NZ Music Month Weekly Update

NZ Music Month launched on Friday with a host of celebrations, new releases and events taking place around Aotearoa. With loads more in the calendar in the coming weeks, and new activity being firmed-up daily, here’s the first weekly newsletter to highlight the exciting activities happening in the first full week of NZ Music Month.

These weekly newsletters will showcase some of the great activities happening across Aotearoa over the next seven days, key links to check them out as well as a special section with some great streaming playlists for your listening pleasure. Interview opportunities, key images and more info for all the activities outlined can be provided on request so please do not hesitate to contact the team.

The theme for NZ Music Month is simple: Support local. Stream local. Follow local. Buy local.

KEY NEWS

This year, NZ Music Month is bringing back the Hallensteins partnership with three unique printed t-shirts available to purchase from the NZ Music Month website and Hallensteins. Proceeds of the t-shirt sales will be donated to the MusicHelps Lives appeal. Hallensteins have also been showcasing a number of incredible local artists live on their Live in the Lounge Instagram, which will continue throughout the month of May.

To celebrate the start of NZ Music Month, the ‘Band Ferns’, made up of players from the Black Ferns, have put this rendition of Tūtira Mai Nga Iwi together over Zoom. Check it out here. The Black Ferns are also doing awesome playlists of their favourite local songs for NZ Music Month - see their Twitter for the links.

Auckland Museum are celebrating NZ Music Month by pulling together their own tribute to iconic Kiwi venues and vintage band posters. The posters offer a glimpse into Auckland’s anarchic, door-kicking punk and new-wave scenes that stomped their way into the city’s late 70s - early 80s musical landscape. Check it out here!

For every day of May, NZ Story are sharing a current favourite Kiwi song to highlight New Zealand’s vibrant music community. Kiwis are encouraged to build their own enviable playlists and celebrate the music made in our own backyards.

The Rock are saying cheers to 20 years of NZ Music Month! Audiences can stay tuned each weekday with Jay and Dunc to hear their highlighted Kiwi artist feature and to learn how they can score daily merch prize packs. The Rock are also giving listeners the chance to win $1,500 to make their next local music experience epic, and donating $1500 to MusicHelps on behalf of their audience too. More information here.

Holiday Records have extended their 7-inch vinyl promotion due date until the end of May, so artists looking to make music magic with those outside of their bubble have the opportunity to do so. Additional information is available on Holiday Records’ website.

Be in to win your own Spark Session! To celebrate NZ Music Month, Spark is giving one Kiwi music artist the chance to star in their own Spark Sessions at the end of May. For more information, click here.

Now in its 11th year, the Hook, Line and Sing-a-long song writing competition drew almost 50 entries, with students ranging from Year 5 to Year 13. As always the quality was high and the judges were spoiled for choice, but it was Sophie Brown from Epsom Girls’ Grammar School who was awarded first place for her song “We Are One”. The song was chosen for its catchy vocal lines, easy playability and participation focus. 
 

KEY EVENTS

Tonight the Taite Music Prize will go online! Independent Music NZ will be presenting four awards - The Taite Music Prize 2020 award, Auckland Live Best Independent Debut award, Independent Music NZ Classic Record award and Independent Spirit award. Tune into the livestream from 6:30pm over at the NZ Music Commission Facebook, or Independent Music NZ Facebook.

Many iconic music venues have been affected during the global pandemic. With help from Boosted LIVE, #saveourvenues have created a national, ‘Pay it Forward’ fundraising strategy, to help raise money for dozens of crucial, small live music venues across Aotearoa. Dozens of campaigns will go ahead during NZ Music Month - each with a $1000 koha from Arts Foundation Future Fund, plus 5% of their Boosted campaign target, donated back to them. Find out more over on their Facebook.

Mitch James and Drax Project will be taking over The Edge’s Insta Sessions this week. Follow The Edge on Instagram to jam out to Mitch at 8pm Tuesday and Drax Project at 8pm Wednesday.

Music For The People are streaming 100% Kiwi music on their app, available for download now. Aotearoa’s leading artists, DJs and music tastemakers are hosting their very own NZ Music episodes, including Tiki Taane, Kings, Tali, Villette, Meldownz and Ill Baz.

This Wednesday is The Big Little Lockdown Kiwi Music Quiz! We might be able to enjoy takeaways and coffee at Level 3, but we still can’t get to enjoy live music in person, so gather your team and test your Kiwi music knowledge to aid MusicHelps’ musician support fund all from the comfort of your home. Sign up your team here.

Flava has teamed up with NZ On Air to present four feature Friday’s across the month dedicated to different era’s of NZ Hip-Hop and RnB. This Friday they celebrate the 90’s, featuring artists like Che-Fu, DLT, Moizna, AKA Brown, Dei Hamo and more.

On Saturday 9th May, ZM presents Float at Home, with Mitch James, Drax Project, Sachi, Foley and Paige on the line-up. The event will be live streamed from ZM’s Facebook page. To make an automatic $3 donation to MusicHelps, listeners can text MUSIC to 2448. All funds raised will be distributed to those music workers whose livelihoods have been shattered as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, ZM are encouraging Kiwis to put on their togs, get in the bath or paddling pool and enjoy Float at Home that way. Listeners can share pictures of their ‘Float Zone’ on Instagram with the hashtag #ZMFloat for the chance to win $1,000.

COMING UP:

The finalists have been announced for this year’s Pacific Music Awards. SunPix’s People’s Choice Award for Best Pacific Artist is solely determined by public vote, with voting open for all of NZ Music Month to contribute to the nationwide celebration of local music - vote here. There’s also a special Spotify playlist featuring the nominees.

NZ Music T-Shirt Day will be rounding out the month on the 29th of May, with Kiwis encouraged to pull out their favourite Kiwi band shirt and share a picture with the hashtag #nzmusictshirtday to support MusicHelps. Together we can celebrate Kiwi music and highlight the fantastic work that MusicHelps does.

STREAMING PLAYLISTS

212 Music Group celebrates the opening of a New Zealand office by jump starting NZ Music Month with the next playlist in our 212 Music Group Spotify series. Listen here.

• Apple Music are featuring kiwi music on their homepage for all of May, and kicked it off with the NZ On Air curated playlist Aotearoa All Day. Find it here.
• Reo Rotates, created by Te Māngai Pāho, is sharing the best te reo Māori track on the iwi airwaves right now. Check it out here.
• Check out the new Music Commission Discover New Spotify playlist featuring recent NZ releases, updated regularly! Listen here.

  Lastly, a love letter to New Zealand Music Month from Kicking Roses, reminding us of the impact that local music can make and why we need to support it. Read here.

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