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Aotearoa Music Awards 2025 Winners

Marking the 60th year of New Zealand music awards celebrations, plus 50 years of the national music charts, made for a very busy 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards. Stage and on-screen references to historic chart ...

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News

Frank Gibson Jr: February 1946 – May 2025 RIP

Widely held as one of New Zealand's greatest drummers, as well as a pioneer among this country's jazz scene, Frank Gibson Jr sadly passed away on 21 May 2025, at the age of 79. For a decade over the early 2000s Frank generously provided NZ Musician readers with a regular drumming column he titled Drumming Details. The Daily Mail Australia reported that close friend Leo Sayer led the international tributes to Frank Gibson Jr, also noting his drumming behind Dusty Springfield and The Temptations ...

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News

Recorded Music NZ Announces New Board Members

Independent shareholders of Recorded Music NZ have voted to elect Chris van de Geer (as Independent Rights Holder Director) and Hariet Ellis (as Artist Representative Director) to join the RMNZ board for the next three years. Well known as a producer, engineer and guitarist still performing with stellar*, van de Geer is a co-founder and MD of Auckland's Bigpop Music  which provides label, publishing, and music and audio production services. Ellis is also an active indie musician (Dick Move, Na ...

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News

FromThePit 2025: Aotearoa’s Live Music Scene Through The Lens

FromThePit, Aotearoa’s annual music photography exhibition, is returning for its seventh year - capturing the spirit of our vibrant local music scene through the eyes of the front-of-stage photographers. FromThePit 2025 is a curated collection showcasing 102 powerful images by 59 photographers from across the motu, focused exclusively on NZ musicians playing live in local venues. This year’s exhibition highlights the mana of performance and the connection between artist, audience and image. Previewed ...

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News

International Songwriting Competition 2024 Results Announced

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) announced results of its 2024 comp in early May, 2025. ISC is dedicated to promoting the art and excellence of songwriting and providing a platform for both aspiring and established songwriters to gain recognition. Winners were chosen in 24 categories ranging from Pop/Top 40 and Rock to Jazz, Country, World Music, and much more. US Christian artists Bodie Kuljian, Sajan Nauriyal and Wes Strunk were awarded the Grand Prize for their co-written song, ...

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Interviews

Velveteen: Hypertrophic Developments

Released by Ōtautahi’s Winegum Records, the compelling debut album from newcomer rock outfit Velveteen blends ‘90s alternative rock with elements of punk, emo and electronica. Velveteen is the musical project of Jai Tudor-Oakley and ‘Heavy Machinery’ sees the 21-year old multi-instrumentalist songwriter leaning into the music he grew up with, as a vehicle to channel experiences of heartbreak and desertion. He talked with Richard Thorne about the album origins and influences. Heavy Machinery ...

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NewTracks New Artist

NewTracks New Artist: Jack Bromwich

Trusting his instincts, Manchester-born Jack Bromwich dropped engineering from his conjoint degree studies at Auckland University a few years ago, to dedicate his focus on gaining

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Interviews

Frank Gibson Jr: NZM Get Your Kit Off Interview

Gordon Marr talks with NZM columnist Frank Gibson Jr... Longevity is not

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Interviews

Byllie-jean: Independent Excellence Acknowledged

The 2025 Taite Music Prize ceremony held in Tāmaki Makaurau mid-April was

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NewTracks New Artist

NewTracks New Artist: Glxria

Glxria is the sonic persona of 23-year old Chinese-Kiwi artist Gloria, fusing dreamy indie, grunge, and cinematic textures into a beautifully immersive sound. Her music is cinematic, chaotic and vulnerable. With a background in dance, visual art and gaming culture, Glxria is also a rising songwriter, artist and music producer. Her latest alt-pop single Run Into You featured on NZ On Air Music’s April NewTracks compilation. Run Into You by Glxria What's your given name and where are you living? My ...

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Interviews

Tom Lark: Rock & Roll Hotelier

Shannon Fowler is somewhat of a musical chameleon, morphing his sounds to fit his musical surroundings. As Tom Lark, he has been on a continuum of sonic change since 2011, moving through indie pop before re-emerging more than a decade later with ‘Brave Star,’ his award-recognised psychedelic folk album. Released in April, the sophomore Tom Lark album, ‘Moonlight Hotel’ develops his sonic palette, sounding both softer and tougher. He talked about it with Amanda Mills. Ōtautahi-born Shannon ...

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NewTracks New Artist

NewTracks New Artist: George VILLA

With 2023 EP 'Empty Pockets' already in his catalogue George VILLA is maybe not new to fans of his mellow-as surf rock through-to psychedelic pop sounds, but the artist is taking a new, self-determined indie path these days. His latest single Keep It All Together wouldn't have been out of place on Beck's masterpiece 'Oderlay', and the old school-styled video makes it plain why the song was chosen for inclusion on NZ On Air Music’s April NewTracks compilation. What is your given name, where ...

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Event Guide

Adrian Cox Trio: April NZ Tour Dates

Internationally acclaimed jazz clarinetist Adrian Cox is a leading exponent of the New Orleans’ clarinet, with a huge wealth of knowledge of the music and the players of the era. He is touring NZ in April with his own Adrian Cox Trio performing a remarkable show of old-style Orleans' magic called Makin’ Runs. Jazz fanciers should absolutely not miss this opportunity. April 18 - The Undercurrent, Wellington April 19 - 62nd National Jazz Festival, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre, Tauranga April ...

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Event Guide

National Jazz Festival, Tauranga, April 7-21, 2025

This Easter weekend (April 18-21) will bring the culmination of the 62nd National Jazz Festival with some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s top jazz musicians performing in Tauranga, with the Downtown Carnival across five stages on The Strand, Wharf Street and Red Square. With events scheduled across Tauranga from April 7-21 including the National Youth Jazz Competition, a celebration of Rodger Fox and a NZ Army Band showcase, there’s a lot more to the annual National Jazz Festival than just that fun-filled ...

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Event Guide

NZ Trip Hop Show Live

Tāmaki Makaurau artist Vanessa Tottle (Radio Trip Hop Brazil) is excited to showcase a two-hour set from her hugely successful NZ Trip Hop Show at the Portland Public House on September 19. More info here, entry is free.

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