Your experience sounds typical of most NZ artists Jet, I would call myself a hobbiest bedroom artist I give all my music away freely online anyway so I guess I'm not the person Robsta was going on about who are in it to crack the big time in America or UK. If most nz musicians were small businesses I would think only a tiny percentage would break even or make a profit and the rest would probably go bankrupt after 2 years. My point about location being irrelevant was just because I'm based in NZ but my influences musically aren't kiwi, seems everything has to fit in a genre these days which is so limiting to artists and listeners.
When I read your comment I have an ex Vietnam vet voice in my head saying "Where all gonna die Man !!!" "the days of the big band are gone man!" the big labels are going down and taken our asses with there muthafucking big offices and walnut veneer furniture.. man I know man because I used to work for those bastards, were nothing man"...... die..
I think its irrelevant where your from, hasn't the whole go to America to "make it" become a bit of a cliché . New Zealand has been obsessed with promoting music that is all things New Zealand... I like your idea of Aussie / NZ band swap is good for touring bands to get exposed to a new audience nothing wrong with that at all, but my impression is New Zealand has tried to over compensate for its guilt cringe factor of the 80s with music and now the honeymoon period of "celebrating" every band just because its Kiwi even if its crap is wearing thin. The same thing has happened with NZ films made here lately local reviewers feel they have to love them .. Its all become a bit "John Cambell" group huggish .. sorry John :)
Music that is timeless holds its value compared with fad music that dates very quickly, new generations of fans keep buying Beatles cds so it holds its price and they know they can ask premium dollar for it, it was alway music snobs who owned a Beatles white album record :) and the price has stuck.. the biggest bands of each decade re-release best of cd every 8 years or so like the eagles,led zep... Now if Bach and Beethoven and most of the orchestral giants had copyright of their music, it would command premium dollar instead of the warehouse 2.99 bargain bin job it has. I remember on news seeing Cliff Richard complaining that he is outliving the 50 year copyright expiry date on his early hit singles and wanted it extended to 100 years or so, made me laugh..
1987 New Zealand Music Awards
* ALBUM OF THE YEAR Herbs – Sensitive To A Smile
* SINGLE OF THE YEAR Dave Dobbyn - You Oughta Be In Love
* BEST MALE VOCALIST Dave Dobbyn
* BEST FEMALE VOCALIST Shona Laing
* BEST GROUP The Chills
* MOST PROMISING MALE VOCALIST Al Hunter
* MOST PROMISING FEMALE VOCALIST Moana Jackson (Moana & The Moanhunters)
* MOST PROMISING GROUP Bonga And Harwood
* INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT Neil Finn
* BEST VIDEO Matt Box Films - Sensitive To A Smile (Herbs)
* BEST FILM SOUNDTRACK Dave Dobbyn - Footrot Flats
* BEST PRODUCER Dave Dobbyn - Footrot Flats
* BEST ENGINEER Ian Morris - The Game Of Love (Tex Pistol)
* BEST JAZZ ALBUM Mike Nock / Frank Gibson, Jr. - 'Open Door'
* BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM Gillian Weir - Music To The Sun King
* BEST COUNTRY ALBUM Al Hunter - Neon Cowboy
* BEST FOLK ALBUM Beverly Young - Bushes & Briar
* BEST GOSPEL ALBUM Jules Riding - Heart Strings
* BEST POLYNESIAN ALBUM Herbs - E Papa - Kah Knows
* BEST CAST ALBUM Stewart Macpherson - Pirates Of Penzance
* BEST SONGWRITER Charles Tumahai/ Dilworth Karaka - Sensitive To A Smile (Herbs)
* BEST COVER Phillip Trusttum – Songdance (Mike Herron)
from memory the footrot flats theme was number 1 for ages.
if you want to make money become a real estate agent.
"When I had my first top 10 single ("Drive"), I was still working in a shoe shop," recalls Runga. "The public in New Zealand didn't realise how little money there was in music; when they saw me on the bus (and in the shop), there was some confusion about me. However, the humble start is good for the soul and ego." Bic Runga
illegal downloading may also cause penile dysfunction. I saw it on 60 minutes.
Commercial music has always been about taking from the underground some sound that can be marketed as a new and fresh then making as much cash from it as possible till it gets overexposed/tired moving on to the next body. The scene it came from goes on all the same as it did before it became "discovered", kinda like how america didn't exist untill columbus got there, tell the indians and vikings that. Commercial scenes come and go all the time as its all just fashion anyway, just like fashion people have certain clothes that they love and keep for years as classics, but wear whats "in" for that season. im generalizing here of course because some fads are created in-house, the spice girls were never underground so they screwed my theory a bit.... dam....
