2020 APRA Silver Scroll Awards - Top 20 Songs

• Best Thing In The Room, written by Lisa Crawley and Robert Kleiner, performed by Lisa Crawley (Published by St Music ANZ Pty / Songtrust Blvd) 

• Bone Dat Needs Pickin’, written and performed by Steve Tofa (Published by Songbroker) 

• Don’t You Know Who I Am, written and performed by Reb Fountain (Published by Mushroom Music) 

• Get The Devil Out, written and performed by Nadia Reid (Published by Blue Raincoat Songs / Kobalt Music Publishing) 

• Glitter written by Stella Bennett, Joshua Fountain and Djesian Suskov, performed by Benee (Published by Universal Music Publishing / Sony/ATV Publishing) 

• Guilty Talk, written by Stephanie Brown and Fen Ikner performed by Lips  

• Hands, written by Bella Cook and Shannon Fowler, performed by Belladonna (Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) 

• I Might Disappear, written by Gussie Larkin, Lily West and Abraham Hollingsworth, performed by Mermaidens  

• In The Air, written by Arapekanga Hayden Adams-Tamatea, Brad Donald Kora, Hiriini Stuart Kora, Joel Charles Shadbolt, and Miharo Boaz Gregory, performed by L.A.B (Published by Loop Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing)

• Let’s Just Stay In Bed, written by Cass Mitchell and Bic Runga, performed by King Sweeties (Published by Mushroom Music) 

• Mighty Invader, written and performed by Troy Kingi (Published by Loop Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing) 

• Remote, written by Annabel Alpers and performed by Hamerkop (Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) 

• Ruffle, written by Matthew Barus and Lauren Barus, performed by Terrible Sons (Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) 

• Superfan, written by Chelsea Jade Metcalf and Leroy Clampitt, performed by Chelsea Jade (Published by EMI Music Publishing Australia/ Stellar Songs) 

• Take, written by Finn Scholes, Tam Scholes, Siobhanne Thompson, Cass Mitchell and Alistair Deverick, performed by Carnivorous Plant Society 

• Trouble, written by Mona Sanei and Frank Eliesa, performed by CHAII (Published by Big Pop Music Publishing / BMG Rights Management) 

• Walk, written and performed by Ria Hall (Published by Loop Publishing / Kobalt Music Publishing)

• War Outside, written by Elijah Manu, Albert Purcell and Rory Noble, performed by Church & AP  

• Who?, written by Lance Fepuleai, Tony Tz, Harry Huavi and Stephen Atutolu, performed by Team Dynamite feat. Diggy Dupe

• You Were Mine, written by Tamara Neilson and Joshua Neilson, performed by Tami Neilson (Published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) 

This Top 20 list was chosen from over 200 entries by a judging panel of 10 fellow songwriters, who have each made wonderful contributions to the NZ music community.  

The judging panel were (in alphabetical order):

Amanda Cheng (Wax Chattels), Abigail Knudson (Missy), Cherie Mathieson, Delaney Davidson, Estere Dalton, Mark Williams (Slave, Fat Freddy’s Drop), Marlon Williams, Mel Parsons, Ned Ngatae (The Black Seeds, Fat Freddy’s Drop), and Shayne Carter.

All APRA members are now invited to vote for their top five songs from this list of 20. 

These votes from the APRA membership will determine the five finalists and winner of the 2020 APRA Silver Scroll Award. 

You can listen to a Spotify playlist of all 20 songs HERE.

You can read more details on judging and voting processes for the Silver Scroll Awards HERE.

“We’re thrilled to find that there are plenty of established songwriters who are still surprising and delighting with their work, finding new stories to tell, and new ways to tell them. We’re also very excited to see so many new songwriters bringing fresh ideas and sounds to the landscape of music in Aotearoa” says APRA Head of NZ Operations Anthony Healey.  

“Of course it was a tough job for our judging panel to select these 20 songs from all the entries, and there are plenty of songwriters who missed out, who continue to create great and valuable work. The standard of songwriting we’re seeing in New Zealand is incredibly high, and we applaud everyone for their craft.”    

