de Bourges Crédit Mutuel of course, the first festival of contemporary music to open the road in April 1977 and already dedicated to emergence, creation and artistic discovery.

“The first Zénith, inaugurated in Paris in 1984, was the first modern performance hall to see the light of day in France. The National Center for Song, Varieties and Jazz (CNV) launched in 2002 under his leadership and which he chaired until 2009 allowed the rise of live performance and preconfigured the National Center for Music (CNM).

“The MaMA, the reference convention for contemporary music, which has been bringing together the entire profession since 2010 in the streets of Pigalle. And of course, throughout his life, the reason for all his energy and actions, the artists.”

“Daniel loved to build what did not exist and leaves us an incredible legacy in the world of music and culture”

It continues: “Daniel loved to build what did not exist and leaves us an incredible legacy in the world of music and culture. We extend our most affectionate thoughts to Daniel’s family and loved ones, and salute the memory of the man who brought spring to life and propelled the world of live entertainment into its modern era.”

A statement by his company Colling & Cie hails the entrepreneur as “a pioneer and visionary in the field of contemporary music and live performance”.

“Daniel Colling leaves an immeasurable legacy,” it adds. “He profoundly marked the live performance landscape with his legendary energy, his audacious creativity and his innovative projects. His departure leaves a huge void.”

Colling was also remembered via Zénith Paris’ social media channels

“Daniel had operated the Zénith Paris – La Villette since it was built in 1984,” notes the venue. “He had also invented and developed the Zénith ‘concept’ in the early 1980s. He had also operated the Zénith in Nantes since its opening, as well as the one in Toulouse since 2017. A tireless craftsman, he was the main promoter of these large capacity performance venues throughout France.

“Also the creator of Printemps de Bourges, producer of Higelin, Guy Bedos, Desproges and dozens of others, Daniel was a cornerstone of the structuring – union, institutional and even political – of a profession still in its infancy at the end of the 70s. A figurehead, a tutelary figure of live performance.”

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