Steve Newall says NZ Music Month originally began as a campaign to increase the amount of local music on our airwaves and telly screens. But with high levels of NZ music commonplace now, the focus has become wider and more about the public participating in this national celebration of our musical culture.

"As NZ Music Month continues to evolve from year to year it has remained relevant by responding to changes in the musical and cultural landscape. My aim is to foster as much celebration and participation as possible rather than force all types of NZ Music down people's throats, and NZ Music isn't an artificially-imposed genre but just a way of describing the broad styles that make up our musical spectrum. It could just as easily be called "Music From NZ Month" but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it."Steve Newall says NZ Music Month originally began as a campaign to increase the amount of local music on our airwaves and telly screens. But with high levels of NZ music commonplace now, the focus has become wider and more about the public participating in this national celebration of our musical culture.

"As NZ Music Month continues to evolve from year to year it has remained relevant by responding to changes in the musical and cultural landscape. My aim is to foster as much celebration and participation as possible rather than force all types of NZ Music down people's throats, and NZ Music isn't an artificially-imposed genre but just a way of describing the broad styles that make up our musical spectrum. It could just as easily be called "Music From NZ Month" but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it."What is the aim of New Zealand Music Month and do think this was achieved?
NZ Music Month originally began as a campaign to increase the amount of local music on our airwaves and telly screens. With high levels of NZ music commonplace now, the focus has become wider and more about the public participating in this national celebration of our musical culture, with Kiwis able to take part in so many different ways - going to gigs, buying music, pulling on a Music Month t-shirt, or coming across exciting new music in newspapers, magazines, TV interviews or on the radio. As well as this broad objective of getting the public excited about the many genres and flavours of local music out there we also monitor airplay charts, retail sales, and the amount of media coverage during the month to see how it compares to other years and months - for example, last year sales of singles and albums both almost doubled on the month prior. It's too early to say exactly how the stats from this year will compare, but the charts have been very encouraging, and we couldn't have hoped for a much better start to the month than having Shihad and Flight Of The Conchords in the top two spots in the album chart in the first week of May.

Describe the role of the NZ Music Month manager?
My role involves all aspects of the promotion. For some months ahead of May I plan events and seek sponsorships and partners to help carry them out - the VIP launch (Hennessy), Industry Party (Hancocks and Steinlager Pure), and Little Town, Big Gig with Opshop (Telecom) being prime examples. I also oversee the promotional campaign (posters, t-shirts, stickers etc), write and distribute all press releases and liase with media, and attempt to expose as much great local music as possible! I also worked with the good folks at Cactuslab to build a brand-spanking new website this year - check it out at www.nzmusicmonth.co.nz

How did your background equip you for this role?
I've got a pretty diverse CV which is lucky because as you can see there are many different aspects to my role. I've worked in sales which is helpful for sponsorship pitches and managing relationships, promoted gigs, written for various magazines over the years (currently for Real Groove). I've played in bands, DJed, worked in radio and been involved with the music industry in many different ways for the last decade. The last four years I've spent at the Music Commission have also been invaluable in giving me the skills to run NZ Music Month.

How much preparation went into NZ Music Month?
The earliest planning commenced over six months ago, and from that point ideas have gestated right through to May. I suppose NZ Music Month has been a full time proposition for me from March onwards, though many pieces were already somewhat in place at that point.

What was the most challenging aspect of your role?
The most challenging part of the job this year was getting everything in place for the first of May and then having three major events to run in the space of 36 hours - a very busy week indeed!

What was the most rewarding part of your role?
Seeing events work to their fullest potential - the Industry Party at Zen which culminated in an awesome set by Shihad, and hopefully the Little Town, Big Gig with Opshop in Greymouth tomorrow! In a broader sense, watching bands I personally adore get more exposure and develop a larger fanbase during the month too. Plus, it's always really inspiring to see the level of public enthusiasm out there, it reminds us that we do an important job.