Past recipients of the esteemed award include a long list of iconic Kiwi music stalwarts - from Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan and Shona Laing to Neil Finn, Bic Runga, and Ray Columbus. They’re joined by a younger generation of music makers that include James Milne & Luke Buda, Ella Yelich-O’Connor (Lorde) & Joel Little, Tami Neilson, Ruban & Kody Nielson, Marlon Williams, and Aldous Harding.  

The APRA Silver Scroll Award will be presented at the Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday October 14. The other awards presented on the night are: 

• APRA Maioha Award, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo  

• SOUNZ Contemporary Award, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition 

• APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award 

• APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award  

NZ Music Recovery Package: COVID-19 NZ Music Month & Outward Sound Make Good Funds

The NZ Music Month and Outward Sound Make Good Funds are to provide support for NZ artists and music businesses who had outlaid funds for planned activity in NZ Music Month 2020 or for Outward Sound projects that were unable to proceed as a result of COVID-19.

The NZ Music Month Make Good Fund is available to NZ artists, sole traders and music businesses who had confirmed original NZ music activity to occur in May 2020, that was cancelled due to COVID-19.  Over 1,000 original NZ music events are usually held during NZ Music Month each year. The Fund is available for recoupment of confirmed outlaid costs and to compensate fees for contracted work that was unable to proceed due to COVID-19.  The Fund will also provide a contribution towards confirmed lost income for NZ artists for performances in NZ Music Month as a result of COVID-19.

The Fund will not cover wages or other general business costs that can be addressed through alternative initiatives in the Government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Package.

Applicants must provide evidence of expenditure or loss of income (i.e. invoices for expenditure, contracts for services and confirmation of cancellation or similar), and demonstrate the expenditure or loss incurred is due to COVID-19. Applicants must agree to be subject to audit if required.

Application does not guarantee payment or a full reimbursement of costs.

The NZ Music Month Make Good Fund is open until 5:00pm on Monday 20 July 2020 and the application form is available here. This Fund is for one round only and all applications will be assessed after the closing date.  All applications will be processed within 28 days of the Fund closing.

The total investment for the NZ Music Month Make Good Fund is $1million and the full list of successful applicants will be published on the Music Commission website on Monday 17 August.

There are three parts to the NZ Music Month Make Good Fund:

1. Reimbursement of Eligible Costs (with evidence)

2. Contribution Of Contracted Fees (with evidence)

3. Contribution Towards Lost Income Relating To Cancelled Performances (with evidence)

These all related only to original NZ music performances that were confirmed for May 2020 and cancelled because of COVID-19

1. Reimbursement of Eligible Costs (with evidence)

NZ artists and music businesses can apply for reimbursement of eligible costs for activity scheduled occur during NZ Music Month that could not be undertaken due to COVID-19 related cancellations.

These eligible costs are:

·      Accommodation (where the costs are not held in credit)

·      Air travel (where the costs are not held in credit)

·      Ground transportation

·      Ticketing fees and inside charges

·      Promotion including paid publicist fees

·      Advertising and marketing costs

·      Artwork

·      Insurance

·      Venue deposits

·      Expenditure on non-CAPEX equipment for events in May 2020. 

The Fund will not reimburse per diem costs anticipated to be paid in May 2020.

2. Contribution Of Contracted Fees (with evidence)

NZ artists and music businesses can apply for a contribution towards compensation of contracted work fees for original NZ music activity scheduled to occur during NZ Music Month that could not be undertaken due to COVID-19 related cancellations. This includes:

·      Sound engineer fees for confirmed dates

·      Tour manager and crew fees for confirmed dates

·      Booking agent fees

·      Publicist fees for confirmed campaigns

·      Advertising fees for confirmed campaigns

·      Session musician fees for original NZ music performances (i.e. a drummer who performs with a musician performing original NZ music can apply for lost income due to the cancellation of confirmed shows).

3. Contribution Towards Lost Income Relating To Cancelled Performances (with evidence)

NZ artists can also apply for a contribution towards lost guaranteed performance fees, or lost ticketing income that has been refunded to audiences for shows scheduled occur during NZ Music Month that could not be undertaken due to COVID-19 related cancellations. (NB. The Fund will not contribute to events where the sold tickets have been transferred to a performance at a later date.) Evidence of income and subsequent cancellation will be required.

One application per band or activity will be accepted. If an application relates to a multi-band or multi-artist line up event, only one application will be accepted for the event.

