Northlane’s Josh Smith Announces Open Door Management With Chris O’Brien

Two of the most respected names in the Australian music industry – Josh Smith and Chris O’Brien – have announced their plans to combine powers, forming Open Door Management. The management company promises to be a forward-thinking partner for artists, and who better to provide the service?

As a founding member of ARIA award magnets Northlane, Josh Smith has well and truly proven his ability to herd cats, having toured the globe successfully for years. As the band approach the release of their fifth album, Smith also knows a thing or two about what it’s like to be in the studio. Smith’s first-person experience as an artist is combined with O’Brien’s decade spanning track record of excellence.

With a resume that features, among other things, Soundwave General Manager, artist manager, and touring head of Destroy All Lines (the team behind Good Things Festival, O’Brien operated at the highest levels of the Australian music industry.

“We felt that the power needed to be handed back to artists and give them more control over their careers.” said the pair in a joint statement, “We want to create an environment where they are part of the decision-making process across all facets. This is their livelihoods and we are merely the guardians which seems to have struck a chord already which is really exciting.”

They add, “We won’t be focusing on any specific genres just looking to work with artists that we love and that we think we can make wholesale differences to in their careers.”

Business starts straight away for Open Door Management, with the partners combining rosters. This puts Northlane, Void Of Vision, Introvert and Stateside under the Open Door umbrella, with Make Them Suffer and Windwaker joining the fold as new recruits.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.