Cristi Ochiu is one of the most experienced person in the Romanian music industry, specialized in: artist booking, event production, talent management, publishing, label. He has been active in the music industry for 25 years, working with more than 100 Romanian and international artists.
Together with Dorian Enache, he founds in 2008 the Music Expert label, a hybrid talent agency specialized in management and booking, the first label in Romania with 360 integrated services around artists, with projects such as Puya, Guess Who, Maximilian, Spike, Grasu XXL. Music Expert is the label that brought hip hop music back on commercial radios and made the first club tours (based on tickets sale entrance). Tours made by Music Expert: Puya – Somewhere in the Balkans, Puya – Change, Guess Who & Spike – Tour, Guess Who & Spike – reTUR.
In 2014, Cristi leaves Music Expert and establishes Forward Music Agency, a hybrid talent agency specialized in management and booking. Forward becomes in just 3 years one of the first 3 major players in Romanian music industry. In 2019 a partnership with Global Records is signed and as a result Forward Agency takes over the booking of all Global Records catalog, transforming Forward into the largest talent agency in Romania. Today, Forward represents 60 artists from almost all genres (hip hop, trap, pop dance, rock, dj, special projects).
8th Note Copyrights is one of the newest projects, a publishing boutique founded together with George Calin aka Manuel Riva, which 2 years since its start, already has a catalog of over 200 works launched.
Last but not least, the experience Forward Agency has in event production is mirrored by the diligent organization of tours: Puya, Guess Who & Spike, Deepcentral, shows: Satra B.E.N.Z., Killa Fonic, Grasu XXL, Guess Who at the Romanian Arenas, booking for Peninsula Festival (Tg Mures), production & booking for Airfield Festival (Sibiu).