Flagship Professional Development Program Co-Pilot a great success

This week the 2022 Co-Pilot Program - delivered in partnership with Spotify and AAM took place in Sydney. Our Aotearoa participants Diaz Grimm and Gina Linnell, alongside MMF exec committee member Joost Langeveld attended, and described it as ‘a huge opportunity, and massive milestone’

From Joost -

“What an absolute honour to represent the MMF Aotearoa and accompany the first ever New Zealand participants in the Co-Pilot22 program - Gina Linnell and Diaz Grimm. Co-Pilot is essentially a mentorship program on steroids - where 'emerging' manager mentees are paired with established manager mentors - all with the incredible support from AAM, Spotify and the MMF! It’s a huge opportunity for them – and a massive milestone moment for the wider Aotearoa music community!!

Ngā mihi to the AAM team. Kate Adams and Maggie Collins' focussed planning, management and execution of the program/event was exemplary.

Massive thanks to Jonathan Harrison and the Spotify staff for opening up the Spotify Sydney office and hosting the formal introduction day event - whilst also organising and facilitating the amazing lineup of guests speakers:  Dr Alethea Beetson (BLAKSOUND, Blak Social, Digi Youth Arts), Leanne DeSouza (Nightlife Music), Sydney Lopes (Spotify, Head of Hip Hop & R&B partnerships).

Much respect and gratitude to all the mentors for the selfless sharing of precious time, experience, and industry knowledge. Intergenerational knowledge transfer in practice, yes!

Artist management is a crazy ride and often comes without predefined job descriptions and operates in relative isolation, without much external guidance !

This is what makes the co-pilot program such an amazing opportunity. A chance to learn from the best, to glean context and concepts from industry professionals and build networks that will aid careers moving forward.

Co-Pilot is a super exciting initiative which will undoubtedly help shape collective ‘music industry’ futures in(between) Australia,  Aotearoa and beyond. Long may it last.”

ANNOUNCING OUR SUCCESSFUL CO-PILOT PROGRAM 2022 APPLICANTS

MMF Aotearoa is thrilled to announce the two successful applicants who will take part in Co-Pilot Program 2022: Spotify Australia and Aotearoa Edition.  Congratulations to Diaz Grimm and Gina Linnell who will  join 10 Australian emerging and developing managers in this tailored professional development programme.  This initiative from AAM (Assoc. of Artist Managers Australia) together with Spotify, enables Diaz and Gina to take part in a workshop in Sydney followed by a four-month virtual mentorship. 

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DIAZ GRIMM

In 2015, Diaz released his debut album 'Osiris', a soundtrack to the end of the world. A post-apocalyptic sonic journey that resonated with audiences and critics alike, the success of Osiris saw Diaz nominated for Best Urban/Hip-Hop Album at the New Zealand Music Awards that year. 

The album topped the NZ iTunes hip hop charts, reached the official NZ Top 20 album charts and became the most upvoted self-posted album in the history of the Reddit/hiphopheads forum. Following the success of the album Diaz was invited to go on a ten show nationwide tour with local superstars Six60 and then in 2016 became the first self-managed, unsigned artist from New Zealand to ever be invited to play SXSW. 

Diaz made it to Austin, Texas for SXSW2016 where he began a three month solo journey around America, building his knowledge and network in the music industry. During the trip, Grimm rubbed shoulders with the likes of Chance The Rapper, A$AP Rocky, Alan Kingdom, and was invited to meet with major hip hop blog, HotNewHipHop. 

Diaz worked on his single ‘Foreigners’ with Grammy award winning producer and songwriter Mike Elizondo (Prod. of Eminem’s ‘Real Slim Shady’, 50 Cent’s ‘In Da Club’ & The Games ‘How We Do’). ‘Foreigners’ debuted at #16 on the NZ singles charts – the only unsigned, self managed artist in the charts that week – and became the only Kiwi on the front page of the NZTop40.co.nz the week of release.
After two years living in Toronto, Diaz returned home to Aotearoa to build a new ecosystem in the NZ music industry. By artists, for artists. While overseeing dozens of projects, in 2021 Diaz released a full te reo single ‘Te Kore’ featuring Dame Hinewehi Mohi as a part of Waiata Anthems. He was one of the only self-managed, unsigned artists to be involved with the campaign. 

