With AI regulation and artist-first policies, Paris-based streaming giant Deezer are offering a morally adept alternative to its competitors. They invite Ben Tibbits to their latest Purple Door event to discover the magic for himself.
Autumn is so tedious sometimes. Half of your conversations revolve around the deteriorating weather. Advent calendars are shoved into your eye line every time you try and buy a meal deal. Still, I’m better placed than most to steer clear of a lingering seasonal sombreness. Opportunities have a habit of coming my way.
What better to do on a Monday than visit the world’s epicentre of romance, alone? A classic bit of me time lies ahead, as I nestle in with an oat mocha and an hour-long interview transcription. The seats on the Eurostar are surprisingly comfy.
I arrive in Paris in the late afternoon, immediately overwhelmed by their metro system. But soon it makes sense to me – it’s just numbers. Their ‘8’ line reminds me a lot of the Bakerloo line. Air raid shelter energy.
I’m staying at Citadines Tour Eiffel, a charming establishment a stone’s throw away from the famed tower that shares its name. I drop my bag off and head straight out in the increasingly nocturnal skies. I’ve got an hour to kill and an empty stomach.
I settle on a cosy road front establishment. “Un biere grande, s’il vous plait,” I say as I’m seated in a quiet corner. The waiter smirks, slightly sardonically, and fulfils my wish despite my ill-informed pronunciation. For dinner, I’m encouraged to have the dish of the day, which I agree to. It’s glorified salmon and vegetables. Delicious, though.
Well fed and watered, I saunter towards my entertainment for the evening. I walk without maps, without music, eyes fixed ahead on the subject of my desire. The Eiffel Tower is breathtaking.
I make my way through security and meet my new acquaintances. Deezer, the Paris-based streaming platform synonymous with their progressive stance on artist pay and staunch regulation on AI. They’ve invited me here to witness the special edition Purple Door event with a world-renowned headliner – DJ Snake.
The Purple Door series was launched in 2023 and has become a significant prong of Deezer’s recent growing reputation. Its mantra lies in connecting the physical and the digital, bringing real-life experiences to users of their services. Previous events have hosted artists like Gazo, Clara Luciani, Charlotte Cardin and Pierre Garnier in France and Brazil, respectively.
But this latest spectacle feels the most paramount Purple Door event so far. It allows 200 of Snake’s most loyal and avid fans to see one of their favourite artists up close, in the flesh, in an intimate and celebratory manner, ahead of the release of his forthcoming album, Nomad.
The atmosphere is buzzing as I make my way halfway up the Eiffel and into the kitted-out room. There’s a pop-up bar with free beer, a Deezer-special photo shoot, a pre-gig karaoke sing-along, and plenty of friendly fresh faces to chat to. There’s a letterbox and pieces of card to write the man himself a note. “I’ll slither for you any day”, I write. Some snake-tinged loyalty feels warranted.
“Paris is where it all began for me, and sharing this moment with my fans in such a legendary place as the Eiffel Tower is a real honour,” the DJ had said before the show. And there is a real sense of family, of homecoming, mixed amid the slippery spinner’s recognisable jams, that the crammed-in crowd naturally go wild for. Some punters’ dance moves are outrageously good.
I’m not going to lie to you and say DJ Snake gave me some kind of creative epiphany. But that certainly seemed the case for those 200 loyal fans, who loved every second. And that’s the beauty of music – we all feel it differently. Thanks for reminding me, Deezer.
