Founder of The French Music Export Office Jean-François Michel Dies

Influential music industry developer Jean-François Michel passed away Saturday, July 23rd. Jean-François Michel was active in the music industry for many years. He namely founded The French Music Export Office in 1993. This organization was created at the initiative of the record industry, with the support of public authorities as well as other music trade organizations in France.

Jean-François Michel was also the Director of the Association Diversités, a non-profit organization created in 2007, which gathers several creative industry organizations and aims at promoting cultural diversity. Diversités members’ main goal is to share their expertise and know-how in the field of cultural industries.

“He contributed so much for so many years it would be hard to summarize and fairly communicate his impact,” said world music industry consultant and former WOMEX director, Gerald Seligman. “He created the model for Music Export Offices, creating the first one in France. In recent years he headed the European Music Office, the umbrella organization of the export offices. And so much else besides. A great friend of the music.”

Gerald