Diaz now manages the Indigo studio while managing three new upcoming talents, Mikeyy, HINA & Neverknown.

GINA LINNELL

Gina was first introduced to the music industry 16 years ago when she did poster runs around the capital in exchange for tickets to gigs. This quickly evolved into paid work within various roles as her interest peaked. This experience has allowed her to gain valuable knowledge and understanding of many roles within the Event and Music Industry ecosystem.
These days Gina wears multiple hats as a Music Manager, Promoter & Agent, subsequently leading to roles working on events around the country. Over the past 4 years, she has felt such a shift within the industry, with a true feeling of strength and support from amazing wahine, who all want to make changes to do better in the Music Industry.
Gina feels extremely honoured and proud to partake in the next part of this journey on the mentorship.

MMF Aotearoa Announce 2022 Festival Bookers Virtual Speed Networking Session

The MMF Aotearoa are super excited to announce the 2022 Festival Bookers Virtual Speed Networking Session! This annual event is the MMF members opportunity to meet virtually face to face with an outstanding line-up of bookers from some of the best music festivals in New Zealand, and receive first hand advice on how to get their artists booked onto festival line ups.

For 2022 the Virtual Speed Networking Sessions will be held over 2 nights, giving more MMF members the chance to take part. The sessions will be held on line on Wednesday 4th May and Wednesday 11th May. 

Applications are open from midday today, Wednesday 6th April 2022, and will close 5pm on Wed 13th April 2022. Please note that because it is a contestable application process, applying does not guarantee participation in the event. 

FESTIVAL BOOKERS VIRTUAL SPEED NETWORKING SESSIONS 2022
(MMF MEMBERS ONLY)

Wednesday 4th May  &  Wednesday 11th May 

Bookers from the below festivals will be meeting with MMF members

Bay of Islands Music Festival/Matariki Bay of Islands/JAMMIN Reggae Festival (Bay of Islands)

CubaDupa (Wellington)

Electric Avenue/Nostalgia/ South Island Wine & Food/Live in the Park (Chch) /Great Kiwi Beer Fest (ChCh & Ham)

Fortune Festival (Dunedin) /Craft Beer & Food Festivals (Auckland and Dunedin) / Universities – Auckland, Waikato, Victoria, Massey (PN), Canterbury, Lincoln, Otago

Homegrown (Wellington)

Laneway (Auckland)

Milk & Honey Festival (Auckland)

Music in Parks (Auckland)

Newtown Festival (Wellington)

Northern Bass (Mangawhai)

Rhythm & Vines  (Gisborne)

Soundsplash (Raglan) 

Twisted Frequency Festival (Upper Takaka)

WOMAD – (Taranaki) 

The event is open to MMF members only.  To join please email lorraine.owen@mmf.co.nz

Applications are open from midday today, Wednesday 6th April 2022, and will close 5pm on Wed 13th April 2022. 

NOMINATIONS FOR THE RECORDED MUSIC NZ MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARDS NOW OPEN

Nominations for the 2021 Recorded Music NZ Manager of The Year Award are now open.

The Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year | Kaiwhakahaere Puoro o te Tau award recognises the tireless commitment of Kiwi managers working behind the scenes to support the success of New Zealand’s musicians.

The unwavering perserverance, dedication and achievements of artist managers and self-managed artists are cause for acknowledgement and celebration – particularly after another challenging year of navigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year award recipient will be announced at the sixth annual AMA Artisan Awards, to be held at Massey University’s School of Music and Creative Media Production in Wellington. This years' ceremony reverts to a live awards event, after a pre-recorded televised broadcast was conducted for 2020.

The award will be presented alongside the Tui’s for Te Kaiwhakaputa Toa | Best Producer, Te Kaipukaha Toa | Best Engineer, Te Puoro Ataata Toa | Best Music Video, Te Toi Ataata Pukaemi | Best Album Artwork, and the return of the bi-annual Kaiārahi Puoro o te Tau | Music Teacher of The Year award.

