Niko Nordström Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at Finnish Grammys

Niko Nordström, President of Warner Music Australasia, has been honored with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emma Gaala, the Finnish equivalent of the U.S. Grammy Awards. This year’s Emma Gaala, which has been run by IFPI Finland for more than three decades, was held on Saturday night at the Espoo Metro Areena in Helsinki.

Nordström was the Managing Director of Warner Music Finland from 2007 to 2017, when he left to take up his current post in Sydney. During that time, he doubled Warner Music’s market share in the country, while signing and developing a new generation of breakthrough Finnish artists. He also served as Vice President, Warner Music Nordics, from 2014, helping steer the company through a time of tremendous change in the region.

Niko Nordström said: “I am deeply honored to receive this wonderful award, and I want to thank IFPI and the entire Finnish music community for their tremendous support over the years. My time at Warner Music Finland was hugely rewarding, and to be able to open a new chapter in my career half way around the world in another country with a fantastic, vibrant music scene is a rare and exciting opportunity.”

Stu Bergen, CEO, International and Global Commercial Services for WMG, noted: “Finland is one of the most progressive, pioneering music markets in the world, due in no small part to the seminal role Niko played in moving the business forward, both commercially and artistically. This award is a richly deserved recognition of all he has done to help shape modern Finnish culture and his central role in nurturing an outstanding roster of artists that now dominates the country’s music scene. Everyone at Warner is so proud of what Niko achieved in his homeland, and we’re delighted that he’s now making his mark in Australasia.”

Niko Nordström joined Warner Music in 2007 when it acquired Helsinki Music Company (HMC), a firm that he co-founded which had interests in recorded music, merchandising, music publishing and touring. Under his leadership, Warner Music Finland doubled its market share from 15.1 per cent to 30.6 per cent. Warner Music Finland was named Record Company of the Year at the Emma Gaala for eight consecutive years during his tenure.

In 2016, his last full year in charge of Warner Music Finland, the company had the No. 1 album for 24 weeks of the year, the No. 1 single for 23 weeks of the year, and enjoyed an average weekly airplay share of 42 per cent.

Nordström was instrumental in developing the careers of Finnish artists such as ALMA, Antti Tuisku, Cheek, Chisu, Ellinoora, JVG, Kalle Lindroth, Lauri Tähkä, Sanni, and Vesala.

The Emma Gaala was established in 1983 and is run by IFPI Finland. Awards are determined by a voting academy that includes music industry executives, broadcasters, retailers, and music journalists. Nordström is the youngest ever recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the only one under the age of 50 to be so honored.