The future of the industry belongs to executives who can bridge the creative, commercial, and technological divides

Daniel Findikian, founder of EMIC, is partnering with Rennes School of Business to launch France’s first English-language MSc in International Music Business this September. The program aims to address a global talent shortage by training executives specifically for high-growth emerging markets such as Latin America, Asia, and Africa. This initiative reflects a strategic shift in the music industry toward a tech-driven, global market where traditional US-centric education models are no longer sufficient to navigate complex international growth.

Daniel Findikian, a veteran of Universal Music, Sony Music, and EMI, founded EMIC in 2016 to bridge the gap between the rapidly expanding global music market and the talent pipeline feeding it. The new MSc in International Music Business, developed in partnership with the triple-accredited Rennes School of Business, focuses on regions like Latin America, which saw 17.1% growth in 2025, and Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA, which both grew by 15.2% year-over-year. With Goldman Sachs projecting that emerging markets will account for 75% of net subscriber additions by 2035, the program is designed to move beyond traditional Western-focused curricula that often ignore the nuances of copyright, AI, and audience building in these high-growth territories.

The curriculum consists of 200 hours of instruction delivered entirely by active industry professionals rather than academics, ensuring students learn from operational realities rather than theory. Led by Nicolas Renault, formerly of Sony Music, the program is supported by a high-profile strategic advisory board including Marie-Anne Robert of Sony Music Entertainment France and Corinne Sadki of Centre national de la musique. The program’s patrons include Christian De Rosnay and Alexandra Pilz Hayot, managers for global French success stories like Justice and Gesaffelstein, emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural appeal and the ability to break artists on a global scale across multiple demographics.

Findikian argues that the modern music industry requires versatile leaders who can simultaneously navigate legal, economic, and technological challenges across different sectors of the value chain. By moving away from the old model of deep specialization, the MSc aims to produce executives capable of operating across diverse business models and cultural contexts. This approach addresses a critical need for local knowledge and strategic expertise in markets where future value creation is expected to outpace established Western systems, providing a structured environment for students to build international networks before entering the job market.