Depends on what style of music your trying to create if your wanting to do acoustic stuff I guess recording in a pro studio is fine but any electro sounds do it on your own setup,equipment is a cheap as ever to buy with tech prices dropping all the time, I think its good to experiment alot when starting off and home recording is cheap way of doing it, im sick of hearing over compressed over produced "professional studio" stuff too it seems they push the vocals way too much to the front almost seperating it from the music... I dont think i would have ever got into music in the first place if I never had good old soundtracker on my amiga 500 which sparked my interest anyway in making tunes.
My Home recording setup
laptop
acid 5 is easy to use
korg triton
beyer mic
1970s sansui A70 hi fi :) needs repairs but always good to hear stuff on stereo as can sound alot diff to on headphones
I guess its called international commercial music for a reason alot of it sounds generic and has no reference to a local place, probly to maximize sales with a "international sound" .
If i listened to alot of music on radio/tv without any prier knowledge id have no clue as what country they were from in some cases, in this international media age peoples influences are not so much local now as international anyway, dam ive used my quota of the word international today...... Another thing ive always wondered is why a non american singers voice can sound so american, I must admit even my singing voice does tend to sound like this a bit at times and I was born in uk then lived most my life here... maybe its just me getting paranoid ear.... or listening to too many of my buddy hollie records hours on end.....:)
I guess the music industry is no different to any other, when a new car model is released, relevent journalists are flown in and "looked after" in hope of favourable reviews. Newly released films sometimes write their own 5 star ratings and push it as a independant reviewer. Like they say you dont get something for nothing.........
I was never a radio type person listening to music like background noise, I always preferred to put on music when I felt in a certain type of mood or so, but in the super size me type world where we live in now , days of non stop music stored on flashdrives, come to think of it I would have thought i-pod has hurt radio listening numbers as people have gigs of music to listen to all day now without adverts. Just some thought from a dinosaur :)
Is Wayne Anderson's alter ego Mikey Havok? anyone know, the resemblance is uncanny and the vocal range.
william shatners catalogue - always been a lucy in the sky of diamonds fan :)
The Life Cycle of a Kiwi voter
When I turn 18 - down with a muilti-national bastards, save the planet, = vote green.
When I turn 25 - dam this student loan is huge no interest hmm, = vote labour
When I turn 30 - been working in a multi-national company a few years 60k+, tax cuts pls = vote national.
When I turn 40 - promoted to regional manager on 200k salary, a wife, no kids, a batch in Pauanui with on-suite marble toilets, 2 million stashed away in the Cook Islands, but need more tax cuts.... = vote act
When I get older,when im 64 - Looking forward to retiring but pissed off with the lack of respect for the aged.... I paid my taxes, well some of them and demand 1st class hospital care and superanuation, have tendancy to call talkback radio and make WWII references even though I wasnt born then... = vote NZ first
on my death bed - please god I repent all my evils, im a "good person" really if you spare me a few more days so I can see what happens to Noris on Coro St , ill vote for you.... = vote christian heritage
Die - then end....
I think it pathetic that any signed artist to a major label has to rely on NZOA funding to get a vid made or recording produced, its making nz artists into a charity case like "please give me some money as my own label doesnt want to risk it on me unless you do...." I also like the idea of the proposed vid grant limit but nzoa would be scared that they would run out of new commercially viable talent to give grants to most likely. I think the answer is merging creative nz and nzoa to try to help fund a wider range of music and emerging artists to showcase themselves. At the end of the day whats the point of funding just commercial music. The obscure underground of today becomes the commercial of tommorrow :)
Just my thoughts on the subject..
Its a cover of the track "waiting" by dave dobbyn and its not neil finn singing,the lyrics are at http://songlyrics.co.nz/lyrics/d/davedobbyn/waiting.htm
yeah good on her just curious what her song was like, no doubt will see her on news in next few days.
Just got this release in my inbox thought it might be of interest.
----------------------------------------------------------------
International Songwriting Competition Winners Announced
For Immediate Release, March 30, 2005...The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its winners for its 2004 annual competition. Called "the songwriting competition to take note of" by the New York Times, ISC received over 11,000 entries from 77 countries in its third year. From the West African kora player to the rock band in Russia to the Canadian fiddler with Acadian roots to the pop artist from Los Angeles...ISC entrants represent a truly international cultural span.
ISC prizes include more than $100,000 (USD) in cash and merchandise and are shared by 50 winners in 16 categories.
For the first time ever in any major songwriting competition, a teen is the winner of the overall Grand Prize. The winner is newcomer 18-yr. old Gin Wigmore (Auckland, New Zealand) for her song "Hallelujah," which was entered into the Teen category. Her prizes include $10,000 US cash and over $30,000 US in merchandise and services.
Remarkably, Gin Wigmore wrote "Hallelujah" when she was 17 yrs. old. This intensely personal song (it was written for her father who died of cancer) reflects a vulnerability and honesty that is stunning. Her lyrics, coupled with her unique voice and the song's haunting melody, belie her age and display a maturity of "an old soul." The song, which resonated overwhelmingly with the judges, is memorable for its simplicity and beauty.
