Okay, so it’s really just $98.8M, but you can forgive Recorded Music NZ for claiming the headline ‘Music - New Zealand's $100 million industry’. It’s good news after all with the local music industry’s wholesale revenues showing big growth for the third year in a row – last year’s figures up from $86.2M in 2016 and $74.4M the year before. So, double-digit growth year on year, feeling flush yet you Kiwi musicians? Spotify and Apple Music rewarding you generously? A dominant 50% just ...
READ MORE >DAW software is becoming increasingly popular and progressively easier to use, bringing the dream of becoming a bedroom recording artist closer to home. However, if you're on a student budget plugin suites and programs like Logic Pro X or Ableton Live may not always be the most accessible. Ani Zulawnik had a look at a few free options worth playing with. Thankfully, muso tech savvy sorts have taken it upon themselves to create some pretty awesome free, online alternatives to these songwriting ...
READ MORE >The 2018 Music Managers Awards finalists shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone following the success of our local talent here and overseas over the last year or so. Ahead of the 14th MMF Awards music industry judges voted in a bid to honour the achievements of the people pulling the business strings for local musicians, or in some cases their own career. The finalists for this year’s awards are: Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year Alastair Burns (Marlon Williams) James Southgate ...
READ MORE >Global Music Awards is an international showcase for original music, unique voices and emerging artists. The annual awards seek original music from composers, musicians, groups, bands and singers. Global Music Awards provides promotion and legitimacy to highly talented artists working outside of the mainstream. Their recent 'Top 5 Albums of Spring' included solo cello, a Herbie Hancock-style quartet, humpback whale vocalisations and an Austrian Latino ensemble. The next deadline will be May ...
READ MORE >Lower Hutt's Albert Mikołaj has been creating intricate lo-fi masterpieces of well-written shimmering folk under the name Aura for the last few years, consistent radio airplay or general media coverage so far eluding him. His Bandcamp shows a back catalogue of two EPs and one album since 2013, with another due to be released internationally via US label Cosmic Dreamer in the next few months. After receiving NZ On Air funding last November, Aura is featured on NZ On Air's NewTracks compilation ...
READ MORE >In the midst of planning an extensive Australasian tour while working a 9-5 job Frank Burkitt managed to squeeze in time to chat with Amy Maynard about working with a dream production team on his band’s newly released album, embracing the qualities of being a storyteller and the double entendre behind the album’s ‘Raconteur’ title. A raconteur is a person who tells anecdotes in a skilful and amusing way, a storyteller, a teller of tales or a spinner of yarns – and there is no doubt that ...
READ MORE >January 2018 saw the release of ‘Nine Centuries’, the third full length album from Wellington metal act Bulletbelt. Since then the band have lost impressive metal vocalist Jolene Tempest and guitarist Seth Jackson have both split from the band, replaced by Scott Spatcher-Harrison and Josh O’Brian. Bassist Ross Mallon admits to Mike Tweed that being in Bulletbelt is a big commitment, that even international support tours can be a drain, not only on time but finances. Clocking in at just under ...
READ MORE >There's some irony in introducing a 'new' act by telling you that while you may know Steve Mathieson's other band, Collapsing Cities, his solo project Lunavela dates back much further than the guitar pop quartet he's internationally known for. Following the release of Lunavela's self-titled debut EP in late 2017 the shoegazey indie house single Chequered Past featured on NZ On Air Music's NewTracks compilation in March this year. Who is Lunavela made up of, Steve? Lunavela is my solo project. ...
READ MORE >The self-proclaimed 'robe music' trio Day Spa is one of those acts featured on NZOA Music's NewTracks compilation this month that you may not have heard of before under this particular project name – but individually all three members have long been active locally and internationally. Matt Bidois is the lead singer of alt/indie group The Leers, Adam Fuhr has swapped playing keys for Tahuna Breaks for playing with Kings, and Scott Tindale is half of producer duo Stack & Piece. The languorous ...
READ MORE >Bill Direen: A Memory of Others - a film documentary by Simon Ogston, reviewed by Amanda Mills. In the past few years, a number of original and inspiring music documentaries on NZ artists have appeared, two of the most notable (docos looking at Phil Dadson and The Skeptics) by Simon Ogston. Ogston’s latest work, ‘Bill Direen: A Memory of Others’ is a portrait of Direen, a truly original musical force, and a singular literary voice. Ogston captures the creative process of Direen’s work ...
READ MORE >Life is a journey, so the saying goes, and certainly, it is a maxim well-fitted to Reb Fountain. San Fransisco-born, Christchurch-raised and now Auckland-homed – that’s journeying enough in itself – but of course, ignores the personal journey most every singer/songwriter undertakes. 2017 proved a big year for Fountain with releasing both an EP and a six-year-old album that saw her among the final three vying for the Folk Tui Award announced in January. She talked with Sam Vegar about some of ...
READ MORE >About a month ago, music fans gathered in Taranaki for their annual dose of eclectic sounds from across the globe at Womad 2018. Photographer Trevor Villers brought back photos of some of our locals performing during the weekend. Says Trevor, "Of the New Zealand continent, Milly [Tabak] and the Miltones were at their sublime best, as were The Slacks who had the Dell Stage pulsing. Hopetoun Brown picked up some new fans too! Felt proud of our boys and girls.”
READ MORE >Auckland producer super-group LEISURE join forces with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) for a one-off gig at Auckland Town Hall, on Friday April 6. LEISURE’s musical blend of RnB, soul and pop will receive an added symphonic styling in the first of APO’s new Session Series. The five-piece band will be performing their already hits – plus some new ones – re-imagined with full orchestral arrangements by Claire Cowan and Hamish Oliver. LEISURE will take to the stage together with ...
READ MORE >As part of the ever-growing Auckland Festival, Neil Finn and Victoria Kelly brought Finn's latest album / live recording experiment 'Out Of Silence' to Silo Park last weekend, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and all-star choir included. "Some wonderful orchestration and some pretty useful choristers too!', tells us photographer Trevor Villers.
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