The Sound Of: Aus Music

Artists and Repertoire is a dark art that only those who have mastered it can explain, though Saul rather underplays what is a rare skill, certainly given that Aus Music is almost 20 years old. It is also now 200 releases deep and marking the milestone with a four-part EP series featuring Quantic, Cinthie, Dam Swindle, Fink, Saul and K-Lone, who also dropped two EPs on the label this year. His presence is a testament to Aus’s appeal to the current generation. 

“I think it’s probably just a gut feeling,” he says of finding success with a label. “And your taste in music. Mine’s always been about melody and a hook and something that lives on.” As for longevity, Saul puts that down to understanding the market and your place in it: running a label like a business is not what many set out to do, but there is a certain responsibility to artists to ensure their music stands the best possible chance of getting heard, and that the brand retains both reputation and relevancy. 

“The more you have a choice in artists you can approach, the more you’re able to do things in a slightly more strategic way, to balance the schedule,” Saul says. “Radio plugging we still feel is quite important in terms of people actually hearing your music, but I’m also very conscious of balancing the profile of the artists that I’m signing and releasing in terms of their size, in terms of their fan base. I will always try and unearth some new, interesting artists so we can go from Quantic with two million monthly followers on Spotify to 96 Back who has about 50,000. The brutal truth is, if I was just releasing really small artists all the time, I think it would be impossible to survive.”

Importantly, both established stars like Quantic and more niche young innovators like 96 Back are happy to sign to Aus, which shows Saul is getting that balance perfectly right as the label hurtles towards its 20th year in 2026.  “Releasing music people listen to and have moments with, that’s still the best bit,” he reflects. “I think I’ll get to the end of my life and I’ll be like, ‘Well, I’m not necessarily a wealthy person, but a lot of people have enjoyed the work we’ve done over the years’, and I think that’s something.”

Listen to The Sound Of: Aus Music, a mix from its catalogue recorded by Will Saul, below.