Nominations for the Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year award are open from Wednesday 26 May to 5pm Monday 21 June. 

Eligibility period is 1 June 2020 – 31 May 2021, covering a 12 month period for the 2021 Award. Terms and Conditions apply.

A MESSAGE FROM THE MMF AOTEAROA

Paul McKessar has returned all awards previously given to him by the MMF including Manager of the Year awards. This follows admissions made by Paul in media reports in January 2021 relating to the MMF Aotearoa Code of Conduct.

In light of the admissions of misconduct made by Scott MacLachlan in media reports in January 2021, the MMF has also asked Scott to return all awards previously given to him including Manager of the Year awards.

SoundCheck Aotearoa - developing a safe and inclusive culture in the music community.

Today organisations from across the Aotearoa music community are announcing the creation of a new action group SoundCheck Aotearoa with the aim of developing and growing our industry through a safe and inclusive culture in the music community. 

We acknowledge that action is needed to address inequitable representation, challenge systemic discrimination, and advance impactful change across the music industry, and we are committed to working together to achieve this.

In recognition of Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa and as partners of Te Tiriti o Waitangi we are working with Māori industry leaders to address these issues together along with the unique challenges facing Māori within the industry. 

SoundCheck Aotearoa has been formed by Recorded Music NZ, APRA AMCOS NZ, NZ Music Commission, Music Managers Forum NZ and Independent Music NZ in collaboration with Te Māngai Pāho, Māori Music Industry Coalition, NZ On Air, SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music and NZ Promoters Association.  We have also reached out to organisations that share our aspiration: Pacific Music Awards Trust, Te Vākai Collective, Music Producers Guild of NZ and MusicHelps, and we are inviting others to join us as our work progresses.

Our aspiration | Tō Mātou Wawata

We want all people in the Aotearoa music community to benefit from:

·        fair representation:  equitable opportunities, treatment and representation for all people regardless of their attributes including gender, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability (including illness), regional status, paternity/maternity and marital status

·        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

Our commitment | Tō Mātou Takohanga

We have created SoundCheck Aotearoa to work towards meaningful positive change both within our organisations and across the industry. 

The group will consult openly with the artists and organisations that we represent and the wider music community including proactively and specifically seeking participation from and interaction with minority groups and voices.  We want to hear from our music community - from artists and songwriters to sound engineers and crew, from educators and administrators to studio and venue workers, and everyone in between – about their experiences.

It is vital that the many cultures and diverse groups in our community have a voice in these conversations to help us identify priorities for action through the consultation, gathering data and undertaking research.  

Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it will take some time to reach out across our community, listen to everyone’s views, develop a collective strategy, and find the resources and funding we need to implement it. 

We are currently forming our Steering Committee and Leadership Group and will have more to say on that soon. 

Safety in workplaces | Te Noho Haumaru I ngā Wāhi Mahi

All of our people must be safe at work, whether in a recording studio, at a venue or in an office.  Our first project is an initiative to help prevent sexual harm in our music community, and to provide support for those who have experienced it. 

We have appointed a specialist in the area of sexual harm prevention, Rachel Harrison, to guide and support us, and key staff from our organisations have undertaken initial training.  We hope to roll out a training programme more widely, provide shared resources and consult across our community to develop a code of conduct.  We will update you on this work soon.  In the meantime, if you need to talk to someone please refer to the phone numbers listed below.

SoundCheck Aotearoa will make further announcements about how those in our community can participate in consultation and advisory processes in the new year. 

In the meantime, for anyone interested in our work, or for media enquiries please contact: info@soundcheckaotearoa.co.nz | www.soundcheckaotearoa.co.nz

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP OR INFORMATION ABOUT SEXUAL HARM:

Music Helps Wellbeing Service: Call 0508 MUSICHELPS

Safe To Talk:  Call 0800 044 334 | Text 4334 | Email support@safetotalk.nz 

HELP: Call 24/7 (Auckland) 0800 623 1700, (Wellington) 04 801 6655

Rape Crisis: Call 0800 88 33 00

Aviva: Canterbury Sexual Violence Crisis Service - Call 0800 284 82669

Tu Wahine: Kaupapa Māori Sexual Violence Crisis Service – Call 09 838 8700   

Korowai Tumanako: Kaupapa Māori Survivor and Harmful Sexual Behaviour Support Service – Email: korowai@korowaitumanako.org  

