The “cultural box” and record label LABE caused a surprise by announcing Thursday morning that it had acquired the legendary Le Club Soda hall, located on boulevard Saint-Laurent, just south of rue Sainte-Catherine. With a capacity of 900 spectators, this hall is the only one of this size in the Quartier des Spectacles, which makes it a privileged place to welcome artists from the music scene.
As its former owners wished, this institution inaugurated on avenue du Parc in 1982 is now in the hands of an independent producer who claims to want to preserve its primary mission: the development of new talent.
At the other end of the line, the new owner, Louis-Armand Bombardier, beamed: “I received a lot of messages of support this morning” from various players on the Montreal music scene who were reassured by this announcement. For several years, the word has been circulating in the community that major groups have shown their interest in this hall, which has been established since 2000 in the Quartier des spectacles. The tandem of owners, Michel Sabourin and Rubin Fogel, have always jealously guarded the room’s independence.
In interview with The duty, Michel Sabourin claims not to have received an offer from the CH/Evenko Group, which already operates the MTelus around the corner, the StudioTD further west, the Bell Center and the Corona theater in the Saint-Henri district. “But from the start, LABE seemed to me to be a solid company that knew how to diversify — I like its horizontal approach, in terms of creation and production. Louis-Armand explained his vision to me well, and it was clear that he wanted to maintain the vocation of the premises and keep them accessible to young and developing artists. »
Club Soda will thus remain independent of the major entertainment industry groups. “It was our will, Michel Sabourin and me,” recognizes Bombardier, also owner of the small hall Le Ministère (250 seats), which is also located on the boulevard, but north of avenue du Mont-Royal. “I’m so glad I managed to convince him [de me céder le Club Soda], it took some time, we had a rollercoaster ride, but we are happy to settle in the Quartier des spectacles. The new owner did not wish to reveal the amount of the transaction, which was concluded in the last days.
The discussions had already been started five years ago, but “the pandemic fell on us, we have been very busy. For his part, Michel took his pilgrim’s staff to go see the governments so that they could help the independent cinemas, he contributed to ensuring that this aid was granted”, as a spokesperson for the Association of independent performance halls of Quebec.
In a press release, Michel Sabourin and Rubin Fogel declared that “it is with a heavy heart and not without sadness that we have decided to part with, after a marriage that will have lasted nearly forty years, an iconic place , which has become a true Montreal institution.
It took time, we experienced a roller coaster, but we are happy to settle in the Quartier des spectacles
“What makes Club Soda unique, adds Sabourin, is on the one hand its accessibility, right in the city center, but also the welcome. When the public comes to Soda, they feel part of the show. We work for the public, and it’s thanks to them that we lasted. »
The new owners do not intend to upset the structure of the company they have just acquired. “All the employees in place”, the ten permanent and the fifteen contract workers, “will remain in place”, assures Bombardier. The building also houses the offices of other cultural entrepreneurs, including the record company Stomp Records and the performance agency Preste.
Year after year, the room is rented nearly 250 days a year: “There is certainly room for improvement in terms of development”, foresees Louis-Armand Bombardier (also grandson of the famous entrepreneur and inventor of Ski -doo, Joseph-Armand). And to emphasize that it is out of the question to rename the room to attach the name of a potential sponsor. “With me, that won’t happen. This room, like that of the Ministry, will keep its name and will remain independent. »