If you are submitting an application for the NZ Music Month Make Good Fund, please ensure you read the Acknowledgement and Confirmation section at the end of the form, which outlines the release of information pertaining to grants and legal confirmation.

The NZ Music Month Make Good Fund application form is here.

The NZ Music Month Make Good Fund closes at 5:00pm on Monday 20 July 2020.

The Outward Sound Make Good Fund is for for artists who had active Outward Sound grants where the artist had incurred costs, and the international activity was cancelled or disrupted due to circumstances related to COVID-19.  All eligible artists have been contacted directly by the Outward Sound team. The total investment for the Outward Sound Make Good Fund is $400,000 and the list of supported artists will be published on the Music Commission website on Monday 17 August.

'LIVE VIBES'

‘Live Vibes’ is a Creative New Zealand funded initiative which aims to stimulate the NZ music scene during the time of COVID-19 bringing you some of New Zealand's most talented up and coming artists, recorded in the highest definition audio and video quality, and streamed right to the comfort of your own couch.

Broadcasting on Saturday the 25th of July from 7pm - 10pm on Freeview Channel 200 and streamed across a range of social media channels, Live Vibes seeks to empower all artists involved and deliver a polished live set for their fans.

Unique lighting design by Angus Muir Design (Splore, Illuminate), footage by JR Imaging and audio mixed and mastered by Scott Seabright Productions (Alien Weaponry, Mumford and Sons). Live Vibes is brought to you by a dream team of New Zealand creatives at the top of their game.

Footage includes the combined work of 3 moving camera-men, 3 stationary shots and a  360* angle to capture every part of each artist's masterclass live showcase.

We are currently looking for any additional Brands & Social Presences who would like to restream this event live in tandem with us during the premiere date and utilize the content to promote themselves.

THE BANDS

Strangely Arousing are a 5-piece progressive reggae/ska band, effortlessly blending other genres and styles of music to create their unique sound, laced with brass, synth, dub, and guitar. Strangely straddles the line between the bizarre you know you love and the weird you don’t know you love yet, like old pros. 

Whether you come to marinate in dubs and bass, or simply to melt into a puddle on the floor, Strangely Arousing offers a new wave of music inspired by New Zealand’s legendary hip-hop and reggae dub forefathers.

Strangely are currently working on their much-anticipated EP set for release September 2020, and bring their eclectic, electric live set to Live Vibes filled with a range of instrument wizardry and lyricism.

Otium are a 5 piece with a diverse spectrum of influences ranging from Aotearoa’s own Fat Freddy’s Drop and Sons of Zion, to soul collectives Vulfpeck and Snarky Puppy. 

In 2018 Otium released ‘You’, a two-track project comprising the thematically similar but vastly different tracks, With You and For You.

The band enjoyed a busy and successful 2019. They shook up Raglan with their Soundsplash set, celebrated the release of new single ‘Dollar For The Man’ and revived their Late Night Hype local talent showcase. Currently they are working on a new EP set for release early 2021. Otium bring their signature tight, polished and punchy live vibes to this showcase.

Hailing from Auckland’s North Shore, The Vibes gained national attention on ‘X-Factor New Zealand’ in late 2015. Electric summer festival performances were followed by an EP release which culminated in their seminal album from 2017, ‘Wrap You in the Sun’ produced by Eddie Rayner. 

With 2 new singles released in late 2019 which have accumulated nearly 40,000 streams across platforms & a new album in the works for September 2020 The Vibes bring you their signature live energy and Zeppelin like prowess in a cultivated live set.

Premiere Date:

Saturday 25th July | Freeview Channel 200 | Instagram, Facebook, Twitch & Youtube, with The Vibes, Otium, Strangely Arousing

Tui time: Nominations open for the 55th New Zealand Music Awards

Recorded Music New Zealand announce nominations are now open for the 55th annual New Zealand Music Awards | Ngā Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa.

Damian Vaughan, Recorded Music New Zealand CEO, says it’s more important than ever to celebrate the incredible music coming out of Aotearoa.

“COVID-19 has devastated our local music scene and it’s no secret that many of our musicians, our artists and songwriters and the many workers and organisations who support them are all struggling.

