Emmanuel de Buretel (FR)
Emmanuel de Buretel is a music executive and entrepreneur whose career has spanned every facet of the music industry since the late 1980s, from publishing and recorded music to artist development, live entertainment, and catalogue management.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he returned to Paris in the early 1980s and became actively involved in the city’s emerging music scene. He notably organised concerts at the legendary Les Bains Douches, a venue that played a pivotal role in introducing groundbreaking British and American artists to French audiences, including Sade, The Pogues, Eurythmics and The Cure.
In 1986, Richard Branson appointed him Managing Director of Virgin Music Publishing France. He subsequently co-founded Delabel in partnership with Virgin Records, helping shape a new generation of French and international artists, including Mano Negra, IAM, Les Rita Mitsouko, Youssou N’Dour, and Cheb Khaled, while contributing to the emergence of French rap as a major cultural force.
In 1992, he became President of Virgin France and established Delabel Publishing. During the late 1990s, he played a key role in the international development of a new wave of European artists through Virgin Music Europe, including Manu Chao, Air, Daft Punk, Phoenix and David Guetta. His growing responsibilities within the group led to his appointment in 2001 as Chairman of Virgin Europe and later EMI Europe, based in London, where he oversaw a network of 21 subsidiaries. During this period, he helped build one of the strongest European rosters of the era, working with artists such as David Guetta, Tiziano Ferro, Aaliyah and Röyksopp. He also led the acquisition of Mute by EMI and pioneered new structures designed to support and distribute independent labels within the Virgin network.
Following his departure from EMI in 2004, Emmanuel founded Because Group, an independent music company active across recorded music, publishing, artist management, live entertainment and rights management. With offices in Paris, London and Los Angeles, Because has grown into one of Europe’s leading independent music groups through artist development, strategic partnerships, and catalogue acquisitions.
The group’s flagship label, Because Music, gained international recognition with its first release, Dimanche à Bamako by Amadou & Mariam, co-produced with Manu Chao. Since then, the company has worked with a diverse and influential roster including Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.J. Cale, Christine and the Queens, Manu Chao, Prince, Metronomy, London Grammar, Major Lazer, Parcels, Jorja Smith, Shygirl, Shay, Stardust and Angèle for her single "What You Want » featuring Justice. Recently, the label has also been developing a generation of successful artists such as RNBOI, Snow Strippers, OKLOU and Sébastien Tellier.
A long-standing partnership with Ed Banger Records brought artists such as Justice, SebastiAn, Breakbot and Myd into the Because ecosystem. The company has also expanded significantly through strategic catalogue acquisitions, notably London Records, home to artists including Bronski Beat, Happy Mondays, Fine Young Cannibals, Bananarama and Goldie, as well as part of the historic Parlophone catalogue. Since 2022, Because has overseen the catalogue and artistic legacy of Daft Punk.
Through Because Éditions, one of France’s leading independent music publishers, Emmanuel de Buretel manages a catalogue that includes works by Daft Punk, Claude François (co-writer of “My Way”), Cerrone, Tiakola, Justice, Christine and the Queens and Fally Ipupa, among many others. The publishing company has become one of the most respected publishers in pop /urban music with a catalogue including Stromae, RnBoi and Wati B’s copyright.
Beyond recorded music and publishing, Because Group has established a major presence in live entertainment through Corida, representing artists such as Justice, Radiohead, AIR and Texas, as well as through its network of independent live companies, including Talent Boutique, Super! and Pi-Pole.The group also owns two of Paris’s most iconic venues, La Cigale and LaBoule Noire, and has been instrumental in creating and developing some of France’s leading music festivals, including We Love Green, Yardland, Peacock Society and Pitchfork Music Festival Paris.
In 2026, Emmanuel de Buretel was named to Billboard’s Indie Power Players list, recognising the most influential executives shaping the global independent music sector today. He is also a Chevalier (Knight) of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) and the légiond’honneur (Legion of Honour).
Over nearly four decades, Emmanuel de Buretel has built a reputation as one of Europe’s most respected music entrepreneurs, consistently championing artistic innovation, independent culture and long-term value creation across the global music business.