Virtually unknown as a songwriter and relatively new at her craft, Gin is at the very beginning of her career as a songwriter and singer. A gifted artist with a wonderfully bright future, Gin exemplifies the mission of ISC - to discover new talent and to provide the opportunity for international recognition and exposure for an artist whose songwriting achievements stand out amongst all others.
Gin is also the First Place winner in the Teen category with her song "Angelfire." As the First Place winner of the Teen category, Gin receives an additional $1,000 US cash and other prizes, including a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music's Summer Performance Program.
Garnering the titles of Grand Prize winner, as well as the First Place winner in the Teen category, is a tremendous accomplishment for this young and talented songwriter.
Garnering the titles of Grand Prize winner, as well as the First Place winner in the Teen category, is a tremendous accomplishment for this young and talented songwriter.
For a complete list of winners, please go to http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=700333&s=21312251
Judges for the 2004 competition included many of the music industry's top executives and recording artists:
Monte Lipman (President, Universal Records); Sean "P. Diddy" Combs; Aaron Lewis (Staind); John Ondrasik (Five For Fighting); Bo Diddley; Clint Black; David Hidalgo (Los Lobos); Branford Marsalis; Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.); Peter Furler (Newsboys); Taj Mahal; Sully Erna (Godsmack); Macy Gray; Stacey Earle; Scott Kirkland (The Crystal Method); Michael Gudinski (Chairman, Mushroom Group of Companies); Alan Meltzer (CEO, Wind-Up Records); Tara Griggs-Magee (Executive VP Gospel/Urban Music, Sony Records); Michael McDonald (President, ATO Records); Tracy Gershon (Sr. Dir A&R/Artist Dev, Sony Records Nashville); Chris Parr (VP of Music Programming & Talent Relations, CMT); Peter Asher (Co-President, Sanctuary Artist Management); Kim Stephens (VP A&R, Lava Records); Barbara Sedun (VP Creative, EMI Music Publishing Canada) and Leib Ostrow (CEO, Music For Little People).
ISC is now accepting entries for 2005. Entry forms are available at www.songwritingcompetition.com.
ISC is proudly sponsored by: Xytar Digital Systems, Epiphone Guitars, Berklee College of Music, Fishman Transducers, Disc Makers, Alphabet Arm Design, L.R. Baggs, Sam Ash Music Stores, Planetary Group, Mixdown Media Network, Hear Technologies, Sibelius, Cakewalk, Performer.com, FYE, Onlinegigs.com, and Sonicbids.
International Songwriting Competition
211 Seventh Avenue North, Suite LL-20
Nashville, TN 37219
Phone: 615.251.4441
Fax: 615.251.4442
I agree with myshkin its irrelevant changing the flag is like "changing rooms" everyone has their own ideas on colour schemes , also Im fine with the fern being used for sports occasions like it is now but its only recently in last ten years or so the fern has been used to sell every everything under the sun. Companies want to latch onto this sporting icon such as trade new zealand to sell goods and services overseas etc and such linking business with sporting passion. Why do we feel so insecure that out flag looks similar to the Aussies? we are next door to them geographically we fought side by side in both world wars and they got a great cricket team :) If you look at europe their flags are similar just a different combination of 3 colours horizontal stipes in most cases... until we become a republic the queen is still head of state and so flag reflects this until that changes so will the flag.. I havent seen a beige coloured flag design yet, nothing too flashy just like most kiwis :)
Is there a petition to save our flag I can sign? Or a petition to change the national anthem.... If we changed to the silver fern would our government have to pay copyright royalties to the New Zealand Rugby Union as its officially their brand? I prefer what we got to something that looks more like a white feather, I get a bit sick of all this national "branding" its what people do with their lives that gives them identity not what coloured flag they have.
hehe man you get wound up easy, typical kiwi in my book, doesn't indie music just mean not signed to a major label hardly a great descriptive tag of the style of music. Alot of great music doesn't sell or only appeals to a small audience so you'd have those cds burnt I take it and everything from the 80s . Also since when were the Thompson Twins a nz band just because one lives here in retirement? or were you meaning the Top Twins.. How do you explain britney spears, 50cent, kind of mainstream selling bucketloads if your gonna burn all the 80s music can you fit that in as well please. People buy whats is put infront of them just the same as in a supermarket and they buy what they know. Id say theres just as much crap mainstream as Indie so whats your point? err New Zealand Music dominated by Student indie , don't most bands get together at school or uni? hows that different to Uk with bands like Artic Monkeys or Franz Ferdinand , maybe NZ needs more Grey Power rock or Remuera Social Club Jazz.
P.S are these NZ music forums dead ? like ive not posted here in years are alot of the old regulars retired?