“In November we intend to not only honour and celebrate the spectacular music released over the past year but also shine a light on the vital work of MusicHelps and the many initiatives throughout Aotearoa that use the power of music to unite and heal communities”.

Nomination details can be found at www.nzmusicawards.co.nz. Unless otherwise specified, awards are open to New Zealand artists who have had recordings commercially released between 1 August 2019 and 31 July 2020. Nominations stay open until 5pm on 7 August 2020.

Mana Reo Award

The NZ Music Awards continues its dedication to the promotion of Te Reo Māori as an ordinary means of communication and a living language, and we are pleased to announce the reintroduction of the Mana Reo award in 2020.

Supported by our artists, our music community and Te Mangai Paho, the Mana Reo award recognises albums, singles or live performances with at least 50% Te Reo content.

Sarah Owen, Kaiwhakahaere o Ngā Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa says Te Reo Māori should be viewed as a cornerstone of our culture, giving all NZ’ers access to Te Ao Māori, and to Māori world views.

“Te Reo’s presence in the daily life of Aotearoa should no longer be limited to place names and key phrases, and the situation today indicates that the future is positive. 

“We only have to look at the success of 2019’s Waiata Anthems and Six60’s arena wide sing alongs to ‘Kia Mau Ki Tō Ūkaipō’ to see Te Reo’s impact on our music industry.  It is time we celebrated this.”

Alongside the Mana Reo award, the New Zealand Music Awards | Ngā Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa will continue to present the Best Māori Artist | Te Kaipuoro Māori Toa.

2020 categories

The Tui presented at the 2020 New Zealand Music Awards | Ngā Tohu Puoro o Aotearoa will be:

·         Te Pukaemi o te Tau | Album of The Year

·         Te Waiata Tōtahi o te Tau | Single of the Year

·         Te Roopu Toa | Best Group

·         Te Kaipuoro Takitahi Toa | Best Solo Artist

·         Te Kaituhura Puoro Toa o te Tau | Breakthrough Artist of the Year

·         Te Kaipuoro Rakapioi Toa | Best Rock Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Arotini Toa | Best Pop Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Manohi Toa | Best Alternative Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Awe Toa | Best Soul/RnB Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Hipihope Toa | Best Hip Hop Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Roots Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Tāhiko Toa | Best Electronic Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Māori Toa | Best Māori Artist

·         Mana Reo Award

·         Te Kaipuoro Kairangi Toa | Best Worship Artist

·         Te Kaipuoro Inamata Toa | Best Classical Artist

·         Te Pukaemi Hoko Teitei | Highest Selling Album

·         Te Toa Hoko Teitei | Highest Selling Artist

·         Te Rikoata Marakerake o te Tau | Radio Airplay Record of the Year |

·         Tohu Tutuki o te Ao | International Achievement

·         Tohu Whakareretanga | Legacy Award

·         Te Kōwhiri o te Nuinga  People’s Choice

The Artisan Awards will also return in 2020, presented by Massey University. They will feature awards for Te Kaiwhakaputa Toa | Best Producer, Te Kaipukaha Toa | Best Engineer, Te Toi Ataata Pukaemi | Best Album Artwork, Te Puoro Ataata Toa | Best Music Video and the Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year | Kaiwhakahaere Puoro o te Tau award (presented by the Music Managers Forum). The Music Teacher of the Year | Kaiārahi Puoro o te Tau award is presented biennially with the next winner being selected in 2021.

Other ngā Tui presented during the year include those for best artists in Te Kaipuoro Tuawhenua Toa | Best Country Music Artist, Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa | Best Folk Artist, Te Kaipuoro Tautito Toa | Best Jazz Artist, Te Pukaemi Toa o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa | Best Pacific Music Album and Te Kaipuoro Waiata Tamariki Toa | Best Children’s Music Artist. These winners will also be acknowledged at the 2020 New Zealand Music Awards ceremony.

New direction

Recorded Music NZ also confirms the New Zealand Music Awards and Vodafone have agreed to part ways, ending a 15-year partnership celebrating the New Zealand music industry’s most outstanding achievements.

“We’d like to thank Vodafone for all its support over the past 15 years, it’s been a pleasure working alongside their team as we honoured the very best of New Zealand music,” says Vaughan.

