Warner Music Austria, ADA Central Europe

Warner Music Austria and ADA Central Europe have signed a distribution and studio partnership with the Vienna-based independent label Tonherd. The deal was announced on Thursday, August 27, according to a report by Music Business Worldwide.

Under the agreement, the two Warner units will manage global distribution for Tonherd and offer strategic support for its artists in Austria and internationally. The partnership also provides Warner Music Austria's local artists with direct access to Tonherd's recording studio in Vienna's 9th district.

Franz Pleterski, General Manager of Warner Music Austria, stated the partnership aims to allow the company to collaborate with artists earlier in their careers. "With this partnership, we aim to support artists as partners from the very early stages of their development and demonstrate our commitment to local Austrian music," Pleterski said. He added that he looks forward to the collaboration and the talent it may discover in coming years.

The Tonherd Operation

Tonherd is run by founders Constantin Kaiser, Florian Koch, and Valentin Bröderbauer. The company describes itself as a full-service, end-to-end music company offering services from songwriting and production to release. Koch handles recording, mixing, and mastering. Kaiser covers releases, distribution, and promotion. Bröderbauer covers songwriting, workshops, and organization.

According to Tonherd's website, its studio spans 350 square meters and houses two control rooms. The announcement claims the company's production team has been instrumental in crafting hits for top-tier Austrian artists, including Ina Regen, Josh., and Pizzera & Jaus. The studio is also credited with co-recording work on the Dropkick Murphys album For the People.

Upcoming Releases and Broader Context

The partnership's first release comes from pop artist Michael Russ. Releases from artists including ams and Fräulein Peter are scheduled to follow later this year. A release from Now., the Vienna band formed by all three Tonherd founders, is also planned.

This deal is part of a series of moves by Warner in the region. ADA Central Europe, the distribution and label services arm of Warner Music Central Europe, signed an exclusive distribution partnership with Berlin independent AIM Music in July. That deal involved global distribution, streaming strategy, and marketing for AIM's roster. Prior to that, ADA Central Europe signed German artist Fayan in April.

In October 2024, Warner Music Austria and ADA Central Europe extended their deal with Austrian duo Seiler und Speer. That agreement added the duo's home market to a physical distribution arrangement covering Germany and Switzerland and made Warner Music/ADA their worldwide digital distribution partner.

Warner's Regional Structure

Austria sits within Warner Music Central Europe, which expanded to six countries in October 2025. Warner Music Group merged its recorded music businesses in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria with those in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Niels Walboomers was named President of the expanded region.

The company states that, based on IFPI trade revenue figures, those six markets together rank as the world's third-largest recorded music market behind the US and Japan. In June, Warner Music hired Jean-Sebastien Permal as SVP of A&R, EMEA and Central Europe. In that role, Permal leads domestic frontline activity across Warner Music Central Europe's labels in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Franz Pleterski has led Warner Music Austria since 2020.