CNM’s Les Pépites : when the music industry nurtures the talents of tomorrow
Every year, the Centre national de la musique and Le Printemps de Bourges Crédit Mutuel support a new generation of music entrepreneurs through the Les Pépites scheme. On 10 May, the cohorts gathered at the Zig Club, the CNM’s reception venue, for an evening of music listening dedicated to networking and discovering new talent.
A scheme designed for the next generation in the sector
Les Pépites is a support scheme developed jointly by the Centre national de la musique and Le Printemps de Bourges Crédit Mutuel. It is aimed at entrepreneurs running start-up organisations operating within the professional ecosystem of one or more artists: record and live performance production, performance venues, music publishing, artist management, and all professions contributing to the development of artistic projects.
Now in its fourth year, the programme reflects the partners’ shared commitment to encouraging careers in the sector, facilitating the integration of new talent into the professional ecosystem, and raising the profile of careers in the music industry.
In practical terms, the winners benefit from a packed programme: support from CNM advisers, masterclasses with inspiring figures from the performing arts and music production sectors, professional meetings, round-table discussions, speed-meetings, networking opportunities and concerts. At the end of the festival, these rising stars are also offered professional accreditation for the Francofolies de La Rochelle and the MaMA. A comprehensive springboard for organisations that have been in existence for less than three years.
The Class of 2026: eight new rising stars, around a hundred applications
Selected from around a hundred applications, the eight winners of this year’s programme took part in their immersion from 16 to 18 April 2026 in Bourges, at the heart of the Printemps festival. This year’s cohort includes Thomas Bisiacco (discipleen agency), Adrien Bosom (merci au revoir music), Gabriel Charvin (3ad publishing), Diane Kremer (Mojo Productions), Laëtitia Leduc (Meraki Productions), Héloïse Rohr Defaix (Nébuleuse sonore), Célia Sauvage (eight music) and Antoine Vignol (CS Records) — eight complementary profiles who embody the diversity and vitality of French music entrepreneurship.
A listening session and building bridges between generations
On 10 May 2026, the CNM opened the doors of its Zig Club for an evening event. It was an opportunity for the 2026 Pépites cohort to come together in an intimate setting, alongside professionals from previous cohorts — a mix of generations that perfectly illustrates one of the programme’s most valuable outcomes: the creation of a lasting community across cohorts.
Because the Pépites don’t end after just a few days’ immersion in Bourges. They forge bonds that last. That evening, we came across professionals from the 2024 and 2025 cohorts, each there to champion their artists’ projects:
Marion Roy (class of 2024) with Jef Guillon, an electro artist
Julien Humez from Green Shore Music (class of 2025) with the artist Cassily, French pop / pop rock
Pierre Tiberghien, lawyer (class of 2025) with Maddy Street, a Franco-British alt-rock/electro artist
Jennifer Barnay from DMG (Class of 2025) with the artist Atanaz, rap / Caribbean sounds
Marie Goddeeris, label management and booking, with the artist Josia, pop / Nigerian influences
Caroline Agboyibor from KLB Management (Class of 2025) with Andriel, Afro R&B artist
Each of these pairings tells a story: that of a professional forging their identity within the industry, and of an artist making progress thanks to this support. The evening was also an opportunity to experience their musical worlds, in the good humour and warmth that characterisectérisent l’esprit des Pépites.