Full Terms and Conditions for the 2020 NZ Music Awards can be found HERE

To enter your nomination/s for the NZ Music Awards please click here

For any questions regarding the nominations process please contact Sarah Owen at sarah@recordedmusic.co.nz.

To be eligible for judging, all nominations including any accompanying material must be received and confirmed as correct by 5pm, Friday 7 August 2019.

NZ ON AIR NEW MUSIC FUNDING CHANGES

On 29 May the Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern announced details of a Cultural Recovery Package which included $7.1million to NZ On Air over the next two years to ‘boost NZ On Air’s New Music programmes’.  
 
They can now announce some of the detail of how that additional funding is being allocated, with changes to their two main New Music funding schemes – New Music Single and New Music Project. These changes will come into play in time for the next funding rounds – New Music Single closing on 25 June, and New Music Project closing on 6 August. 
 
NZ On Air designed these changes with the impact of the Covid-19-related restrictions in mind, and also as a response to the findings in their 2019 research with Creative NZ – Profile of a Creative Professional – which revealed that musicians are amongst the worst remunerated practitioners in the arts.  They note that the funding boost over the next two years and the enhancements to our funding schemes are for a finite two year period – they are not permanent.
 
In 2020/21 they are doubling their investment in these two schemes, meaning they will be committing $2 million to New Music Single funding and $2 million to New Music Project funding. This gives them the ability to increase the number of grants and therefore the number of artists they can support with funding for music creation and promotion. They will also increase the amount of funding per grant, and introduce a new ‘Artist Creation Fee’ designed to remunerate the artist for some of the time and creative inspiration they have put into writing and recording their music. 

New Music Single

-Single grants increase from $8,000 to $10,000 - which includes a $1,000 (10%) Artist Creation Fee. 
-Co-investment from the rights holder is not required.
-New Music Single grants cover the eligible costs of recording, video content creation and promotion for an individual song release.
-Applicants for New Music Single grants must be able to meet a minimum of 10 specified criteria from a list of 30 options to make an application, details can be found here.
-The next New Music Single funding deadline is Thursday 25 June at 4pm. The online application site for Single funding is newmusicsingles.nzonair.govt.nz
 

New Music Project

-Project grants increase from $30,000 to up to $40,000 - which includes an up to $4,000 (10%) Artist Creation Fee. 
-The co-investment requirement from the rights holder is reduced from a minimum of 40% to a minimum 20%.
-New Music Project grants cover the eligible costs of recording, video content creation and promotion for an multi-song release campaign (eg. album, EP or similar).
-Applicants for New Music Project grants must have the support of a New Zealand-based third-party music company to oversee the project through to release and promotional campaign.
-Prospective Project applicants must have a strong track record of significant audience and online/broadcast outcomes before an application will be considered. More details on pre-application criteria for Project applicants can be found here.
-The next New Music Project funding deadline is Thursday 6 August at 4pm but expressions of interest must be received 2 weeks prior to that deadline. More details here.
 

Please note for both funding schemes the Artist Creation Fee is optional. The artist or rights holder can decide to invest that fee into the overall single or project campaign if they wish.
 
Further details of how the remaining additional funds will be allocated will be announced in the coming weeks. These will include extra investment in children’s music, more focus rounds for Pasifika music and music incorporating Te Reo Māori, new music development opportunities, more professional support options for funded artists, and an extra fund for projects and features promoting New Zealand music to New Zealand audiences.

Girls Rock! Pōneke is going online, baby!

It's been a rollercoaster few months - but we're excited to announce that Girls Rock! Pōneke will be breaking new ground with our first online programme taking place in the July school holiday programme so you can rock out from your house!

Girls Rock! Pōneke have made the decision to move our July 2020 programme online. 

Due to the uncertain nature of Covid-19 we are unable to plan for a physical programme. What we can do is plan an online programme that will keep the Girls Rock! spirit alive until we can meet in person.

While we are sad we will not be able to have a physical programme this July, we are looking forward to being able to create together online. We have an exciting schedule planned that we can’t wait to share with you. This will still involve songwriting, forming bands, learning instruments, workshops – and we have a few extra special treats in store which could only be made possible through the power of the internet!

We believe that this online programme will also grow Girls Rock! Aotearoa as an organisation and help us create resources that will make aspects of our programme accessible to more people.

