Partisan buys out OTM Music and merges publishing arms
Partisan Music has acquired Firebird's shares in OTM Music and will merge its own publishing arm into OTM. The deal was reported by Billboard on 23 September 2026. It expands Partisan's publishing business in one move.
Music publishing is the business that looks after songwriting rights and collects royalties when songs are used. The combined OTM-Left Music operation will run as an independent publishing operation inside Partisan. OTM will absorb the team and roster of Left Music, Partisan's existing publishing division.
The name stays. The team grows. OTM founder Alex Sheridan will stay on as chief executive. Graig Michie will serve as president and head of North America, and Kate Sweetsur will serve as head of A&R, the department that finds and signs songwriters.
Staff will be based across London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles. Partisan said the combined business will operate independently within the wider company, which also includes its record label interests.
The combined roster includes Sub Focus, Gianluca Buccellanti, Sudan Archives and Leon Michels. OTM describes itself as a boutique publisher focused on bespoke collaborations and artist development for its writers. Its website lists sync placements, where music is licensed for use in adverts, films or shows, with brands including Google and IKEA.
Partisan launched Left Music in 2022 as its publishing arm. Administrative services for Left Music were handled by Sony Music Publishing U.K. under a global administration agreement, where a larger publisher processes paperwork and collects income for a smaller catalogue.
OTM has been adding writers in recent years. In December 2024, it appointed Emmy Feldman as US head of A&R and announced signings including Hemlocke Springs, Erick the Architect and Leon Michels, according to MusicWeek.
Partisan was co-founded by Tim Putnam, who leads the company alongside chief operating officer Zena White. The pair were named Billboard's 2026 Indie Power Players executives of the year.
For songwriters, this means one larger independent home for their songs. They sign to OTM, while Partisan handles both records and publishing under the same ownership.
