Emmanuel de Buretel is a French music entrepreneur and the founder of Because Music.
Since Because Music was founded in 2004, de Buretel’s company has enjoyed success with artists such as Christine & The Queens, Major Lazer, Metronomy, Justice, and Camille.
Under de Buretel, Because has launched a music publishing division (Because Editions) and a live music arm (Corida).
Emmanuel De Buretel: Pre-Because Music career
Prior to starting Because Music, Emmanuel de Buretel spent nearly 20 years working at Virgin Records and EMI.
In 1986, Emmanuel de Buretel was appointed as the CEO of Virgin Music Publishing in France by Virgin head Richard Branson.
The Frenchman signed artist/writers including Youssou Ndour, Mano Negra, and Les Négresses Vertes.
From there, in 1991, de Buretel launched Delabel Records as as a sub-label of Virgin Records, signing the likes of IAM, Keziah Jones, Tonton Davis and les Rita Mitsouko.
“A Because artist is someone who has something different to bring to the table.”
Emmanuel de Buretel, Because Music
Delabel played a key role in the emergence of early French hip-hop, especially thanks to signings IAM and Tonton David.
In 1992, de Buretel became the head of Virgin Records in France, where he set up the pioneering ‘Virgin Labels’ model, which saw the major record company offer services in partnership with/to independent labels across Europe.
Those independent labels included the likes of Warp, Big House, Domino, Bella Union and Mute.
In 1998, de Buretel was named head of Virgin Continental Europe, which then broke artists including Air and Daft Punk.
In 2001, de Buretel became the President of EMI Continent Europe, based out of London, where he developed a catalog that included classic hits from M83, Daft Punk and many others.
He left EMI in 2004 to start Because Music in both London and Paris.
Emmanuel De Buretel: Professional philosophy
In an interview with Music Business Worldwide in 2016, Emmanuel de Buretel explained his – and, by extension, Because Music’s – approach to signing and developing artists.
“Artists can come from all over the world, I think we are very open minded and I like that,” he said, adding: “A Because artist is someone who has something different to bring to the table.”Music Business Worldwide