Defected Records acquired by former MD Wez Saunders, as founder Simon Dunmore moves to A&R Consultant role – Music Business Worldwide

Prominent London-born independent music company Defected Records has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by its former Managing Director and newly appointed CEO, Wez Saunders.

Defected Records‘ founder Simon Dunmore will continue to work alongside Saunders in his new role as A&R Consultant to steer the label group.

The deal closed on July 29, according to documents filed on the UK’s Companies House.

The news arrives during what Defected says has been its “most successful year yet”, with 2022 seeing 2.4 billion streams, over 600,000 tickets sold across more than 300 events and surpassing an online community of over 10 million.

The house music company says that its publishing arm, Defected Music, has also celebrated “significant success”, with Elton John & Dua Lipa’s Official UK Chart No.1 Cold Heart and tracks from Beyonce’s latest album (also reaching No.1 in the UK) Renaissance credited to Defected Music publishers.

Joining Defected as Singles Manager in 2014, Saunders stepped up from Label Manager to Head of Marketing in quick succession.

He then spent six years as Managing Director overseeing all aspects of the company, including recordings, promotions, events, and business affairs.

Defected says that Saunders successfully navigated the music company and its staff through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defected inducted three new labels to the group during that time, also launching the Defected Virtual Festival series which accumulated 50 million views and raised $1.2 million for the WHO’s COVID-19 solidarity response fund.

“I am grateful to Simon Dunmore for his ongoing mentorship and for trusting us to continue his legacy, evolving the next generation of Defected.”

 Wez Saunders, Defected

Defected’s new CEO Wez Saunders, said: “Defected has always upheld house music’s standards globally by supporting innovative artists and by consistently servicing our community with quality recorded music, live events, digital marketing strategies and more.

“I am grateful to Simon Dunmore for his ongoing mentorship and for trusting us to continue his legacy, evolving the next generation of Defected.

“It is our intention alongside partners, associates, talent and staff to preserve the culture and values that built such a powerful community of artists and fans, while driving the business into a new era of investment, impact, and expansion.”

“These are exciting times and I’ll continue to be part of Defected’s campaigns, but now I am delighted to be handing over the helm to Wez, who alongside our new partners will guide Defected into new fertile waters. A new era.”

Simon Dunmore

Simon Dunmore added: “A well-known mantra at Apple is ‘I’d rather be a pirate than in the Navy’. Having survived multiple transitional battles and near-death experiences I am proud to be considered a house music pirate, an entrepreneur waving the flag for the culture I love and in doing so building a reputable company that has marauded its way through the turbulent music industry for the last 23 years. All captains need a first mate, a leader to steady the ship and lead the crew.

“Wez Saunders has been my right-hand man for eight years. Together, we have navigated Defected into prolific times, helping build an incredible team and a business with solid foundations due to its treasure chest of masters and publishing catalogs. Dance music is in the ascendancy and a rising tide lifts all the boats.

“These are exciting times and I’ll continue to be part of Defected’s campaigns, but now I am delighted to be handing over the helm to Wez, who alongside our new partners will guide Defected into new fertile waters. A new era.”

Established in 1999, Defected houses a number of sub-labels including DFTD, Glitterbox Recordings, Classic Music Company, Soulfuric and 4 To The Floor and Sondela, as well as owning and managing over 30 catalogs of house imprints and artists.

Defected’s catalog includes singles from artists such as Bob Sinclar, Kings of Tomorrow, Masters At Work, Inner City, Dennis Ferrer, Marc Kinchen (MK), and more recently Purple Disco Machine, Love Regenerator (Calvin Harris), The Martinez Brothers, Peggy Gou, John Summit, Jamie Jones and many more.

Defected run events globally including stages at major music festivals and standalone club nights, as well as residencies in Ibiza since 2003. Music Business Worldwide