Play It Strange CEO Mike Chunn will be blogging on The Big Idea from his world of young singer/songwriters in New Zealand and their evolving, exciting world of original song.

Chunn will write about this world as well as an overview of the current world of music as it is changing and evolving today.

“The music 'industry' is no longer just an industry. It is a world-wide platform of opportunity for writers and performers to construct and take their music to the world."

Chunn has worked with original songs all his life from his days with Split Enz and Citizen Band through Mushroom Records (Dance Exponents and DD Smash) to eleven years as Director of Operations for APRA. Now seven years as CEO of the Play It Strange Trust, he has seen more than two thousand original songs entered in their various songwriting competitions.

Enterprising Music Competition – In Song

John Ruskin – esteemed British subject – mid 1800’s wrote:

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts,
the book of their deeds,
the book of their words; and
the book of their art.
Not one of these books can be understood unless we read the two others, but of the three the only trustworthy one is the last.

Were John alive today he may have said:

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts,
the book of their economies,
the book of their political propaganda; and
the book of their art.
There is only one of those books worth reading - the last.

We live in uncertain and frivolous times. Where cynicism and greed have collided like two wayward atoms and the nuclear effect has split them asunder.

Meanwhile – the imagination strides along in the hearts and minds of our young people - the sign of a buoyant future. A future where creation and performance in musical adventure is the primary force. Not just audience participation.

The high brick walls of ye olde music industry are crumbling away. And in the vista they reveal we see a wide landscape where a world of music awaits us. One in which young NZers have opportunities to produce and record music under their own impetus. Recording software that is readily and cheaply available provides the tools to make great records. Sites like Amplifier and iTunes provide platforms for delivery and Youtube in all its glory gives artists an opportunity to give fans and intrepid explorers the chance to hear and savour at will the music on offer.

Play It Strange and the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) are running an inaugural programme this year – the Enterprising Music Competition. Check out the details here.

Schools form record companies in the YES programme, record songs written and performed by their schoolmates and market, promote and sell that album. And the new world in which they do this gives them many ways in which to creatively and intelligently take that album to market (the world?).

It can be done.