Job of the month #27: Serial Entrepreneuse

by IDOL

New episode of our Job of the Month series to discover the many facets of the music industry. This month, Emily Gonneau, whose unusual career path combines entrepreneurship, commitment to independent artists, and reflection on the major challenges of digital technology.

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 Emily Gonneau, who founded ÜNI, which comprises three entities: Unicum Music (label & publishing), Nüagency (agency and training organization) and Causa (programming and moderation of conferences and podcasts).

Can you tell us a little about your career path?

I started in 2005 at EMI in London, before moving to Paris as a project manager. As a French-English speaker, I mainly managed international projects. This experience really taught me how to concretely manage a project: keeping budgets, coordinating the release with promotion, marketing, sales, sync, digital (it was the very beginning), and of course artistic teams.

In 2009, I founded my company which, 16 years later, is a group called ÜNI. In the beginning, it was just Unicum Music, management and publishing. My first artists were Mademoiselle Sane and Émilie Chick. I expanded the activity according to my desires and opportunities.

In 2013, I launched Nüagency, to put the expertise developed on social networks at the service of other artists, as well as labels and festivals. In 2017, I launched the label branch of Unicum Music. And in 2023, I created Causa to dedicate all the conference programming activity to it (including MaMA INVENT, those focused on innovation at MaMA Music & Convention since 2022). It is also with this hat that I moderate conferences throughout the year.

We celebrated the company’s 15th anniversary in 2024 in 2 ways.

First, by launching a monthly collective newsletter “L’artiste, le numérique et la musique” (The artist, digital and music), of the same name as my book (first published at IRMA in 2016 and 2019, then at CNM in 2023). To further these discussions and help artists use digital technology to support their projects on a daily basis.

Then, we produced our very first podcast, MUTANT·ES, a special season of 8 episodes, one per guest, on music entrepreneurship against a background of profound changes over the last 15-20 years.

Alongside all that, I joined the CNM Innovation commission in 2022, where I still sit. It’s fascinating.

In concrete terms, what does a serial entrepreneur do?

When you go from being an employee to an entrepreneur, yes, you become more precarious and you take risks, but there are no limits and you discover a dizzying freedom. Without an N+1 or a validation filter, you can try anything, you learn to know yourself better, to target what you really want to do… and to realize that you are capable of it.

What motivates me the most: helping artists and their partners to put digital technology at the service of their project, whether by understanding the ongoing changes, communicating better, setting up tailored direct-to-fan digital strategies, or thoroughly analyzing data to translate it into concrete actions.

People often tell me that I (still) do too many things, but I don’t see or feel it that way because I’ve found my balance today. On the contrary, each hat enriches the others with new perspectives, nuance, and depth. It feeds me, and everything articulates naturally.

You have also founded associations?

It wasn’t planned, but I ended up founding or co-founding two of them, and they share the goal of seeing a healthier ecosystem emerge, where everyone is recognized at their fair value.

The first, La Nouvelle Onde (The New Wave), in 2018, launched in partnership with MaMA and the CNM (formerly IRMA), to highlight, promote, and network young people under 30 in the music sector, all professions included. We don’t see them enough (but after 8 editions of the #PrixLNO at MaMA, it’s finally starting to change), even though this rising generation within the industry is already making headlines!

The second, Change de disque (Change the record), was created in 2020 to take concrete action against structural problems and systemic violence in music. It all started in 2019, when I publicly shared my story by creating the hashtag #musictoo (nothing to do with the collective that launched 9 months later).

With Change de disque, we were able to make collective progress: 200 volunteers contributed to working groups identifying the root of the problems and analyzing the asymmetry of power relations at play. Even though the association is on hiatus (activist burnout, anyone?), I was able to share the immense collective work accomplished during my hearing by the National Assembly’s commission of inquiry into sexual and gender-based violence and harassment (VHSS) in live performance and audiovisual sectors at the end of 2024.

How is your daily work organized?

Since I have a thousand different interests, no two days are alike: I organize my time freely, depending on what seems urgent or important to me, and I also set aside time to explore, delve into specific (or not-so-specific) topics, test new tools, or just reflect on my core projects.

In my daily life, I might prepare royalty statements and work on the label’s releases, provide training (release strategies, music data analytics, etc.) and oversee our Qualiopi renewal audits [a certification that guarantees the quality of the services offered by training organizations], monitor innovation and prepare a commission for the CNM (National Music Center), pitch songs for synchronization and register works with SACEM (Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music), support projects at the agency and check in with the team, think about future topics I’d like to program or work on the outline of a future conference to moderate…

It’s this variety that keeps me mentally healthy. As long as I’m engaged, I’m creative, inspired, and I find ideas. If boredom creeps in, everything shuts down… and then, nothing beats a nap! Over the past three years, I’ve restructured my organization and delegate much more to the team. My personal and family life matters just as much: I do everything to maintain that balance.

What qualities are required for your position?

I’d say you need curiosity and open-mindedness, to have good sense without falling into judgment. Knowing how to put things into perspective too, without relativizing everything. Knowing yourself well allows you to make the right choices: keeping what suits you and delegating the rest. Or just saying no. Asserting yourself, knowing what you want or don’t want, is fundamental.

Regarding management, you need a small dose of stamina for administrative tasks… but without letting yourself be consumed. Staying aligned with yourself, staying open, maintaining enthusiasm: that’s the driving force. But the day it becomes a struggle, you have to know when to stop. I made myself this promise when setting up my business: the day the desire isn’t there, I stop and do something else.

I also advocate for more kindness. Unfortunately, we still confuse politeness and kindness too often, and even sadder, kindness and weakness. That’s a real shame. I was raised with the idea that if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything. Meanness is free and leaves scars, kindness costs nothing and leaves memories. 🙂

Why did you choose to work with the MaMA Music & Convention?

I have been collaborating with MaMA since 2018 (La Nouvelle Onde #PrixLNO, editorial board and JUMP European program (2018-2022), women’s conferences (2019-2022)). So when the CNM (formerly IRMA) stopped supporting the MaMA Invent programming, Gilles Castagnac suggested that I take over. Thanks to him and the trust of Fernando Ladeiro-Marques from MaMA, I was able to continue the excellent programming work already accomplished on tech and sustainable development themes, while adding transversality and a societal dimension to the topics covered.

What is your connection with IDOL?

I can’t recall how I met Pascal Bittard, but I’ve been following him for a long time and I’m delighted with IDOL’s success. Pascal is the guest on the 3rd episode of the MUTANT·ES podcast and he’s fascinating!

I also know Christophe Mauberqué, who is Head of International A&R Development; we were in primary school together. He’s a friend and someone I admire greatly. Furthermore, he was a (great) mentor on La Nouvelle Onde in 2019. I’m very happy that he joined a company like IDOL where he can bring his great artistic sensibility and international experience.

And then Marit Posch, who was General Manager for IDOL Germany, was my mentor at shesaid.so in 2022. She really helped me, particularly with structuring myself and identifying the areas where I genuinely needed help to find that precious balance between professional and personal life.

What’s the strangest task you’ve done in your career?

At the time I was a project manager at EMI, I had a somewhat surreal experience. We were supposed to do a big TV show with an artist, and at the last minute, her mother, who was her manager, asked us for a 3,000€ clothing budget. Not only did my bosses accept this blackmail, but I was the one who had to advance the money, even though the sum was more than my salary… A moment of profound solitude.

Oh, one last one for the road… One day, I was also asked to go get drugs for an artist. Me, who doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, and has never taken any in my life… it was comical. So, I explained the situation, and I was never asked again after that. Lucky me, I guess? 😇

Emily's playlist

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