NZ On Air Music’s first NewMusic Development (NMD) funding round for 2024 opened on February 29. It will also be the last NMD round for now, with NZ On Air Music taking time out to consult with industry about the best way to fund development level artists going forward.
The decision to pause NMD in its current format was made after industry feedback included in the NZOA Music Funding Review published in October last year which noted that, ‘… although the NewMusic Development fund does enable emerging artists to work with producers they might not otherwise be able to afford to collaborate with, the artists don’t drive the application process and neither do they receive any payment from it themselves.’
The report included observations that local producer fees had escalated dramatically ‘in an environment that’s propped up by funding’ and questioned the need for costly producer involvement for emerging artists ‘in every case’. Other issues noted included clarity for the early career artists about who owns the masters, or just stems from the demos paid for by the funding, with the suggestion that there needs to be an element of industry training / business development included with NMD grants.
