Mathieu Jaton of the Montreux Jazz Festival on passion in the music business

CEO of the Montreux Jazz Festival, Mathieu Jaton discusses the passion and drive pushing the festival forward, celebrating 50 years in the business this year. He explains that his background in business and having experience as a musician have both helped him in running the festival and understanding the needs of the artists. During the presentation, students and guests from Barcelona were delighted with anecdotal stories about the legendary artists such as Prince and David Bowie who have graced the festival’s stage.

Jaton spoke about the role of passion in his career and how important it is to harness in any business. From a young age, Jaton grew up listening to an array of sounds, from jazz, pop-rock to classical music. Music is created differently in Montreux and this creative process immensely affects artists that come to the renowned jazz festival. As Jaton says, “we are not telling our stories, it is the artists who are telling out stories”. Artists are not machines, and the festival treats them as if they were guests at a five-star hotel, where artists are able to feel at home. Some musicians even come to the festival for a holiday, just to relax and enjoy their time.

“We are not telling our stories, it is the artists who are telling our stories”

Find out more about the EU Group and the international English-speaking EU Business Schools in Barcelona, Geneva, Munich and Montreux at https://www.euruni.edu/euruni/About-us/About-Us.html