Te Puna Oranga: Kaupapa Māori Sexual Violence Crisis Service – Call 0800 222 042 | Email: info@tepunaoranga.co.nz    

Male Survivors Aotearoa: Support for the well-being of male survivors of sexual abuse  

Shama:  National Sexual Harm Support Service for ethinic communities – Call (07) 843 3810 | Text 022 135 9545 

Human Rights Commission: Call 0800 496 877

Employment Relations Authority: Call 0800 209020

NZ Police: Call 105

Unsung heroes of Aotearoa music celebrated tonight at the Artisan Awards

Five big winners announced during pre-recorded Three broadcast

The fifth annual AMA Artisan Awards were held this evening, celebrating the Kiwis behind some of our most successful musicians.

In place of a live event, this year’s Artisan Awards were pre-recorded at Massey University’s School of Music and Creative Media Production in Wellington and broadcast on Three this evening.

This year’s winner of Te Kaiwhakaputa Toa | Massey University Best Producer is Josh Fountain, one of Aotearoa’s most in-demand producers and a powerhouse of production and songwriting.

Winning the award for the second year running, he’s worked with international success story BENEE on some of her biggest hits, as well as previous Tui winner MAALA and 2020 AMA finalist Paige.

Taking out Te Kaipukaha Toa | Best Engineer was Simon Gooding for his work on Reb Fountain’s self-titled album, which is up for three Tui at this year’s Aotearoa Music Awards on Sunday.

First time Artisan Award nominee Anahera Parata received the Tui for Te Puoro Ataata Toa | NZ On Air Best Music Video after creating a powerful music video for Onehunga hip hop group SWIDT’s song ‘Bunga’.

Wellington-based artist Lily Paris West was recognised for her work on Mermaiden’s album artwork for Look Me In The Eye and was presented with the Tui for Te Toi Ataata Pukaemi Toa | Best Album Artwork.

Recorded Music New Zealand CEO Damian Vaughan said Aotearoa is lucky to have such gifted behind-the-scenes talent.

“Our music is finding success all over the world. Our artists deserve immense credit, but they wouldn’t be where they are without the efforts of our incredible producers, engineers, creative artists and managers.

“It’s been a challenging year but it’s essential to take a step back, to reflect and acknowledge the incredible work that’s been released. Thank you to our winners and finalists for collaborating with our musicians and bringing their creative visions to life.”

The Kaiwhakahaere Puoro o te Tau | Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year was presented at the Artisan Awards by the Music Managers Forum (NZ) to Paul McKessar from CRS Management.

For the past 15 years he has been a director of CRS Music Management and currently manages several high-profile artists like BENEE, Miss June and Brooke Fraser among others.

Music Managers Forum (NZ) chair Teresa Patterson said it was exciting to celebrate Paul’s career at the 2020 Artisan Awards.

“Music managers are an important part of an artist’s success, someone to share in the highs and the lows that come with working in the music industry. It’s great to be able to celebrate their contribution to the careers of our favourite Kiwi musicians,” says Patterson. 

The 2020 Artisan Awards is available to stream now on ThreeLive. The Aotearoa Music Awards will take place Sunday 15 November at Spark Arena and will be broadcast live on The Edge TV from 7pm and continue on Three from 8.30pm.

The entire broadcast will be streamed on ThreeNow, and public tickets are also available from Ticketmaster for only $25.  

