Music is my life

Stefano DiBenedetto is a 35 year veteran of the music industry. His affair with music began at age 12, while working at the legendary Nino Studios, built by his father and founded by his brothers, Nino and Salvatore. Over the course of 20 years, the studio became a home base for rock and roll icons to create multi-platinum albums and generate new material between international tours. At the age of 17, Stefano was offered a position touring with Joan Jett, as her personal assistant and guitar technician. The position sparked a lifelong career in all facets of touring, from stage & sound production to management. Since then, Stefano has toured the globe several times with some of the biggest recording artists in the world. He has participated behind the scenes at the Grammy Awards, MTV Music Awards, Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, The David Letterman Show, The Conan O’Brian Show, Howard Stern, Z100, Hot 97, and 92.3 K Rock. Additionally, he has organized radio station sponsored concert events in New York, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Virgin Islands.

Stefano has had the opportunity to collaborate with and advise some of the most celebrated artists of our time, including Billy Joel, Lou Reed, Joan Jett, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Notorious BIG, Metallica, Guns & Roses, Nelly, Mary J. Blige, Natasha Owens, Cass Dillon, NRC, Skylar Grey, Alexa Ray Joel, Cheap Trick, RUN DMC and Beastie Boys. He has also had the opportunity to collaborate with Grammy award-winning producers, songwriters, and influential music executives.

From a young age, Stefano has been committed to intimately working with artists and helping develop their creativity. He has been able to transform this passion into the full-time work of harvesting new talent and developing artistic careers. His experience and expertise in the field has become a means to represent and nurture talent, both in the mainstream and underground.

In 2000, Stefano founded The Hang Productions/OCD Music Group Inc, an artist management and development company.

My mission is to encourage and offer direction for artists to be who they are, and to allow them to grow organically. I hope to build a fan base for artists naturally and creatively; to build platforms to create revenue streams, and to forward the artist’s career regardless of what major labels think can and should work. Music, and the careers of those who make it, is so often dropped into a manufacturing machine, and unfortunately, when you do not produce what they demand they drop you, in minutes. Artists Like Billy Joel, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen would have hardly had a career in today’s music industry climate. If artists are to have an opportunity to succeed, they must find positive development and support at every turn. This is the level of support I seek to give.

Much Love,
Stefano