How much of NZ Music Month is about discovering new NZ music?
- Kate Martin
That's a really significant part of NZMM. Obviously established artists benefit from the promotion too, but with my focus on giving the priority to artists with new releases in or around May, there's a plus for acts in both categories. The volume of media coverage goes up dramatically during May, and this includes many previously-unknown acts finding themselves in mags, TV interviews and so on. The Industry Party is also an opportunity to showcase exciting new acts to the industry - like Collapsing Cities last year, Luger Boa this year for example.

In the fourth installment of the Rambo series , 'To hell and back' . John Rambo angrily grabs one of the Christian missionaries on the boat ride to Burma yelling ' What do you Know ?... What do you Know ?' .
How do you feel this relates to the success of NZ music both here and abroad?
- Matthias Jordan
Sylvester Stallone's astute geopolitical knowledge (demonstrated by his decision to highlight the plight of the Burmese people in Rambo 4 and dedicate Rambo III to "The brave freedom fighters of Afghanistan") means that he can't help but be aware of our fine musical exports. It's easy to imagine him pumping iron and injecting human growth hormone to the soothing sounds of The Brunettes or Brooke Fraser.

Given New Zealand music is now competing strongly on the world stage (for example the debut of Flight of the Conchords at 3 on the US charts) is there still a need for a NZ Music Month or have we out-grown the concept? Will we eventually run the risk of weakening the NZ music market share by 'ghettoising' NZ music as something a bit special (in the patronising sense) rather than something mainstream that we will all simply buy because we love it.
- Lindis Capper-Starr
I'm very mindful of the issues your question raises. As NZ Music Month continues to evolve from year to year it has remained relevant by responding to changes in the musical and cultural landscape. My aim is to foster as much celebration and participation as possible rather than force all types of NZ Music down people's throats, and NZ Music isn't an artificially-imposed genre but just a way of describing the broad styles that make up our musical spectrum. It could just as easily be called "Music From NZ Month" but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it. I'm not sure NZ Music Month is something that we "need", but where's the harm in taking some time out to reflect on the great music being made here and get our ears and eyes paying more attention to it for a whole month?

At music month launch Chris Knox said musicians cannot make a living in New Zealand. Do you agree and if so how can this change?
- Tony Smale
I believe Chris was alluding to the fact that if you're aiming to make a living as a musician this isn't a great starting point for a career. It's hard to have any certainty about whether you'll succeed or fail as an artist, and if there's some formula one can apply I'm sure record companies, managers, and bands the world over would love to know about it! This worldwide reality is compounded by our small market size and relative isolation geographically, but there are plenty of examples of artists who might not be multi millionaires but still write and perform music for a living here. The smarter and more professional an artist the better their chances to, and the key aim of the NZ Music Commission is to grow NZ music business - part of which entails giving artists as much knowledge as possible to apply to their careers.

What was different about this year's music month?
This year I was seeking to foster celebration and participation. I wanted NZ Music Month activities to reflect the diversity of local music, and include smaller regional areas in our programmes. I think more so than in previous years NZ Music Month has been a truly national party in 2008, and what better way to wrap it up than with our free Opshop gig in Greymouth tomorrow?

What kind of feedback have you received?
Broadly positive to date. The events I've run have been about creating good word of mouth, and being out there doing things more so than talking up NZ Music Month. To that end, our events have been really successful.

Describe the strengths and challenges for the music industry in New Zealand?
The economic challenges worldwide have been well-documented, and the small size of our market makes us potentially more susceptible, but our thriving live scene is working well, bands are becoming more and more aware of where they fit in internationally and there are programmes to help them succeed offshore. There's a lot of inspired musicians out there at the moment, and it feels like one of the most fertile and diverse times in terms of releases for many years.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
Nothing beats seeing a band live! I'm also a vinyl freak, but to be honest I'll take a good song any way I can get it!

What's your big idea for 2008?
My big idea was to find a massive NZ band (which turned out to be Opshop) and stage a massive free show in a regional town to end the month. I found the perfect partner in Telecom, and with their help ran a month-long competition calling for the public to tell us where the gig should be and why, which brings us to Greymouth tomorrow - something I'm very, very excited about!

Related story: TBI NZ Music Month Feature

29/05/08