Andrew Klippel on Ourness, Royel Otis, and the ‘golden age’ of the music business

Trailblazers is an MBW interview series that turns the spotlight on music entrepreneurs with the potential to become the global business power players of tomorrow. This time, we meet Andrew Klippel, co-founder of Australia-born music company Ourness. Trailblazers is supported by TuneCore.

If your map of Australia’s independent music scene doesn’t have a large pin marking Bondi Beach, Andrew Klippel would like a word.

In this picturesque Sydney suburb, Klippel – along with his partner and Ourness co-founder Beck Quade – is building a boutique label with global ambitions, balancing fierce artist development with a distinctly “artisan” approach to music marketing.

The label’s philosophy is refreshingly straightforward in an era of data-driven signings: find exceptional talent, invest deeply, and allow them the space to evolve authentically on the world stage. Rather than chasing trends, Ourness aims to create them.

That approach is already bearing fruit.

Genesis Owusu’s 2021 debut album Smiling With No Teeth swept Australia’s ARIA Awards, claiming the Album of the Year award alongside Best Hip Hop Release, Best Independent Release, and Best Cover Art.

The gold-certified album made Owusu the first Black Australian artist to win the Album of the Year award at the ARIAs.

More recently, Bondi Beach outfit Royel Otis has been making serious waves internationally, leveraging a partnership with Capitol Records that has seen singles like Going Kokomo and Sofa King rack up tens of millions of streams.

Royel Otis achieved viral success last year with their cover of Sopie Ellis Bextor’s Murder On The Dancefloor, which reached No.1 at US commercial alternative radio last spring.

They also performed a cover of The Cranberries’ Linger, which has racked up nearly 100 million streams.

Royel Otis have achieved over half a billion streams to date and have nearly 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Their album, Pratts & Pain (distributed by Believe via Ourness) was awarded Triple J Album Of The Year, 2024.

For Klippel, it’s the culmination of a lifetime in music.

A “dedicated” piano player from a young age who signed his first record deal at 16, Klippel eventually transitioned to production and publishing, where he helped develop artists including The Veronicas, The Vines, and Empire of the Sun.

But when streaming began upending the industry, Klippel sensed an opportunity to build something different – a label where artist development remains paramount, where marketing has an “artisan feel,” and where global ambition is baked into the DNA.

Here, Klippel shares his label’s philosophy, why he believes we’re living through a “golden age” of the music business, and more…

Could you tell our readers about your background in the music industry before you started Ourness?

I started playing piano when I was six. I was absolutely dedicated to it. From classical to jazz, I loved it all and was always applying that to my own improvisation which led to songwriting.

I signed a record deal when I was 16. I learned from the ground up what it was to be an artist and be around the music business. Through that lens, I guess I was always thinking about how I would do things differently if I could.

I then started my own band, started producing for other artists and had quite a lot of success doing that. I’ve always tended to work on specific projects that lead to long careers as opposed to songs for many varied artists.

My first foray into my own music business was signing The Veronicas, The Vines and The Empire of the Sun’s publishing. I knew there was a great opportunity to develop talent out of Australia and make use of my global experience. At the same time of those projects’ successes, I personally wasn’t in a great space in my life, so I took time out to focus on my health and well-being.

“There was obviously a big shift when streaming came in and I was quite excited about the lack of rules, the chaos and new opportunities around that time.”

I had a young family when Spotify was just getting started, and I sensed this might be my moment to focus on the bigger ambitions I had when it came to creating a label.

There was obviously a big shift when streaming came in and I was quite excited about the lack of rules, the chaos and new opportunities around that time.

What were your ambitions for Ourness when you launched the company?

The company is built around signing very few artists and investing in them from a global perspective. The concept of Ourness is very much centered around artist development, music first and foremost, and customizing teams that enable us to collaborate in building a strong cultural identity.

“Even before we started Ourness, we always talked about ensuring visuals and that every thread of a project had a real artisan feel to it.”

My partner in Ourness, Beck Quade, who is also my wife, came from running her own ideas and marketing agency.

Even before we started Ourness, we always talked about ensuring visuals and that every thread of a project had a real artisan feel to it – a palpable authenticity.

When we first launched Genesis Owusu (pictured) for example, I was making the records in the studio around the corner from our house, and Beck was doing the photo shoots with him in the back streets.

How is Ourness positioned in the industry today?

Creating anything meaningful takes patience, resilience and persistence. I would say Ourness is in a position to keep building upon what we have started and adding to our roster. I also see Ourness potentially expanding into other areas and shapeshifting into defining other culturally relevant spaces. In the immediate short term, we are heavily focused on investing and expanding our digital reach.

What trends are you seeing in the market in Australia, the US and globally that we should know about?

I don’t really look at it that way, to be honest. I think everyone is doing their thing, and trends come and go. You just have to stay focused on what you are doing and create your own way of doing it.

What are the biggest challenges facing independent labels today?

I think more than ever there is so much opportunity, but with that being said there also still requires an extraordinary amount of experience when it gets to a certain level. The nature of the music business is extremely complex. You have to always put the artist first and base decisions on that for what is in the best interest of the entire project. You have to be able to do a number of things well yourself and be aware of your limitations to know when to build out teams and who should be on those teams.

Where are the biggest opportunities for the global music business in Australasia?

I think for me the opportunities are all A&R and digital marketing, and having an open mind to how those aspects are applied futuristically.

Who is currently on your roster and what do you look for in the artists you work with?

Genesis Owusu will be releasing new material in 2025. He is an explosive performer and an incredibly unique artist. Royel Otis (pictured) keeps going from strength to strength too, and they are exceptional songwriters who are authentic and true to who they are. We also have a few projects in development that are not formally announced yet.

Anything Ourness is involved in must be about partnering with individuals who are very clear on their vision and allow enough room for us to support and develop that in the most interesting and globally relevant way possible.

How did you meet and start working with Royel Otis?

I met them through Julian Sudek, the drummer at the time in the Genesis Owusu BLACK DOG band.

We all live in close proximity around Bondi Beach, and we started hanging out and getting to know each other.

I had not heard demos of that quality in such a long time; I was literally blown away. Otis has such a unique voice and Roy is so distinctive stylistically.

You’ve partnered with Capitol Records for Royel Otis recently. What made Capitol an appealing company to work with, and what does the partnership entail exactly?

Tom March, Lilia Parsa and John Janick have an exceptionally high-level expertise and have been responsible for scaling some of the most successful alternative artists of our generation.

I think more than anything though they have a complementary skill set and approach things in a partnership capacity. I’m really excited about it.

What are your ambitions/predictions for Royel Otis’ career trajectory over the coming months and years?

Just keeping them as Royel Otis as possible, and realizing the potential of that.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Find an artist that you love and needs what you have to offer.

What does success look like to you?

Personally, it’s always about balancing creativity and family. From purely a business perspective, it’s about collaborating with our artists to create cultural movements that lead to legacy careers.

If there was one thing you could change about the music business, what would it be and why?

I think the music business is in a golden age currently. I love the level of thinking, ideas, A&R, organization and the marketing concepts that are happening independently and on a major label level at the moment. The next generation of executives are absolutely incredible.