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ARTIST MANAGEMENT . MUSIC BUSINESS
HELPFUL INFO FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS
Here's a one-stop shop of resources to help you on your career path.
FUNDING
It's pretty cool that we can get funding to help our music careers in Aotearoa. Check out some of the funding agencies below.
NZ On Air - Irirangi te Motu
NZ On Air funds the recording and promotion of single songs, multi-song projects and video content to help connect great NZ songs with NZ audiences.
Single Funding
NZ On Air will pay a maximum of $10,000 (plus GST if registered) for the eligible costs of recording a single, creating video content to promote the single and other promotion costs to increase NZ audience awareness and engagement with the audio and video content.
To be eligible to apply for New Music Single (pūtea tautoko) you must reach at least 10 out of 30 criteria benchmarks for your music to date.
Project Funding
Funding of between $10,00 and $40,000 is available for multi-song projects- which includes an up to $4,000 (10%) Artist Creation Fee.
NZ On Air will pay on a 80% reimbursement basis, meaning that the music company/applicant must co-invest a minimum of 20% of the costs of completing the Project.
New Music Development
New Music Development is a new funding initiative designed to support the development of new songs from emerging artists working with established music producers within New Zealand.
Grants of up to $6,000 (+ GST) are available to producers for development of a body of work with one artist, with a minimum of three demo recordings to be delivered at the end of the development period.
New Music Pasifika
Funding of up to $10,000 is available for artists of Pacific background, for a single song - which can now include a $1,000 (10%) Artist Creation Fee. NZ On Air will pay a maximum of $10,000 (plus GST if registered) for the eligible costs of recording a single, creating video content to promote the single and other promotion costs to increase NZ audience awareness and engagement with the audio and video content.
New Tracks
New Tracks is a compilation of new music from New Zealand artists which is distributed to broadcast and online media platforms each month. With over 230 volumes, New Tracks (previously Kiwi Hit Disc) is the most comprehensive catalogue of New Zealand contemporary puoro ever assembled. To apply for New Tracks you must have a completed, airplay-ready song, a cover image and a promotional plan.
Te Māngai Pāho
Te Māngai Pāho provides contestable funding to artists and producers who make music for airplay and streaming. Waiata Reo Māori; Waiata Takitahi Funding is also available for initiatives that widely promote and celebrate waiata reo Māori.
Waiata Takitahi
Waiata Takitahi – (‘single song’) – is a co-fund launched as a collaboration between NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho. You must be a New Zealand artist interested in recording and releasing a bilingual single with potential general audience appeal and a minimum of 25% te reo Māori in the song lyrics.
Funding of up to $14,000 (plus GST if registered) is available to put towards the costs of recording a single song, creating video content and other visual collateral, and putting resource towards promotion, publicity and marketing for the single release. Funds can also be used to pay for the services of a te reo Māori language consultant.
Creative New Zealand
Arts Grants
Arts Grants is the most popular fund open to emerging and established artists, arts practitioners and arts organisations for a range of activity. Arts Grants offer short-term project funding between $5,000 to $75,000. This funding enables more sustainable careers, encourages innovation and the development of arts practice, and provides opportunities for diverse communities to access the arts.
New Zealand Music Commission
The New Zealand Music Commission Te Reo Reka O Aotearoa is a government funded organisation that promotes music from New Zealand and supports the growth of New Zealand music businesses – both culturally and economically, at home and abroad. The hub of NZ Music Month, the Music Commission also deliver contemporary music programmes in schools, including the Musicians Mentoring in Schools Programme; provides music upskilling tools and resources; and runs the international market development & trade show programme Outward Sound.
International Development
Outward Sound offers financial support to New Zealanders wanting to grow to an overseas market. Outward sound is an intuitive set up to encourage the entry of NZ musicians into global markets. You an apply for assistance through grant programmes here.
Tour Funding
The Aotearoa Touring Programme can invest in approved domestic touring costs to help New Zealand artist to increase their access to live music events for NZ audiences. Applications require a comprehensive tour budget and marketing plan.
Touring Programme - Applicant Information & Resources:
Capability Grants
The Capability Grants Programme is a contestable fund from the NZ Music Commission for music industry up skilling, training and development opportunities
Popular Resources
Here is a section from the NZ Music Commission with useful information and one pagers valuable to the NZ Music Industry. Resources include:
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How to create an Electronic Press Kit (pg 4)
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Promoting your gig (pg 4)
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PR Tips (pg 2)
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Getting on a Festival Line up (pg 4)
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How to approach a record label (pg 6)
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Touring programme overview (pg 1)
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When and how to approach a record label (pg 6)
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Sample applications for touring applications and capability grants (pg 2)
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Capability grant overview (pg 1)
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Getting started planning a tour (pg 6)
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How to budget for a tour (pg 7)
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Things to remember (pg 9)
HELPFUL INDUSTRY BODIES
These music industry bodies can help you on your music career path.
