A conversation
with
Learn more about Matt Signore's story and his journey to starting Sempre Cosi.
A journey
with
See the timeline of Matthieu Lauriot Prevost's story and his journey to starting Sempre Cosi.
1987 - CBS
PARIS
After graduating from a top business school, I followed my love of music and joined CBS in Paris as a Junior Marketing Executive in the Compilation Department. I quickly realized two things – firstly, I loved the music business in addition to my love of music itself, and secondly, the business was filled with some unmotivated and unkind individuals. I thought if I’m ready to work hard and combine this with a bit of luck, something special might happen.
1992 - POLYDOR
PARIS
I was asked to move to Polydor to run their Marketing and Promotion. At twenty-nine years old, I’d worked with Sting, Bryan Adams, and MC Solaar. Thirty-five people reported to me, and I delivered my budget two years in a row. Life was good.
Around this time the MD was let go, but they told me I wouldn’t get the job; they thought I wasn’t ready. This led to a lot of frustration, as I truly believed I deserved that step up. I called Sony and was immediately offered a job. Now I had leverage.
A year before, I had casually mentioned to David Munns, the Head of Marketing Worldwide for PolyGram International, that I would be interested in a job in London or New York. He saw something in me and called with an exciting opportunity.
1998 - BMG
PARIS
BMG called and offered me the MD job at Arista in Paris, so I moved my family back. I took it all in my stride and became one of the forty Execs selected from the whole of Bertelsmann to go to the Head Office in Germany every quarter to meet the Board. The Chairman – a big football fan – invited me to the final of the World Cup. Things seemed to be getting better and better.
Organizational politics began to seep in and in December I was fired by the new BMG CEO. Within six months, I went from being the future of the company to being unemployed.
2002 - EMI
LONDON
Alain Levy and David Munns took over EMI and offered me the Global Marketing gig. It could have been too early in my career, but I couldn’t turn down an offer to run Worldwide marketing for such a major player. I moved the family back to London and I continued to travel the world, launching artists like Norah Jones and spending time with Jared Leto, Pharrell Williams, and Moby.
The internet was an emerging tool we didn’t quite understand how to make use of, and this marked a troubled time for the business. People were made redundant, artists were dropped, and more time was spent focusing on internal conflicts than working with our artists.
Alain and David were ousted by the Board and I left three weeks later.
2010 - MILES
LONDON
I set up Miles, using all of my international marketing experience to build my own business. This was the worst time to launch a new music company, but I knew I had to do it and it was immediately apparent that everything would be different. I tried many different things, made lots of mistakes, and learned even more. There were challenges in every direction and I went without a salary for months. Doubts about my ability to make it through this period began to surface.
2017 - MILES
LONDON
I published my first photo book, a work by a photographer I managed called Eric Mistler. This was a new experience for me and involved reaching out to forty-two publishers in addition to organizing crowdfunding. The book was shortlisted for Best Photo Book 2019 in Germany, and I’m now working on a second book after the success of the first.
1988 - WALT DISNEY
PARIS
I was unexpectedly offered a new job after my boss at CBS became President of Walt Disney Paris, and without really thinking about it I followed him. A year later, I noticed that the heaviness of corporate culture was beginning to take its toll, and I realized it was time to go. I sent out five resumes and got three offers, which led to my new position at PolyGram as Head of the Catalogue and Compilation Department.
1995 - POLYGRAM
LONDON
I moved to London and became the VP of Marketing for PolyGram International. This hugely expanded my horizons as I discovered more of the world, experienced different cultures, and came across diverse ways of working. My curiosity continued to grow as I met new people and started to build my network, and I learned a lot from David too.
1999 - ISLAND DEF JAM / UNIVERSAL
NEW YORK
In the meantime, Universal bought PolyGram and I was offered a job in New York to run International for Island Def Jam. Working in the United States was like playing in the Champions League, and working for Lyor Cohen was certainly a daily roller coaster ride as well. I traveled the world with Bon Jovi and Jay-Z, and I was in a strong competitive position with my colleagues at both Interscope and Universal.
Then I met Matt Signore.
2007 - WARNER
LONDON
After seriously considering setting up my own business, Warner called and offered the international marketing job. It would involve a 30% pay cut, but I wasn’t ready to strike out on my own yet. I took the job, which involved working with Michael Bublé, Linkin Park, and Muse.
During this time, I grappled with my understanding of what was happening within the business and I slowly started to change my own work culture. I refused a soulless deal and was asked to leave when the fiscal year came to an end.
2013 - MILES / OSWALDO
LONDON
I became a Manager and was determined to be a good one. Each morning, I’d wake up consumed with the desire to prove myself and achieve this intention. I launched Oswaldo, a new label to offer artists a full service. I thought a lot about the business, how it was evolving, and how to stay relevant. Each day I reset myself to be in the best possible mindset and be open to change.
2021 - SEMPRE COSI
LONDON
I set up Sempre Così with my friend Matt Signore. What started as a simple phone call to reassure him and remind him of his many talents after he left Warner turned into so much more, and now two years later we have a business that gives back. Most importantly, we have a company that we love and work that makes us happy.