Management outdoes Scribe's haul

1 October 4, 2004

Management outdoes Scribe's haul

You may think it impossible to outdo Scribe's effort of seven Tuis at the recent Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

However, the talented Christchurch-born hip-hop supremo was actually outdone by his own management company.

CRS Management - manager of a host of Kiwi music royalty - had a hand in almost every major Tui handed out at the glittering event in Auckland.

You name it - album and single of the year; breakthrough artist; best group; best rock album; best solo female artist, best solo male artist - the CRS Management team's influence was there in 13 of the major awards.

Principal Campbell Smith manages Brooke Fraser and co manages Scribe with his business partner Teresa Patterson. He is legal advisor to Hayley Westenra.

And now Smith's long-time associate and Flying Nun original Paul McKessar joins the 'firm' as a partner straight out of four years in the UK with FMR. To complete the clean sweep, McKessar brings to the board table the management contract for Dimmer.

Smith also manages Bic Runga and Boh Runga and is lawyer for many other artists including The D4, Nesian Mystik, Elemeno P and Dawn Raid.

Patterson also manages Blindspott, the Have and Carly Binding.

To cap it off, Smith has just confirmed CRS as the New Zealand representative for Big Day Out.

Smith was a young music lawyer 10 years ago when he found he was doing as much managing as providing legal advice to his clients.

"I started the management business because as a music lawyer I was becoming a de facto manager for many of the bands I was giving legal advice to. There weren't many professional managers in those days so I just jumped in."

It has proved a good move.

Over the over the years Smith has managed the careers of a screed of local music identities.

The call sheet is impressive - from The Chills to Nathan Haines; from Garageland to Stellar* and including the crop of leading current artists - pretty much the biggest selling local artists in New Zealand music history.

McKessar is looking forward to joining CRS after four years in London.

"Returning here is more than just living out an old Chills song Come Home that Campbell and I once worked on together many years ago when he managed the band and I was the record company.

"CRS is playing a key role in developing the infrastructure around this country's new millennium music explosion. It's a base to take the best of these artists out into the world now," McKessar says.

Backgrounder mckessar - 1 October 4, 2004

Profile: Paul McKessar Partner, CRS Management

Paul McKessar spent more than a decade in the offices of Flying Nun before heading to work in the UK music industry in 2000. He returns to New Zealand as a partner in CRS Management with industry contacts around the globe and a wealth of experience developing local acts for international markets.

McKessar started in the music industry as Flying Nun's part-time publicist in 1989.

After helping to break legendary acts such as the Chills, Straitjacket Fits, 3Ds and Headless Chickens, he became head of the company and was responsible for signing a new generation of artists to Flying Nun including Garageland, The D4, HDU and Betchadupa.

When Flying Nun merged into Festival Mushroom Records, McKessar added the title of A&R director to his job description, working on King Kapisi's Gold-selling debut album.

Seeking new challenges, McKessar moved to the UK where he worked as new media director at the Mushroom Group of labels. There he was instrumental in breaking The D4 internationally by signing them to Mushroom's Infectious imprint in the UK.

McKessar returned to New Zealand in 2002 to manage Dimmer and worked with Bounce Records on Nesian Mystik's breakthrough album, Polysaturated.

Based back in the UK in 2003-2004, he co-ordinated FMR's international push for new artists including The Mint Chicks and Scribe.

Issued for CRS Management by Pead PR

ENDS

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