Part of what Girls Rock! is all about is building community and a creating sense of belonging as well as rocking out! and we want to continue to build this. The Girls Rock! team is full of people who are passionate about finding solutions and creating positive spaces in this world and we think that by forging ahead with an alternative programme we are committing to these values. We want to hold up the kaupapa of Girls Rock! no matter what the world looks like.

About Girls Rock! Pōneke

Girls Rock! Pōneke is a week-long holiday programme where young women, trans and gender-non-conforming people can build confidence and make great music. Girls Rock! Pōneke will take place from the 6 - 11th July 2020.

Over the course of one week, up to 40 participants aged 12-17 will form bands, learn an instrument of their choice and write an original song - mentored along the way by female, trans and gender-non-conforming professional musicians.  

The first Girls Rock! Camp was founded in Portland in 2001 as a summer day camp. Since then it has grown into an international community of youth-focused arts and social justice organisations. The kaupapa of Girls Rock! Aotearoa is to empower young women, transgender and gender non-conforming youth by giving them practical skills and role models in a safe, supportive space.

Girls Rock! Pōneke is run by a dedicated and enthusiastic group, who care deeply about imbuing young people with the confidence to get involved in music. Between them, the team offers a wide range of music industry experience, from being in rock bands, to teaching music and artist management.

Participant applications - Apply today! 

We're pleased to be able to present this programme at very reasonable cost to participants (some scholarships available) thanks to our amazing donors and sponsors. If you'd like to support our online programme and our mentors and tutors, you can donate via our Give A Little campaign.
____________________________________________________

6 - 11 July, 8.45am - 4pm, Online (Girls Rock! online hub)

For further information, email us: girlsrockcampwellington@gmail.com
Open to New Zealand residents.

www.girlsrockcamp.co.nz

LIVING IN A TIKTOK WORLD

The MMF UK sat down with the Paul Hourican, Head of Music Operations UK, TikTok, to ask him a few questions.

Hi Paul, How important is music to TikTok's overall business?

TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy to our users - and artists and their music have been a central part of this creative process since the app launched. Every day, people discover and create videos using millions of songs on TikTok, driving unprecedented music discovery and trends.

Moving forward we want to continue to supercharge artist engagement and music discovery, working closely with the entire industry to maximise this opportunity and bring the most exciting music related content to our creative global community.

What advice would you give to a manager or artist looking to use the platform?

Be consistent, experiment regularly and embrace the platform. 

Building an authentic connection with fans is part of an artist’s DNA, so give people a reason to follow up and watch your videos, by creating content that makes people feel something and want to share your videos with their friends. 

It’s always good to think about how you can combine creative content for your own videos with what is already happening on the platform. Think about behind the scenes situations, recording sessions, fun interactions with fellow musicians or joining in with a wider trend - the main thing is to just be yourself, authentic and share a moment of your life that you’re passionate about. Basically, just get started and have a go! And please, use our team - we’re here to help you.

How can TikTok help them grow their business and boost their campaigns? 

Music discovery is a natural result of TikTok’s short-form video format, shining a light on artists and their music that transcends the platform. Doja Cat for example has had an incredible last 12 months, in major thanks to the numerous TikTok trends that have utilised her catalogue and her inimitable style. In particular, 'Say So' has inspired a generation to perform a memorable dance routine that's now been performed by millions of TikTok users. The track has amassed hundreds of millions of streams across multiple DSPs, and subsequently charting globally. 

Our users consume content and also create their own in response to a trend/song. This means that artists can build a profile and produce content to engage with their fans in a truly creative and direct way with us. 

What music-related campaign has really stood out for you this year?

It’s so difficult to choose just one, but I’ve really loved some examples from just the past few weeks, of artists finding creative ways to engage with the TikTok community, whilst we’re all in lockdown.

Tinie has been asking fans to send him requests for a freestyle he does on Sundays, Little Mix have created their own Stay At Home Break Up Song video (and encouraging fans to do their own version), whilst Rita Ora and Ella Eyre have been giving fans insight into their cooking habits. Nina Nesbitt has been sharing hairdressing do’s and don’ts, and Robyn’s #onmyown challenge has generated nearly 1bn views already, with fans showing how they’re dancing on their own in lockdown against this classic and very of-the-moment track.  

