Because Group was established in May 2004 by Emmanuel de Buretel and Eric Bielsa, and now stands out as one of the top-five leading independent labels in the European music industry and a pioneer of the 360° model. It is also one of the few companies that can provide artists with the full range of services they need to develop every aspect of their craft and build a successful career.
Consequently, Because Group operates within four business lines:
Production
Music publishing
Tour Management and Festivals
Concert venues
Production
The Because Music label was launched in Paris in November 2004, immediately achieving global success when it released “Dimanche à Bamako”, an album by Amadou & Mariam, which was co-produced by Manu Chao. The catalogue soon expanded with prestigious names such as Keziah Jones, Manu Chao, Les Rita Mitsouko and Camille, followed by new signings including Charlotte Gainsbourg, all of whom went on to achieve international success after coming on board with Because. At the same time, the label signed a partnership with Ed Banger, the Parisian electronic music label that discovered artists such as Justice, Sebastian, Breakbot and Myd, all major names in world music.
In 2005, Because Group went on to open a branch in London, immediately signing internationally acclaimed artists such as Metronomy and Django Django. In 2017, Because UK was named “Best UK Indie Label” at the AIM awards.
The phenomenal success of Selah Sue in Europe built on this momentum, which was further boosted by the signing of international artists such as Moby, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Calypso Rose and, more recently, top acts such as London Grammar, Parcels and Jorja Smith.
Because Group reinforced its leading international position with hits by Diplo and Major Lazer, as well as the breakthrough success of Christine and the Queens, who went on to achieve global recognition.
In 2017, Because Music acquired a number of prestigious catalogues, including London Records (Happy Mondays, Fine Young Cannibals, Bananarama, etc.) and a portion of the Parlophone catalogue (Mano Negra, Les Rita Mitsouko, JJ Cale, Les Negresses Vertes, etc.), before it re-released the Stardust project in 2019.
The label continued its international expansion when it opened a Los Angeles office in 2019.
This year, the label is actively pursuing its strategy, signing promising artists such as Shygirl, Logic1000, Alewya, Crystal Murray, Saint DX, Timothée Joly, Denzo and Joysad, as well as electronic music label Deewee. At the same time, Because is strengthening its foothold in urban music with hits by Marwa and Lartiste, followed by the new Booba-sponsored label La Piraterie Music, the Art de Rue project in 2020, and the signing of rap artist Shay in April 2021.
Today, Because Music defines itself as an integrated framework for artistic creation that takes an independent, boutique approach to provide turnkey solutions for conception and promotion, from content production through to the new global distribution model launched in 2018, which interfaces seamlessly with digital platforms.
MUSIC PUBLISHING
Because Éditions was founded in 2005 and has become one of the biggest independent publishers in France signing artists such as Daft Punk, Justice, Selah Sue, Christine and the Queens, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sebastian, Stromae, Metronomy, Les Rita Mitsouko and Thomas Dutronc, and acquiring the catalogues of Claude François (“My Way”), Cerrone, NTM, Carla Bruni and Dan Levy, as well as some high-profile urban signings including the Wati B catalogue (Gims, Dadju, Sexion d’Assaut), Vald, Heuss L’Enfoiré, Soolking, Kery James, Lacrim, Vegedream, Lartiste and Kaaris, with its most recent acquisition being the Anteprima jazz catalogue (Manu Katché).
It also acts as sub-publisher for the prestigious catalogues of Concord, CTM Outlander, Fuji Pacific, Bonatarda (Rosalia), the JJ Cale catalogue, Big Deal, Native Tongue and Mushroom, and has just taken on the Spandau Ballet catalogue.
Because Éditions won the 2018 Sacem Grand Prize for Music Publishing.
TOUR MANAGEMENT AND FESTIVALS
In 2004, Because Group started out by acquiring a majority stake in the Corida Group, set up by Jacques Renault and Assaad Debs to manage tours for French artists (Manu Chao, Catherine Ringer, Phoenix and, more recently, Gaetan Roussel, Justice, Selah Sue, Christine and the Queens and Charlotte Gainsbourg) and international artists (Radiohead, Ben Harper, Chris Rea, Texas, Mark Knopfler /Dire Straits, Rammstein, Duffy and Charlie Winston).
The following independent concert promoters have since joined the Corida Group:
Talent Boutique : London Grammar, Metronomy, Lomepal, PNL, Vald, Yelle, Sebastian, Limperatrice, Electric Guest,
Pi-Pole : Rosalia, Jorja Smith, LCD Soundsystem, Parcels, MGMT)
Super! : Bon iver, Connan Mockasin, Jungle, M83, Rex Orange County
Finally, the success of We Love Green, an eco-friendly festival launched in 2010 that attracts some 80,000 people every year, continues to demonstrate the diverse breadth of talent of Because Group artists, which was further enhanced with the acquisition of a stake in the Peacock Society Festival in 2017.
CONCERT VENUES AND RESTAURANT
Because operates two concert venues in Paris (La Cigale, La Boule Noire) and the adjoining restaurant La Cantine de la Cigale
About Emmanuel de Buretel
Emmanuel de Buretel graduated from MIT's School of Engineering in Boston and was appointed director of Virgin Publishing by Richard Branson in 1986, for which he rapidly signed artists such as IAM, Mano Negra and Les Négresses Vertes. In 1991, he founded Delabel Disques, which enjoyed remarkable success signing Keziah Jones, IAM, Tonton David, followed by the likes of Les Rita Mitsouko, Rohff and -M-, to name just a few.
In 1992, he moved to head Virgin France (Renaud, Alain Souchon, Henri Salvador, etc.) and set up Delabel Publishing, signing artists such as Louise Attaque, Les Rita Mitsouko and Etienne Daho. At Virgin, he set up a collection of “developmental labels”, and helped artists such as Manu Chao, Air and Daft Punk gain international recognition when he took up the reins of Virgin Continental Europe.
In 2001, he was appointed Chairman of EMI Continental Europe in London, heading up a group of 21 subsidiaries within which he built up a catalogue of European artists including Tiziano Ferro, Lene Marlin and Royksopp.
He left the EMI Group in March 2004 and founded Because Group, a new independent organisation spanning all areas of the music industry (music and audiovisual production, publishing, live performance, festival and concert venue management).
Emmanuel de Buretel is a Chevalier (Knight) of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) and the légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour).
This year he opened the Villa Faro in Paris, an artist residency celebrating artistic creation.