Alain Lanceron

Alain Lanceron was born in Nice, France in 1949. He graduated from the ESCP Business School in Paris and holds an academic degree in Economical Sciences. Alain Lanceron joined Pathé Marconi-EMI in 1972 as pop label manager. In 1973 he created the department of Special Projects. At the same time, from 1970 to 1980, he wrote as a musical critic for various magazines (l'Aurore, Valeurs Actuelles, Spectacle du Monde, Scherzo, Lyrica, l'Avant-Scène Opéra,..). In November 1978 he was appointed Director of the Classical Department of Pathé Marconi-EMI. In June 1996, in addition to his activities for EMI Music France, he became President of Virgin Classics International, the offices of which were then transferred from London to Paris. Between 1996 and 2000 Alain Lanceron was also in charge of the EMI France Jazz Department for which he endeavoured successfully to create a local recording programme. From 2007 to 2009 – in addition to his other activities – he acts as Vice President Artist & Repertoire for the EMI Classics label.

Alain Lanceron has to date achieved more than 650 projects with the greatest classical artists of our times. More than 200 of these recordings are devoted to French music thus taking an active part in the re-discovery of the French musical heritage with a great number of world premiere recordings. He also launched several series of re-issues that stand out in the French market (Références, Les Introuvables, La voix de son Maître, Rouge & Noir, etc) and brought in the forefront the great recordings of the past.

Since May 2005, Alain Lanceron has also been President of the Cnipal (Centre National d'Insertion Professionnelle d'Artistes Lyriques), a finishing school based in Marseilles for young opera singers. From 2006 to 2010 he was President of Les Victoires de la Musique Classique (French equivalent to the Grammy Awards) and artistic advisor for the 2010-2011 season of the Nice Opera.

Further to the purchase of EMI classical labels by Warner Music Group, Alain Lanceron is appointed in April 2014, President of Warner Classics & Erato. These two labels are today the only classical labels of a major company based in Paris.

In 2013, Gramophone Magazine honoured Alain Lanceron with a Special Achievement Award and in March 2014, Alain Lanceron was inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame, acknowledging his contribution to classical music recording.

Alain Lanceron is chevalier in the Order of la Légion d'Honneur, chevalier in the Order National du Mérite and chevalier in the Order of les Arts et Lettres.