IMNZ Charts to April 14: NZ's Best Album of 2012 is Found

IMNZ Charts to April 14: New Zealand's Best Album of 2012 is Found

The winner of the 2013 Taite Music Prize for the best New Zealand album released in 2012 was announced last night. If you haven't heard the news, read on. We also have Record Store Day updates, and sneaky peeks at some of the fun to be had during May - NZ Music Month.

Top 20 Albums

The Taite Music Prize: announcing this year’s winner and the inaugural Independent Music NZ Classic Record recipient

The winner of the fourth annual Taite Music Prize 2013 is SJD for his album ‘Elastic Wasteland’ released on Round Trip Mars.

Free-range critic and member of the judging panel Gary Steel had this to say about the win:
"I gave Elastic Wasteland a 5 out of 5 star review in Metro magazine last year, noting that despite his position as 'probably the most critically acclaimed songwriter of his generation... the charts are bereft of his music, the awards not yet accumulating on his mantelpiece, and many still seem indifferent to his luminescent art-pop.'
I'm thrilled to have been able to play a small part in honouring Sean Donnelly aka SJD with the only award that recognises originality and innovation in music over the generic qualities associated with popularity-based prizes.
I just hope his mantelpiece is made of stern stuff, because it's a heavy award in more ways than one."

Named after the late Dylan Taite, one of the country's most highly respected music journalists, this was the fourth year for the prestigious award. The Taite Music Prize's purpose is to recognise outstanding creativity for an entire collection of music contained on one album. SJD wins a cash prize of $10,000, to be spent as he wishes. The Taite Music Prize is organised by Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ), and PPNZ Music Licensing kindly supplies the cash prize. The winner will also receive free recording time at Red Bull Studios and a year’s supply of Red Bull product.

The award winner was announced at an invitation-only event attended by around 300 people at Galatos Live in Auckland’s central city. Julia Deans and Street Chant, both finalists in previous Taite Music Prize events, performed live sets for the gathered guests. The event was live-streamed to the public via NZ Herald Online.

The panel to determine the finalists was made up of a broad section of music media/industry specialists. The finalist judges made their decision based entirely on the artistic merit on the album. Sales, genres, artist recognition or popularity are not contributing factors in their decision making process.

IMNZ Chairperson Ben Howe said, “We are very proud to see the continued growth of our local music community and an event like the Taite Music Prize continues to attract a large number of really fantastic albums for consideration – so I’d wish to celebrate all the artists. Only one can take home this magnificent trophy however!”

Also presented at the ceremony was the Independent Music NZ Classic Record, which is a new award that aims to acknowledge New Zealand’s rich history of making fine albums that continue to inspire us and that also define who we are.

The inaugural award was also determined by the judging panel, and they gave the nod to the GORDONS – ‘GORDONS’ album as one of NZ’s classic records. The award was presented by Shayne Carter and accepted by band member John Halvorsen.

Talking about the first Independent Music NZ Classic Record recipient, finalist judge Grant Smithies said: “…this first Gordons record remains unsurpassed for its nasty beauty, its ice-cold pessimism and white-hot intensity.” – Grant Smithies, Soundtracks: 118 Great New Zealand Albums (2007)

The Taite Music Prize
Presented by:
Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ)
Official Partners:
PPNZ Music Licensing / NZ On Air (NZOA) / the Taite Family
Supporting Partners:
NZ Music Commission / The Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) / Native Tongue Music Publishing / Jagermeister / Red Bull / MOA Beer
Media Partners:
NZ Herald Online / Kiwi FM

Previous Taite Music Prize winners are:
2010 - Lawrence Arabia ‘Chant Darling’ (Honorary Bedouin Records)
2011 - Ladi6 - The Liberation Of (Question? Music)
2012 - Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Seeing Records)
www.indies.co.nz

