A new presidency to represent the voice of recorded music producers as the industry faces the major challenges shaping its future, building on the work carried out under Bertrand Burgalat’s presidency.
The Board of Directors of Snep has elected Alain Veille as its President. President of Warner Music France, he succeeds Bertrand Burgalat, who had held the position since 2020.
Representing more than 250 members, from major companies to independent labels, Snep is the leading representative body for the recorded music industry in its dialogue with public authorities on the economic, cultural and regulatory issues affecting the sector.
This new presidency comes at a time when the music industry is facing significant change. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the conditions in which music is created and distributed, consumption patterns continue to evolve, and the economics of streaming are shifting. At the same time, cultural sovereignty, musical diversity and the protection of intellectual property are playing an increasingly prominent role in public debate.
Against this backdrop, Snep will continue to work with French and European public authorities to defend the conditions that enable producers to invest, artists to create and musical diversity to thrive.
The priorities of the new mandate will include protecting intellectual property and human creativity in the face of the development of artificial intelligence, notably through the implementation of Senator Laure Darcos’s proposed legislation on the use of works by AI systems; strengthening a subscription-based streaming model; preventing the manipulation of streams and charts; and defending the diversity of French music production and its reach, both in France and internationally.
Alain Veille said: “Music remains an industry in which innovation, risk-taking and investment are closely intertwined. In the years ahead, our responsibility will be to ensure that the voice of the recording industry is heard in the major decisions affecting our profession, while continuing to defend what makes music so rich: the diversity of artists, repertoires and business models. I am also fully aware of the responsibility entrusted to me and intend to build on the work of Bertrand Burgalat, whose decisive contribution to the development of Snep I would like to acknowledge. We will continue to advance these issues with the same level of commitment in our engagement with both French and European public authorities.”
Bertrand Burgalat said: “After 14 years on the Board, two terms as Vice-President and three consecutive terms as President, I do not intend to seek a new position. It has been a great joy to work alongside this remarkable team, Executive Committee and Board, and I would like to express to them, and to all our members, my affection and gratitude for their unwavering trust and support.
“When I joined Snep in 2009, I took the view that the concerns and interests of the smallest independent structures and those of major companies could converge, and that we had more in common than we had reasons to disagree. That has proved to be the case. Record membership at Snep, whose membership has increased sixfold in ten years and whose representativeness now stands at 93% of the French recorded music industry, together with the constructive relationships we have built with representatives of other music professions and with the CNM, bear this out.
“Everything we have undertaken or defended has been in the interests of the most vulnerable structures and of the sector as a whole, whether producers, artists, musicians or creators. I am certain that Alain Veille will be equally committed to defending the common good, and I will always stand alongside Snep, an organisation to which I remain deeply attached.”
Alexandre Lasch, Managing Director of Snep, said: “I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Bertrand Burgalat for his commitment throughout his six years as President. Under his leadership, Snep broadened its representation and now brings together more than 250 companies, from majors to independent labels. He has made a significant contribution to strengthening Snep’s role in the major debates shaping our industry. Alain Veille’s appointment opens a new chapter in this continuity, with the same determination to bring together a broad range of industry stakeholders and collectively represent the issues facing recorded music.”
The new mandate will be supported by a Board of Directors comprising Yacine Bouzidi, Founder and Managing Director of Antipodes Music, who has been elected Vice-President of Snep; Isabel Dacheux, CEO of Scherzo Production; Matéo, President of Only Pro; Olivier Nusse, President of Universal Music France; and Marie-Anne Robert, President of Sony Music Entertainment France.
The newly elected Board has also sought to better reflect the diversity of perspectives among Snep members by inviting four of them to participate in its work:
- Laurent Didailler, Managing Director of PIAS France;
- Julie Estardy, President of Studio CBE;
- Benjamin Galouye, Co-Founder and CEO of B1 France;
- Marion Gargula, Co-Managing Director of BMG France.