MMF
The Music Managers Forum Aotearoa is the collective voice for music managers and self-managed artists, both signed and independent. The MMF is dedicated to helping grow artist manager businesses by providing a platform allowing free mentoring one-on-one sessions to its members with a variety of industry professionals.
APRA
Australasian Performing Right Association is a free industry body all New Zealand artists who have music distributed online should be registered with. APRA role is to license organisations to play, perform, copy, record or make available your music. They are responsible for distributing your royalties globally to allow you cash in the bank.
RECORDED MUSIC NZ
This body is responsible for collecting royalties for your recorded music. Recorded Music NZ pays 50% of revenues from a recording to the registered recording artist(s) and 50% to the Master Rights Holders (ie the owner or licensee of copyright).
INDEPENDENT MUSIC NZ
IMNZ offers collective bargaining opportunities and a connection to global organisations including the Worldwide Independent Network, Merlin and compatriot independent trade association for Independent Labels. They further support the community with the annual Taite Music Prize, a weekly newsletter and independent charts as well as various showcases across the year.
MUSICHELPS
MusicHelps supports hundreds of projects across New Zealand, each using the power of music to change the lives of thousands of New Zealanders in need. Whilst also providing emergency assistance to thousands of music people experiencing hardship and illness through our suite of music support services, including a world first, professional online, on-the-phone and face-to-face counselling service tailored to people who make music possible.
SOUNDCHECK AOTEAROA
SoundCheck Aotearoa is an action group formed in 2020 with a mission to foster a safe and inclusive culture for the music community. Key values include fair representation, an inclusive culture with practices and behaviours to ensure that individuals feel respected, included and heard, an environment where they are safe from discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and violence, access to advocacy on behalf of their specific needs and challenges.
MPGNZ
The Music Producers Guild NZ helps with legal questions, advice on production and enables you to contact a network of other producers and the wider industry. To be a member you pay a yearly fee, of which the options are provided via this link.
Other useful resources
Check out these links for some useful tools. We've even created some cool templates to help you!
Some tips on the best approach to apply for festivals, a list of festivals and when to hit them.
Thanks NZ Music Commission
Suggestions of platforms and processes to go through when preparing for a release. We highly recommend these.
Here's a list of Alt stations and how to contact them
Thanks NZ On Air
NZ on Air has put together some helpful tips on how to market and promote your music
Cheers NZ On Air.
If you sell vinyl, CDs or cassettes at a show those sales go towards the NZ Music charts. But you must complete this form and send it through to Radioscope before 10am Friday.
Here is some great advice about signing to a label.
Thanks to the NZ Music Commission
We've put together a budget template for recording and touring. These budgets align with both NZ On Air and NZ Music Commission funding applications.
To get access, subscribe to Aston Rd and send us an email request.
A guide to creating your touring budget and what to consider.
Thanks to NZ Music Commission
A guide with some useful tips on how to get the attention of radio curators
Cheers NZ on Air.
Here are some great tips on writing your press release and the assets you'll need to have to support your music release
Cheers NZ Music Commission.
Some information on how to apporach your first international tour
Thanks NZ Music Commission
The work must be an original song.
The work must have been made available as a recording for purchase by the public or through a streaming service in New Zealand.
2023 Eligibility Dates:
Recording must have been released in New Zealand between: 1st July 2022 and 30th June 2023.
Cheers APRA AMCOS NZ
The Taite Music Prize highlights outstanding albums recognising and celebrating the depth of talent and breadth of genres that make up Aotearoa’s unique musical voice. It is open to all genres of music and judged on artistic merit regardless of genre, sales, or record label.
2023 Eligibility Dates:
Any album released in the calendar year (January to December) of 2022 is eligible for nomination.
Many thanks to Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ)
The Aotearoa Music Awards (“AMA”) is a celebration of artists and those behind the scenes in the recorded music industry in Aotearoa.
As host and kaitiaki of the AMA, Recorded Music NZ is committed to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for everyone involved.
2023 Eligibility Dates:
Any artists who have recordings commercially released between 1st August 2022 and 31st July 2023
(12 months)
Thanks to Recorded Music NZ
Here are a couple of glossaries with music industry terms to become familiar with.
Thanks APRA AMCOS and Music Industry Inside Out
The Waiata Māori Music Awards seeks to develop, encourage and honour the achievements of outstanding traditional and contemporary musical compositions and performances annually. This is the most prestigious music awards ever to acknowledge our Māori composers.
2023 Eligibility Dates:
Only recordings released in New Zealand during the period from
1st July 2022 - 30 June 2023
Thanks to Waiata Māori Music Awards
The Pacific Music Awards is the annual awards event, which celebrates Pacific music. The event provides the opportunity to honour the achievements and success of our current Pacific artists and also pay tribute to legacy and developing artists.
2023: Eligibility Dates:
The recordings, singles, EPs or albums, must have been first released for public sale, during the eligible period of
1st January – 31 December 2022
Thanks to Pacific Music Awards