Top 10 Singles

Record Store Day 2013 in New Zealand
April 20th 2013
Peter McLennan at DubDotDash has put together a comprehensive list of activities happening in NZ stores for Record Store Day, Saturday April 20.
Record Store Day happens again this coming Saturday. It’s a lot of fun, get out and score some wax goodies.
In Auckland, visit Conch Records and Rhythm Records in Ponsonby, Southbound at 69 Mt Eden Rd, and Real Groovy in Queen St. Wellington’s Slowboat Records has some special events planned , including a live instore performances from David Kilgour, Watermelon Slim, and Eb and Sparrow. Also check out Rough Peel Music in Wellington – their inhouse label Rough Peel Records is behind the Beastwars/Eastern 7" coloured vinyl out for RSD, which they will have in stock.
Vinyl Countdown in Devon st, New Plymouth, have announced that "Every vinyl purchase made on Record Store Day at Vinyl Countdown will not only put you into the draw for our prize pack, but you’ll also get a free grab bag of at least 10 random LPs. Beauty!" They will also be getting in a limited number of the Beastwars/Eastern coloured 7" vinyl.
Southbound Records has a handy list of Record Store Day releases they will have in stock, including The GZA, El Michels Affair, Orange Juice, Gil Scott Heron, PiL and more.
Flying Nun and Captured Tracks are reissuing two classic Flying Nun EPs on vinyl… "With Record Store Day less than a month away, the labels have now confirmed their next two releases — long out-of-print EPs from Snapper (a self-titled effort from 1998) and The Bats (1984s By Night)." Source.
Real Groovy Auckland will have special local record store day releases from Shihad (Churn on vinyl for the first time), Waves, Beastwars, and more, plus live performances from Waves, Beastwars and special guest DJs. A strong line up of local record hounds will spin records from indie sounds, to murky metal to yacht rock – a line up of guests that include Labour’s Jacinda Ardern; Northern Soul DJ extraordinaire Nettie Page; Angela from Under The Radar; Pennie Black from bFM; Tova O’Brien from TV3; Liam Dann from the NZ Herald; Helene Ravlich from Ms Helene.com; Laura Barton from Madman; and local identity and record expert Simon Grigg will be among a number of DJs spinning the platters that matter. There will also be free Kiss face painting!
RECORD STORE DAY is in its fifth year and again thousands of record stores worldwide will be celebrating their unique culture on Saturday April 20th . 9am-9pm
Full list of Record Store Day releases here:
Read more…
Evil Genius – 462 Adelaide Rd, Berhampore, Wellington
Playing in store: the Mysterious surf sounds of Tapewolf, funk, blues surf psych band Digg and psychedelia band Cookie Brooklyn and the Crumbs. 1pm music starts.
There will be a whopping 25% off all 2nd hand items including all our favourite vinyl records for the whole day. And special record store releases
from Welly favourites Beastwars and classics reissues from Flying Nun records. http://www.evilgenius.co.nz/

My Generation, 54 Clyde Road, Browns Bay, Auckland will be getting their hands on as many international Record Store Day releases as possible too.
My Generation Facebook

Top Ten Airplay

International and Industry Action
Kog Mastering are happy to announce that they have been selected as the first (and currently only) New Zealand Mastering studio to provide music at the new higher quality ‘Mastered for iTunes’ standard. The ‘Mastered for iTunes’ format delivers significantly better quality music for listeners, future proofing artists and label releases as the internet starts to allow the sale and download of higher quality music. Digital sales are rapidly increasing, and iTunes currently accounts for over 60% of these sales. Submitting tracks to iTunes in the past meant using the standard CD quality mastered track. This resulted in the music sounding less expansive, containing unwanted extra distortions and an all round lesser experience of the song for the audience. The ‘Mastered for iTunes’ process we are authorised to provide significantly helps put many of those problems in the past. It ensures that all tracks submitted ‘Mastered for iTunes’ ready is delivered as an optimal quality audio file for the downloading audience. With the audience preferring to digitally download their music, it is more important than ever to be able to create a higher quality master specifically for iTunes sales. Kog are honoured to be the first New Zealand mastering facility and one of a handful in the world to provide this premium service. Read more: www.kog.co.nz or www.masteredforitunes.co.nz

The MMF New Zealand and PPNZ Music Licensing are proud to announce the finalists for the 2013 Music Managers Awards. This year's finalists show both accomplished and new managers with Andy Murnane (Home Brew, Aaradhna) and Teresa Patterson (Six60, Iva Lamkum, I Am Giant) sharing the top nominations with four each. As well as the managers being awarded for their hard work and dedication, MMF members voted for the best venue which was this year split into two categories – best small and best large – and as with previous years the "Industry Champion" award recognises an organisation that is dedicated to the support and championing of the New Zealand Music Industry. The winners of the 2013 Music Managers Awards will be acknowledged and presented with their awards on Wednesday 15th May.
See the finalists for the 2013 Music Managers Awards here: www.mmf.co.nz

Peter McLennan from Loopy Fruit Recordings has some interesting news. He's about to launch his book I Believe You Are A Star - it's a collection of magazine articles he wrote between 1992 and 2003, with folks just starting their recording careers (P-Money, Stellar, SJD, Black Seeds), through to established artists (Salmonella Dub, Shayne Carter, Bailter Space). They are fascinating insights of where these artists were at. The book is out officially on May 20 (book / e-book). You can read more about the book here.

The New Zealand Music Commission has announced the appointment of Victoria Blood of Auckland as chairperson for a two-year term, replacing Anthony Healey who has retired his tenure in after almost five years in the position. Ms Blood has considerable experience in the industry including being a UK label owner, manager of Gin Wigmore and mentoring many local artists since her return to New Zealand. She has been a trustee of the Music Commission since 2010. The Music Commission’s role is to support the growth of the New Zealand music industry, culturally and economically, at home and abroad, and are the principal funders of Independent Music New Zealand. It is governed by a board of trustees who appoint the chair and members. The Music Commission receives government funding through the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Christopher Finlayson, says he acknowledges the important role that the retiring chair has made. “Anthony Healey has provided sound leadership and has been at the forefront of the Music Commission’s effort to promote New Zealand contemporary music in New Zealand and overseas. I look forward to working with the new chair, Victoria Blood and her team.”
www.nzmusic.org.nz