Thanks to the official Aotearoa Music Awards audio streaming partner Spotify please check out all the finalists via these links: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4lHXsFEotTOtAntq8bdY2O?si=NH8XfF8lRMyU2cP65NWbjA

2020 Artisan Award Winners

Te Kaiwhakaputa Toa | Massey University Best Producer

-        WINNER: Josh Fountain

-        Brad Kora – L.A.B III (L.A.B)

-        CHAII & Frank Keys – Lightswitch (CHAII)

Te Kaipukaha Toa | Best Engineer

-        WINNER: Simon Gooding – Reb Fountain (Reb Fountain)

-        Lee Prebble – Manawa Wera (Ria Hall)

-        Lee Prebble & Ara Adams-Tamatea – L.A.B III (L.A.B)

Te Puoro Ataata Toa | NZ On Air Best Music Video

-        WINNER: Anahera Parata – ‘Bunga’ (SWIDT)

-        Callum Devlin & Annabel Kean – ‘I'm Not Getting Excited’ (The Beths)

-        Connor Pritchard – ‘All Your Ships Have Sailed’ (Troy Kingi)

Te Toi Ataata Pukaemi Toa | Best Album Artwork

-        WINNER: Lily Paris West – Look Me In The Eye (Mermaidens)

-        Karin Canzek - Reb Fountain (Reb Fountain)

-        Mike Braid - The Brightest Flame (Jeremy Redmore)

Kaiwhakahaere Puoro o te Tau | Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year

-        WINNER: Paul McKessar (CRS Management)

o   BENEE

-        Dan Woolston (Richmond Music)

o   Montell2099, MELODOWNZ, SACHI, SmokeyGotBeatz, Trey Bond

-        Nicole Thomas & Paula Yeoman (NicNak Media Ltd)

o   Theia, Chores, Paige, Abby Wolfe, & Neko

JEREMY REDMORE 'ONE AMONGST 1000'

Jeremy Redmore opens the door for young producers with his new collection of remixes out today.

Today Jeremy Redmore releases a remix bundle of one of the standout tracks from his sophomore album, The Brightest Flame - and it sees his voice taken to places it's never been before.

One Amongst 1000 lends itself perfectly to reinterpretation, its chorus hook screams for a throbbing kick drum underneath, and Redmore has chosen to highlight the talents of four young producers with this latest release.

The bundle is highlighted by up-and-coming New Zealand group Coldroom who have produced an electro anthem certain to bring a fresh sound to dancefloors while Joseph Snook (Toronto), Vanguard One (NZ) and Hahko (NZ) have shown immense creativity in creating moody new soundscapes for Redmore's vocals.

"There’s a big energy lift vocally that felt like it would be a great transition to build into an intense hard-hitting drop." - Coldroom (NZ)

"I wanted to musically reinterpret the raw emotion in his voice and run with it down the rabbit hole into a bass heavy gospel church." - Joseph Snook (Toronto)

"I tried to make it sound like a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk landscape-painting made by a schizophrenic on LSD, but also listenable." - Vanguard One (NZ)

This remix bundle continues a busy year of creative collaboration and releases for Redmore, this will be the seventh as part of his 'The Brightest Flame' project. 'One Amongst 1000 - Remixes' is available on all platforms today.

FESTIVAL BOOKERS AND PROMOTERS ONLINE HUI

The NZ Music Agencies are hosting a special online hui with some of NZ’s top Festival Bookers and Promoters, to be live-streamed on the NZ Music Managers Forum Facebook page and You Tube channel on Wednesday 24th June, starting at 6.30pm.

With New Zealand at Level 1, but the borders still closed for the immediate future, what does this loss of international performers mean for the local live industry, particularly in the lead up to what is traditionally a busy summer season?  Bookers from a range of New Zealand festivals and agencies will share their thoughts around what the live landscape might look like over the next year, and the opportunities this could present for NZ bands in the wake of Covid-19.

Joining us on the panel will be:

Bay Dreams/Audiology - Mitch Lowe

Eccles Touring/Frontier - Dave Munro   

Joes Farm NYE, Electric Avenue, Music For The People - Clayton Spence

Laneway - Mark Kneebone

Live Nation - Renee Hermsen

Music in Parks - Gavin Downie

Rhythm and Alps - Alex Turnbull

Rhythm and Vines - Hamish Pinkham/Dylan Cherry

Soundsplash - Brian and Naomi Ruawai

The online panel discussion will be live-streamed on the NZ MMF Facebook page and NZ MMF You Tube channel on Wednesday 24th June at 6.30pm. There will be the opportunity to ask questions during the hui via live chat and have them answered during the hour-long session.

For further information contact lorraine.owen@mmf.co.nz