Artist manager Scott Maclachlan named SVP of A&R at Warner Music Australasia

New Zealand artist manager Scott Maclachlan is named senior vice president of A&R at Warner Music Australasia.

He will report to Niko Nordström, president of Warner Music Australasia, and split his time between WMA’s Auckland and Sydney offices.

Maclachlan is co-founder and director of Saiko Management, a boutique music management company with offices in Auckland and New York.

He is best known for signing Lorde when she was in her early teens, and followed it up with discovering classically-trained trio Sol3 Mio whose self titled album reached #1 in NZ, #6 in Australia and #44 in the UK.

“I’m stoked to be joining Niko and the team at Warner Music Australasia,” Maclachlan said.

“The global streaming-driven music market creates amazing opportunities to break great artists from Australia and New Zealand around the world and that’s something I’m committed to doing over the coming years.”

Niko Nordström adds: “Scott’s a legend in the music industry and he brings local knowledge and global experience to this pivotal role. He has a true affinity with artists and always puts their needs first.”

“That’s how he’s been able to generate such amazing results over the years.

“We’re delighted that he’s joined the Warner Music team.”

UK-born Maclachlan spent 20 years in the music industry there before moving to his wife’s native NZ in 2008.

He spent five years working for Universal Music NZ, spearheading A&R and new business activity, before concentrating full-time on Saiko Management from 2013.

At Universal Music Maclachlan discovered Lorde in 2009. She was 13 and he signed her to a development deal, allowing her space to grow.

He put her in touch with producer Joel Little, and ‘Royals’ came out in 2012.

She split from him in 2016. Maclachlan once said, “I always believed she’d be great but I didn’t realise how great, how quickly.”

He will work in an advisory capacity with Saiko Management, which NZ acts Balu Brigada, LEISURE and Thomston, Australia’s E^ST and Glades, and The Aces in the US..

Maclachlan picked up the international achievement of the year prize at the New Zealand Music Manager Awards in 2014 and 2015 and took out manager of the year in 2015.