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Job of the month #26: Artistic Director in publishing

by IDOL

New episode of our Job of the Month series to discover the many facets of the music industry. This month, Ronan Fiacre talks about his job as artistic director in publishing at Kobalt.

Each month, IDOL presents a job in the music industry. Or more than a job, a person! Because behind the same job title, there are significant differences from one structure to another. Each person can define the scope of his or her job according to his or her career path, qualities and skills! Meet Ronan Fiacre, Artistic Director in Publishing at Kobalt France, who explains his work supporting authors and composers and developing their careers.

What does an art director do in publishing?

In publishing, we primarily work with authors and composers, who are not always performers. Our role is to support them based on their objectives.

First, we will help singer-songwriters build a team – touring, distribution, press relations – and define a global strategy. We also support the creative aspect, for example by organizing writing sessions and bringing composers together to prepare demos for an album or to approach a label.

For composers, the challenge will be to create opportunities: to place their productions and collaborate with artists to develop their image, often in the shadows, as their role is more discreet. Similarly, with non-performing authors, the work consists of ensuring that their songs are chosen for important albums.

My work begins with talent scouting. For developing artists, I will identify them and convince them we are the best partner. For established artists, we may try to recruit them from a competitor at the end of their contract.

In parallel, I manage the financial and contractual negotiations, and all the administrative aspects: making deposits, verifying rights, and ensuring that remunerations are properly distributed, for example through SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music). Finally, there is the synchronization activity: placing the music of authors and composers in films, series, advertisements, etc. This is an important lever that can generate numerous streams and revenues.

What are the qualities required for your position?

Unlike an A&R at a label who will mostly manage a few projects a year, in publishing we often deal with about thirty songwriters. It’s a truly multitasking job, where we manage several projects simultaneously. You also have to be patient, because in publishing, we work for the long term, with contracts lasting 3 to 5 years.

In this profession, the human aspect is crucial, to attract the right artists and convince them to join us. You have to know how to adapt to personalities, understand whether they appreciate being courted or, on the contrary, prefer discretion.

You also need to have good analysis and a real understanding of careers. We work with composers as well as performers, so you have to think about everything: the sound, the production, sometimes even the producer. We have a holistic approach to the track.

For each project, we’ll imagine the different possible paths: streaming, press, concerts… For example, for an artist like Dr. Yaro, we’ll think about what works on TV, on the radio, because those are important sources of revenue.

Finally, we must keep in mind that we operate over long periods: we can keep a track in our catalog up to 70 years after the author’s death. So even if nothing happens this year, there might be a revival in ten years thanks, for example, to TikTok.

Can you tell us a little about your career path?

I always wanted to work in music, it’s kind of the common thread that connects us all, I think. I come from a small village in Brittany, so the music industry seemed very distant to me. After high school, I went to an audio engineering school in London and was lucky enough to stay with a family whose father was an artistic director at Warner.

I started helping him with his job when I was 19, and he advised me to go to a business school to better manage the business, legal, and financial side. I followed his advice, and then, while looking for a work-study program, I ended up contacting him again. He was then at BMG, so he contacted BMG France for me. I passed the interviews and was hired as an artistic assistant. And after a stint in Finland to finish my studies, I returned to BMG France as an artistic assistant.

After three years, I left to join the Pour la Gloire adventure with BEN plg and Ludovic Saint-Roch. Initially, I mainly managed publishing, and alongside that, I provided management support to the composer Lucci’, signed to Warner Chappell. In June 2023, I joined Kobalt.

What is a typical day like for you?

There’s no such thing as a typical day. Some days, I have a lot of meetings with artists who are already signed, others we’d like to sign, or just meetings to expand the network.

Sometimes, we spend the day in the studio, or on a writing seminar over several days. It can be in a place we rent, to motivate, see what works, manage the logistics… It also depends on the artists, some need us more than others.

We spend a lot of time following up with managers, the business affairs team, or the finance department, to make sure the contracts are viable and see how much we can invest, what terms we can offer…

We also have an international side: for example, when some of our artists go to the United States, we organize sessions with Kobalt US artists. And similarly when American artists come to Paris: we connect them, we build relationships.

On the administrative side, we take care of SACEM registrations, we do the contracts through other teams, but we manage the negotiation of splits, meaning the distribution of rights between authors and composers. 90% of the time everything goes well, but in the moments when it gets stuck, you have to know how to manage these disagreements.

In short, a day as an A&R in publishing is really varied, between negotiations, meetings, logistics, and a lot of human interaction.

What do you like about your job?

What I really like is the human contact. I enjoy working with artists and their entourage. I also love the creative aspect, being present at the origin of beautiful songs or big hits of tomorrow, and knowing that we’ve contributed a little bit to that, it’s great.

What also excites me is following a developing artist from their beginnings and, after a few years, taking a moment to realize the work accomplished. For example, with BEN plg, we’ve been working together since 2021. His journey is incredible: in 2025, he played at the Olympia venue, and there was a long way to go before getting there. It’s this kind of success that is incredibly motivating.

That being said, it’s not always easy. Sometimes you really believe in it, the artist does too, but it doesn’t work. It’s frustrating, especially when you know there are beautiful songs that deserve to be heard by millions, which find no echo. Sometimes, there isn’t even a rational explanation.

Why did you choose to work for Kobalt?

Because Kobalt represented a great challenge. It is the world’s largest independent publisher, founded just over 20 years ago by Swedes, and now has offices all over the world: from the United Kingdom to Australia, passing through Germany or Hong Kong… France is their latest office, opened just over 4 years ago.

Initially, there were only two people, Till Buisson and Sébastien Cayla, to manage the synchronization of international artists and to communicate with luxury brands, most of which are based in France. Then Stéphane Berlow, the Managing Director France, arrived three years ago with the objective of developing the local repertoire. No one knew Kobalt, and we didn’t have any French catalogue yet: we had to build everything from scratch.

At Kobalt, we are quite interconnected globally; we know all the A&Rs in London, New York, Stockholm, Berlin, etc. We build many more bridges between teams than in a major, where it is often more complicated, less familial, too huge. We have a large network and the means to finance big deals, while remaining a human-sized structure.

What is your connection with IDOL?

I really like what IDOL does overall, I think you’re doing a good job, with that independent and disruptive side that I like. I really appreciate Gautier Somborn, who is Head of A&R Development France. There is also Jean-Baptiste Lavergne, the Project Manager of BEN plg at your company, whom I mainly know through his younger brother Adrien, with whom I work on the artist Dali.

Can you tell us about a specific feature of your role: something you do that other art directors don't usually do?

Others do it, but what I like is to keep a foot in the independent world. I’m a Kobalt employee, but I have my own company with BEN plg and Ludovic Saint-Roch, and I also manage Lucci’. That allows me to stay grounded and fully understand the challenges of a completely indie artist. It helps me see things from different angles.

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