Celebrating Aotearoa’s outstanding country musicians

Today, Recorded Music NZ and APRA are proud to recognise the outstanding contributions to New Zealand’s country music scene from the past year.

The finalists for Recorded Music NZ Te Kaipuoro Tuawhenua Toa | Best Country Music Artist are Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders, Katie Thompson and Kendall Elise, while the finalists for APRA Best Country Music Song are ‘Any Fool With A Heart’ and ‘Hey Bus Driver’, both by Tami Neilson, ‘That Summer’ by Kaylee Bell and ‘West Coast’ by Katie Thompson.

The winners will be announced live on Radio New Zealand’s Music 101 on Saturday 30 May.

For Delaney Davidson, it all started when he met Barry Saunders at church. They were sound checking for the Churches Tour with Marlon Williams and Tami Neilson - Barry playing old gospel songs and Delaney chugging out his signature blues trance thump.

Since then, the two collaborated on the album Word Gets Around, which was released in April 2019. A nationwide tour followed the release, and they now are up for the 2020 Recorded Music NZ Best Country Artist award.

For her third studio album Bittersweet, the talented Katie Thompson worked alongside award-winning producer Ben Edwards at The Sitting Room studio in Lyttelton to create an unpretentious, confidently personal release.

This winning combination resulted in the record peaking at #7 on the Top 20 NZ Albums chart with an album drawing from classic country music in the choice of instruments, the range of tempos and moods, and the lyrical honesty of life’s mixed emotions laid bare. This can be seen on the track ‘West Coast’, which is also nominated for the APRA Best Country Music Song this year.

In 2016, Kendall Elise launched her solo career with the debut single ‘Heart Full of Dirt’, which paved the way for the Kiwi singer-songwriter’s self-produced debut EP ‘I Didn’t Stand A Chance’, released in March 2017. This first release saw her selected as a finalist for the APRA Best Country Music Song in 2017.

After recording at Neil Finn’s famed Roundhead Studios, Kendall released her Kickstarter funded debut album “Red Earth” in May 2019. A deeply introspective album of intricate storytelling brought to life with evocative instrumentation; meaningful lyricism and a golden voice.

Alongside Katie Thompson, Tami Neilson and Kaylee Bell are finalists for the APRA Best Country Music Song this year.

No stranger to the Country Music Awards, Tami has been nominated for two songs – ‘Any Fool With A Heart’ and ‘Hey Bus Driver’ – both from her 2020 album CHICKABOOM!

Tami has previously won Best Country Album four times (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015) at the New Zealand Music Awards, and Best Female Artist at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in 2010, 2011 and 2014.

And Kaylee has had a whirlwind year as the first Australasian artist to play C2C (Country to Country) London in 2019 after being handpicked for Key West Songwriters USA and C2C Australia. Her song ‘That Summer’ is the fourth finalist for the APRA Best Country Song award this year. 

Recorded Music CEO Damian Vaughan says despite the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in, celebrating the achievements of our artists is essential. 

“It’s important we recognise the calibre of our talented musicians, especially with the wealth of exceptional country music which was released over the last year,” says Vaughan.

“Congratulations to this year’s finalists and while we might not be able to gather in person, you should feel proud of your achievements. I look forward to hearing the songs created after this challenging period.”

APRA Head of NZ Operations Anthony Healey adds: "Kaylee, Tami and Katie are writing great songs, playing electrifying shows and making real waves at home and around the world. Each of these amazing songwriters are absolutely at the top of their craft and it's so exciting to honour and celebrate them here in New Zealand."

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the Top Paddock Festival and the MLT Songwriting Award which usually take place in Gore, have been cancelled for 2020. However we look forward to seeing their return in 2021.

Finalists for Recorded Music NZ Te Kaipuoro Tuawhenua Toa | Best Country Music Artist

·         Delaney Davidson & Barry Saunders – Word Gets Around

·         Katie Thompson – Bittersweet

·         Kendall Elise – Red Earth

Finalists for APRA Best Country Music Song

·         Tami Neilson – ‘Any Fool With A Heart’

·         Tami Neilson – ‘Hey Bus Driver’

·         Kaylee Bell – ‘That Summer’

·         Katie Thompson – ‘West Coast’