John Saunderson, head of publishing & management at Ostereo, has told Music Week about the success of the recently formed management company.
In October 2019, Saunderson – having previously spent more than 15 years at Notting Hill Music Publishing – made the move to Manchester-based indie label, Ostereo to launch its fledgling management division. It has already acquired a roster of 14 artists, writers and producers.
“Working with the team at Ostereo has afforded me a lot of freedom to work with acts I feel passionate about,” Saunderson told Music Week. “It also means I’ve been able to approach our situation with pragmatism to ensure our talent continues to succeed during the adverse global circumstances. It’s been so rewarding to negotiate countless major deals for our roster during the pandemic.”
Since it launch, Ostereo management has negotiated over 100 releases with labels like Selected, Ultra, Defected, Perfect Havoc, Disco:wax, Warner and Universal. The deals have, to date, garnered over 100 million streams for Ostereo’s client-base.
“We’ve tried to be really flexible since launch, securing label, publishing and sync deals for our roster while touring is currently off the table,” said Saunderson. “The deals are there, you’ve just got to box clever and know how to find them. Labels like Universal, WMG, Disco:wax, Ultra, Defected, Perfect Havoc and Selected are just a handful of the companies that trust our A&R process implicitly. We get sent hundreds of briefs and requests for collaborations every month, I only ever submit on brief, but that is only possible because our roster deliver world-class productions every time. They understand modern day trends and communicate that perfectly every time.”
Ostereo’s management roster includes the likes of British producer, Harrison, who Ostereo signed to a record deal with Universal/Virgin records. The agency also recently secured a deal for their client Bluckther with Warner, releases with Spinnin’, Disco:wax, Selected, Lithuania HQ, and a spot at Tomorrowland for Portuguese DJ and producer, Tom Enzy.
“Looking to the future, we’re expanding our roster steadily to encompass more genres, and more disciplines,” Saunderson added. “Working with more top liners and producers is going to be key as we continue to see a record-focused industry. Watch this space for even more hits from Ostereo’s roster."
Photo: Gary Thomas KYPA
FOLLOW 
