AC Promotions is a Radio, TV & Club Promotions and Event PR company which specialises in the rock genre.
We look after the promotion of a wide range of artists, from arena filling and festival headlining mainstream global rock artists: Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Joe Bonamassa, Led Zeppelin, Billy Idol, Nickelback, Slash and Slipknot, through to some of the most respected and genre defining rock and metal artists, including Gojira, Code Orange, A Perfect Circle, Turnstile and Kvelertak. We provide a full club promotion service to the UK's 70+ rock clubs and offer event PR, including Bloodstock Open Air Festival.
We have great relationships across all UK Radio & TV, including BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6 Music, Radio X, Absolute Radio, Kerrang Radio, Planet Rock, Primordial Radio, Total Rock, Virgin Radio, MTV UK & International, BBC TV’s Later With Jools Holland, Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross, Sunday Brunch, among many more, all the major news networks as well as events companies, brand partners and the UK’s leading festivals and live music sector.
There were just four metal albums to land the #1 spot on the main UK album charts in the last decade (2010-2019), and we lead the charge at radio and TV for two of them - Avenged Sevenfold's Hail to the King in 2013 and Slipknot's We Are Not Your Kind in 2019. And most recently, landing another #1 with Slipknot (their second consecutive UK #1) with The End, So Far in 2022. Whilst the company's roster is predominantly rock, it is certainly not limited to this and also includes mainstream pop and blues artists – of which have had much mainstream success.
AC Promotions - where did it all begin?
After finishing his BA-hons Degree in the summer of 1998, Austin then started his career in music at Warner's WEA Records as a radio Intern. He was then snapped up to work as a National Radio Plugger for the other side of Warner; East West/Atlantic Records, before then moving jobs in 2000 to take up the position of Head Of Promotions at one of the world's most iconic global rock brands and labels, Roadrunner Records.
Whilst at Roadrunner, Austin lead promotional campaigns for some of the world's biggest rock artists - some of them right through their career from their first albums and small venues right through to headlining arenas, such as Slipknot and Nickelback.
During his years as Head Of Promotions at Roadrunner, he has been responsible for delivering some of the UK rock scenes most ground-breaking and often genre defining moments, including the likes of Slipknot being playlisted on daytime BBC Radio 1, Mastodon playing on the BBC's Later With Jools Holland and Slash stood on top of an up-ended, smashed up pick-up truck, playing out the theme tune to Top Gear on the last show of the series and many, many more.
Austin set up AC Promotions in 2012 and is both privileged and honoured to work with some of the world's most iconic, respected and also cutting edge artists from the work of rock, as well as the much wider musical spectrum.
When not working or playing the drums (badly), you'll find Austin in the pub, boring people to death about his dream to import 1950's American cars and the fact that is '66 Spitfire and '74 Camaro are still not running!
Oli took his first steps into the music industry in 2004 when he joined the Roadrunner Records Street Team to promote Soulfly's Prophecy. He stuck at it for years and eventually landed an internship in the London office in January 2011, working his way up to Head of the Street Team and Promotions Assistant. Before that he worked at The Guitar, Amp & Keyboard Centre (GAK) in Brighton in the drum store for two years where he had an absolute blast. However, Oli often recalls that 'working in a drum shop with a hangover is not the best place to be!'. Since then he has headed up promo campaigns the likes of Tremonti, Dream Theater, Code Orange, Turnstile, A Perfect Circle, Ghost, Motionless in White, Black Label Society, Clutch, Bloodstock Festival and many more.
Music has always been a massive part of his life, throughout his teens he played drums in a band that toured up and down the country on several occasions, self-financed three CDs and supported such bands as Raging Speedhorn and Prong. He's also into football, surfing, capoeira, calisthenics, yoga, holidaying in California and cooking. A well rounded chap then!