POWER 50 2025: Stephen Wade (Select Music)

BACKGROUND CHECK:

Having burst into the world of music as both a venue booker and a touring musician, it was in 2005 that Stephen Wade and Rob Giovannoni founded Select Music, an agency that looks after artists by providing them with the support and guidance to reach new heights, to break into new markets, and become stronger and better along the way. 

Adhering to their mantra of building careers, Select Music has grown to be one of the most successful Australian-owned independent agencies in the country, working with artists of all genres at all stages of their careers.

THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC:

With a roster that is as impressive as it is long, it's hard not to look at Select Music as anything but an agency with its finger on the pulse. Celebrating 20 years in 2025 is no mean feat for any agency, but when it's filled with acts embarking on massive shows across the country, the milestone is intensified just that little bit. While the likes of Ball Park Music scored their biggest audiences to date with an impressive run of shows supporting Oasis, so too are acts like Delivery, dust., Confidence Man, Shady Nasty, The Amity Affliction, and more taking their uniquely Australian sounds overseas to massive audiences. 

THE MUSIC SPEAKS:

There’s no way Select wouldn’t be on the list in their 20th year. Stephen Wade is a powerhouse (as are his agents, including Rob G, Casey O'Shaughnessy and Katie Rynne), launching Select in 2005, taking on the “big guys” and taking a unique A&R-led approach to building a roster.

Artists responded favourably, and the agency has grown into one of the largest in Australia. The approach has become even more important as Australian artists rely on ever-tighter teams focused on management and live bookings, while labels reduce their involvement in longer-term artist planning. 

When the chips were down during COVID, Wade sprang into action, co-founding the ALMBC to advocate for industry assistance and serving as its inaugural chair. 

Today, the company is stronger than ever with a roster of Australian artists so large it needs to be split up into each letter of the alphabet. But still, the bands on the roster don’t feel like numbers. Wade’s original ethos stays strong. They don’t book gigs, they build careers, and for those on the roster, it doesn’t feel like an empty slogan.