They came, they saw, they loved it… New Zealand music was showcased to some of the world's most powerful industry players last week at an event called The World Series.

By Stephen Adams

They came, they saw, they loved it… New Zealand music was showcased to some of the world's most powerful industry players last week at an event called The World Series.

By Stephen Adams

The event, run over a week at Auckland's St James theatre, was a government and music industry-sponsored initiative and was timed to coincide with the America's Cup racing series and the APRA Silver Scroll Awards. The concept was simple: invite selected international music industry and media players to Auckland, show them a good time, and let them check out what New Zealand artists have to offer.

Much more than a schmooze-fest, the World Series has set up a dialogue with the global music industry that has long been missing in New Zealand. Here's what some of the players who came for the week had to say…

On why the World Series concept is a good idea…

John Woodruff, CEO Rough Cut Music, Co-Publisher Canadian Music Network Magazine: This level of interaction and appreciation of the bands would never happen if you took the same bands and put them in a showcase venue like CBGB's in New York. For a start, you'd have a really hard time getting an audience apart from people who were forced to be there by their boss. And the bands would be in a foreign place, preoccupied with the difficulties of being in a strange city. To bring people like us to New Zealand, to see the bands on their home turf, is a brilliant way of marketing your talent.

On how much of The World Series has been a junket, and how much has been business…

Don Tarlton, Chairman The DKD Group, Co Publisher, Canadian Music Network Magazine: I don't think anybody was looking at it as a junket. We can all buy our own airline tickets. If we want to go for a week's holiday we can go wherever in the world we want to. But we've spent our evenings watching six bands a night and we've spent our days talking to people from the music people here, trying to develop ways and opportunities to take what we've seen here back to our respective countries. This has been an opportunity to make money - many of us are capitalists! And, because we love the music, it's a great opportunity to be part of taking it further.

On initiatives that will flow on from The World Series…

Don Tarlton: We're going to put a partnership together with John's group in Australia, our group in Canada and a company here, and we'll be working with David Kines, who's here with us from Much Music in Canada, theChannel V network in Australia, and the Canadian Music Network magazines. We'll be putting together a compilation featuring the biggest hits from all three countries and sell it in all three countries. On top of that we'll be working acts from each country, and getting a tour together.

All three of our countries face one barrier: global success is through Los Angeles and New York. So if we can create an international marketplace between our countries and create a free exchange for artists between ourselves, we feel that we can create something that will lead the Americans and Brits to chase us.

David Kines, Much Music (Canada) I think the big thing that's been established here is relationships. We've seen thirty-odd bands, but we've also established an affinity with your country. So when a record arrives on our desk, we know some of the players behind it. That's the legacy of the week: New Zealand is forever ingrained in our heads now. What you've done is created 15 ambassadors for your country that don't live in your country, and we're out there prostelysing for New Zealand, whether it's music, yachting, wine, or any of the other stuff we've been exposed to.

Rick Arnstein, Snr Vice President, General Manager, GMR Marketing: I'm the adviser to the concert series in Central Park and another event in New York called Celebrate Brooklyn. I intend taking the music that I've seen here and put together an Australasian day as early next summer. Potentially a World Music event as well, in Brooklyn.

On the importance of Canada…

Don Tarlton: The way to the American market is a bridge called Canada. Much Music travels into the States, it's a very important conduit. Border states pick up on our radio signals. Big acts like Peter Gabriel, Supertramp, and Chris de Burgh all broke the US after having success in Canada. By creating this platform we can take New Zealand acts into Canada and start to duplicate the success of Split Enz and Crowded House in the US.

On bands the delegates have been impressed by…

Don Tarlton: I loved the first act I saw, Nesian Mystic. What a great voice! Also Evermore and The Brunettes stand out. I think The Brunettes could use a month on the Guns n Roses tour to shake out their innocence! Goldenhorse was great, she (Kirstin Morelle) is a great singer.

Jay Ziskrout, Chief Operating Officer, CMJ Network: I really liked Pine, they grew on me. Betchadupa was solid. Evermore were great. Dam Native was really impressive: he's not a copy of US rappers, which never works, but real, rebellious. Hip hop as it should be.

Arnold Frolows, Music Director,
Triple J Network, Australia:: I really liked the Brunettes, they were fresh and totally unexpected. I found myself thinking why aren't we playing this already? If it came over my desk normally it would be going straight to the music meeting. Pine, they swung me over. The Have, they were last band on one night and they really rocked. Evermore have a fantastic drummer. But there's a lot of bands left to see.

Emma Banks, Managing Director, Helter Skelter Agency, London: I'm really looking forward to seeing Che Fu. I heard his song at the Silver Scrolls and I'm already singing along to his song. Which is scary for everybody else!

Rick Arnstein: I came here looking for musicianship, and one night, I saw two of the best drummers I've seen in a very longtime: betchadupa was fantastic, Evermore was fantastic, Pine was fantastic, and the lady who's the lead singer for the Brunettes is fantastic. It's been overwhelming.

David Kines: I'd also like to comment that the music videos I've seen here are second to none, really world class. I'd put them on Much Music tomorrow. Really low budgets, really great ideas.

On making it in the USA…

Rick Arnstein: I come from a country of gross excess where you can put a crap band into a studio throw a lot of money against it and get a product out that will get played on radio and might sell a few records. New Zealand and Australia are the last bastion of raw rock ‘n' roll where artists have to work form the ground up.

Don Tarlton:One of the great issues of American A & R is that these guys always want to put their own stamp on it. As good as Canadian music is, the American A & R guy will want to change a vocal remix something, The A & R guy wants to take a bow when the act breaks. The American radio system controls what happens and makes hit records so you have to play that game. It's not that it can't be done as equally as well here. It's just called putting up with Americans…

The World Series happened as a result of many people's efforts, and it was a major success. To Prime Minister Helen Clark, Minister for Rock n Roll Trevor Mallard, Associate Arts Minister Judith Tizard, APRA chief Mike Chunn, NZ on Air's Brendan Smyth, Industry New Zealand's Paul Voight, Trade New Zealand's Murray Jeffrey, event producers Brent and Helen Eccles and all other World Series supporters, The Big Idea salutes you.