Régulation du canal dans un environnement incertain. Le cas des arts du spectacle

This article aims to shed new light on how institutions and firms within the distribution channel, coordinate and regulate their relations, in order to deal with the market uncertainty. Empirical research was conducted in the performing arts sector in order to enrich reflection on the regulating processes of the distribution channel. This sector was selected a priori as it is a very risky sector, one highly dependent on public financing and characterized by a very uncertain final demand. This research shows that many and different forms of relationship governance may exist simultaneously in the same channel in order to cope with the market uncertainty. These go from unilateral leadership, where the fame of the artists is used as a source of power, to joint management, based on mutual confidence.