Turning up the volume on music exports

Moves to help New Zealand musicians achieve more export success, have been welcomed by Economic Development Minister, Jim Anderton and Associate Arts Culture and Heritage Minister Judith Tizard today, speaking at the launch of the Music Industry Export Development Group’s report Creating Heat – Tumata kia whita!

The report includes a proposed strategy for improving the export potential of our music industry across the board using opportunities from professional development to niche marketing and distribution.

"The music industry is extremely competitive, so we need to develop a concerted, strategic approach in order to increase the strike rate of our international successes and grow the music industry into a successful export earner for New Zealand. Our musicians will no longer have to rely on luck to gain profile overseas.

“The strength of the domestic industry combined with the heightened profile of New Zealand creative industries (especially film) means that there’s never been a better time to turn domestic success into employment and export success for New Zealand music.

“The Government believes the New Zealand music industry has real potential to support our economic growth. To capitalise on the healthy domestic growth of the past 10 years, we need to take our artists and our music, to the centre of the world stage and promote New Zealand to the world as a dynamic and innovative nation," Jim Anderton said.

“There is no better promotion for New Zealand's unique cultural expression, than our music. We already have New Zealand artists like The Datsuns, Hayley Westenra and Steriogram paving the way and reaching global audiences. We want more of them,” Judith Tizard said.

The Government-appointed Music Industry Export Development Group, established in September last year, authored the report. Its work has been facilitated by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

EDITOR’S NOTES

The Music Industry Export Development Group was formed in September 2003, following the Government’s identification of the Creative Industries (of which the music industry is part) as a key economic sector in helping New Zealand reach its economic growth targets. It is not a Growth and Innovation Framework taskforce.

Copies of the Creating Heat – Tumata kia whita! report, can be downloaded from www.nzte.govt.nz/music. Submissions on the report are due by Friday 6 August.

The New Zealand music industry is a NZ$146 million industry (Dialogue Consultants report for NZ Music Commission, 2001).

Its exports in 2003/2004 exceeded NZ$5 million, including royalties.

The members of the Music Industry Export Development Group are:

Chair Malcolm Black / Director, A&R and Business Affairs – Sony Music New Zealand

Members Cath Andersen / CEO – NZ Music Industry Commission Brent Hansen / President & Chief Executive – MTV Networks Europe, President of Creative – MTV Networks International Paul Ellis / Founder – Musicworks Ltd Angus Vail / Partner – White Hat Management Adam Holt / Managing Director – Universal Music (NZ) Ltd Mark Ashbridge / Managing Director – Festival Mushroom Records Ltd Chris Chetland / Co-Founder – Kog Transmissions Ben Howe / Owner – Arch Hill Records Ltd Hannah Cornwell / General Manager – Native Tongue Music Publishing Ltd Moana Maniapoto / Chair – Mâori Music Industry Coalition, Musician Andy Murnane / CEO and Co-Founder – Dawn Raid Entertainment Frankie Stevens, Singer/Entertainer Ray Columbus, Founder – Enzed Music Entertainment Brokers Ltd Mike Chunn, CEO – Play It Strange Trust Campbell Smith, Managing Director – CRS Music Management, Entertainment Lawyer Simon Baeyertz, Head of International Affairs – V2

The key purpose of the Music Industry Export Development Group was to provide the Government with an agreed plan and report that addresses the steps and actions that the industry and government, in partnership, need to take to realise the export potential of the New Zealand music industry and sustain that potential over time.

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