Following scandal in NZ music biz, Paul McKessar sacked at CRS

Content Warning: This article covers sexual harassment incidents. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

The exposé into harassment and abuse of power in the New Zealand music industry has claimed another scalp.

Artist manager Paul McKessar has been stood down at CRS Music following his implication in the scandal, which broke in Stuff earlier this week.

Following the “recent disclosures” about McKessar’s behaviour,” reads a statement posted by CRS founder Campbell Smith, “I yesterday stood Paul down from his role at CRS.”

McKessar’s actions, the statement continues, “fell far short of the standards expected by CRS, our clients and the winder community. Paul has resigned as a director of CRS.”

McKessar was one of the highest-profile artist managers in the business, with a string of international breakthroughs on his CV.

Over the course of its months-long probe, Stuff reporters captured the stories of women and non-binary people in the local industry who’d experienced sexual harassment and exploitation.

As previously reported, Openside lead singer Possum Plows and singer-songwriter Lydia Cole spoke out about their troubling experiences with McKessar over the past decade.

“None of this should have happened,” reads the CRS update. “I am sorry that I did not ensure that we had a robust code of conduct in place at CRS that might have either prevented this or dealt with it seriously and safely.”

Smith apologised to Plows and Cole and promised change at his company. An independent specialist investigator has been hired, he explains, to conduct a sweeping review of its workplace practices and corporate culture.

In 2020, McKessar won Manager of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards for his work guiding the career of BENEE, whose breakthrough 2019 song ‘Supalonely’ was one of biggest viral hits to make the leap from TikTok to the sales charts.

McKessar has since returned the award to the MMF.

Benee

In his 15 years with CRS, McKessar also guided the careers of Miss June, Brooke Fraser and Naked and the Famous.

As the Stuff investigation became public, Warner Music Group announced it had severed ties with Scott Maclachlan following several “incidents” from 2018 onwards.

Speaking to Stuff, he admitted to the “harmful impact of my past behaviour and I try every day to repair the damage and prevent it happening again.”

Maclachlan is known to the global industry as the artist manager who discovered and guided the early years of Lorde’s career. 

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.