Also thanks to the NZ Music Commission, with the 13th NZ NZ Music Month just 2 weeks away, here are some of the events announced so far. There is plenty more news to come, but for starters here is a small taster of some of the upcoming events. In Christchurch the City Council are hosting a free NZ Music Month Launch gig at Christchurch Central Library, 7pm on 1st May with The Eastern, Luckless and Katie Thompson. As well as the launch, there will be performances throughout the month at local libraries and venues. Music site The Corner will be putting together the 7th annual Awesome Feeling compilation. Featuring up and coming talent from around the country, they’ll be revealing an artist each day from 1 May with the full compilation available for download at the end of the month. 95bFM’s bStreet takes place on May 2 all over the iconic K Road taking in both new and old venues and showcasing over twenty up and coming bands, DJ’s and artists. Entry to some of the venues will require a bCard. The entire first week of May (4-10) is being transformed into New Zealand Music Week on RNZ Concert. In Global Sounds there’s the first episode in a series by Megan Collins on the music of immigrant societies in NZ. In Composer of the Week William Dart’s looking at Mozart Fellows who’ve gone through Otago University. RNZ's own concert recordings will be played Saturday at 3pm and every night at 8pm. Also featured are Eve de Castro-Robinson’s Len Lye, the Opera’s during Sound Lounge on Tuesday eve and Upbeat will have significant NZ content too. See the rest of the announced events here.

New release fanfare
With the release of his highly anticipated new album Gratitude a month away, P-Money has revealed the album artwork and track listing, also announcing an all-star line-up of featured artists. Having recently signed a deal with Duck Down Music US, P-Money has made use of his label mates with Talib Kweli, Buckshot and Skyzoo all making an appearance on the album. You can also expect to hear from Havoc (of Mobb Deep), Freddie Gibbs, M.O.P., Fashawn, Roc Marciano, Nicole Wray, Jamall Bufford (formerly Buff1), STS, Monsta G, Blaison Maven and Pac Div. Bringing it back to God’s own, the album also features the best in local talent including revered hip-hop outfit @peace and soulful songstress Aaradhna. Aaradhna’s latest, critically acclaimed album ‘Treble & Reverb’ was produced by P-Money and includes the #1 platinum single ‘Wake Up’, is nominated for five accolades at the 2013 Pacific Music Awards and was also a finalist for the Taite Music Prize. In the lead up to the May 17 album drop, P-Money has been releasing some of the album’s tracks for free on pmoneymusic.com as a way to show gratitude to his fans, clocking up a huge 65,000 downloads across the globe. Gratitude will be available in-stores and online from May 17, with Australasian tour dates to be announced shortly. Pre-orders are available now from JB Hi-Fi.

Tiny Ruins’ EP ‘Haunts’ is a collection of old songs written by Hollie Fullbrook in her early twenties and recorded in the Auckland summer of 2012. It follows her cherished Taite Music Prize finalist 2011 debut, Some Were Meant For Sea. "Her voice, somewhere between Karen Dalton and Nathaniel Rateliff, is filled with contradictions - fragile yet forthright, vulnerable but fiercely determined - the lyrics allusive and elusive as dreams" - 4 Stars - MOJO

A special re-issue of Die! Die! Die!’s 2012 fourth studio album 'Harmony' has just been released on 180gm white vinyl, with deluxe die cut LP sleeve.

On the live front
Superturtle are releasing their new album "Beat Manifesto" this Saturday April 20th. It's an early start (7.30pm) at the fabulous Thirsty Dog in Karangahape Road, Auckland. Special guests Salon Kingsadore, Forest Shakes and Goon are also joining in the celebrations. www.sarangbang.co.nz

The Christchurch Music Industry Trust (CHART) has announced the program for the annual month-long music festival, CHARTFEST. CHARTFEST 2013 will run throughout May (NZ Music Month), featuring a diverse range of Cantabrian acts performing at venues throughout the city. On Sunday, May 5, three of the city’s newest recording facilities – Quicksand, Angels Gate and Riverside studios – will open their doors to the public for Recording Studios Open Day. For the full CHARTFEST 2013 program visit www.chart.org.nz

Around the world
New Music Rewarding for the Brain?

From A&R Worldwide:

A study published in the journal Science suggests that exposure to new music has positive effects upon the brain. Utilizing MRI scans, a Canadian team of scientists discovered that areas in the reward center of the brain become active when people heard a song for the first time - and the more the listener enjoyed what they were hearing, the stronger the connections were in the region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens.

“We know that the nucleus accumbens is involved with reward,” stated Dr. Valorie Salimpoor of Toronto's Rotman Research Institute. “But music is abstract: It's not like you are really hungry and you are about to get a piece of food and you are really excited about it because you are going to eat it - or the same thing applies to sex or money - that's when you would normally see activity in the nucleus accumbens. But what’s cool is that you're anticipating and getting excited over something entirely abstract - and that's the next sound that is coming up.”

Read more...

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