SCL Lda. was founded by Portuguese-Canadian music professional Nuno Saraiva.
With over 30 years music industry experience in Canada, UK and Portugal, Nuno Saraiva is the founder of SCL Agency and its group of companies.
Starting out in Canada in the 90’s, Saraiva has operated independent record labels and music publishing companies his whole life. Upon returning to Portugal in 2008, he also dedicated his time to the much-needed development of the Portuguese independent music scene, co-founding AMAEI, the Independent Label association in Portugal in 2012, the WHY Portugal export office in 2014, and the Portuguese independent music publishers’ association, AEMI, in 2024.
He is a Board Member of IMPALA, the European Music Companies Association in Brussels; and also ex-Board Member of EMEE – European Music Exporters Exchange. He is also the President of AEMI, Executive Director of AMAEI, publisher member of IMPF and a member of MPC – Music Publishers Canada.
BIOGRAPHY
Saraiva was born in the neighbourhood of Mouraria, Lisbon, before the Portuguese revolution of 1974 that saw the Portuguese people overthrow Portugal’s fascist regime. The revolutionary songs of Zeca Afonso still echoed when he moved to Canada, where he studied languages at the University of Toronto, with a post-graduate degree in Education from the University of Windsor.
Saraiva started working in the Canadian music business in 1995, starting his first independent record label and publisher after working (briefly…) at a major. Moving to London, UK, in 2004 broadened his music industry experience prior to the homecoming in 2008.
Over the last decade, besides his own Lusitanian record label and publisher, Saraiva has been busy developing Portuguese music cluster institutions like the AMAEI Trade Association, the Westway LAB Festival & Conference, and the WHY Portugal Export Office.
Saraiva doesn’t limit his role to music consulting, however: in 2015 he consulted with the British Council on the first European Creative Hubs Forum programme, and remains committed to fostering European projects not just in music but in any creative industry, be it multi-disciplinary or institutional development projects.
Saraiva was a Board Member of Network Europe (2010-2011) and musicaPT (2011-2013), and consulted on the international development of artists such as Frankie Chavez, Nástio Mosquito or The Gift; and also served as label manager for Portuguese pop legends GNR – Grupo Novo Rock, who set up their Indiefada label in 2015.
For a five-year period upon returning to Portugal, Saraiva was also an artist manager, working with Portuguese cult icons peixe : avião and Primitive Reason.
Working with the Estate of José Afonso he set up the Mais 5 label to release José Afonso’s out of print musical works in 2021.
In 2024 Saraiva also founded Scarlet Bloom, a music book & music documentary company.
Nuno Saraiva is a 360º music professional with a 30 year history in the music industry as an artist, songwriter, music publisher, record label, consultant, music exporter and project manager. Board Member of IMPALA and ex-Board Member of EMEE, also a publisher member of IMPF, Exec. Director of AMAEI Portugal (Independent Music TA coordinating the Europe in Synch project) and President of AEMI – the Portuguese Independent Music Publishers’ association: Saraiva is moved by projects that are genuinely useful for the music community and ecosystem. A strong believer in independent music, diversity and equality, as well as conducting business in an open and fair fashion, he employs a humanist approach to music and to business and does not like greedy people, selfish people or bullies.