Acts Aim For Global Impact

In a land best known for rugby and sheep, New Zealand--with a few notable exceptions--has made little more than a murmur on the global music stage. But that's all changing.
The renaissance began about two years ago and, as 2002 draws to a close, New Zealand music is going from strength to strength.
The most recent figures compiled by the Recording Industry Assn. of New Zealand (RIANZ) show that local repertoire made up more than 8% of total music sales, compared with 6% in the previous year. More importantly, there has never been more international activity by New Zealand artists and record companies.

From the majors, artists as diverse as Bic Runga, Che Fu, Anika Moa, Pacifier, Salmonella Dub, D4, Zed and Hayley Westenra have all made inroads into overseas markets.
The independent scene in New Zealand is also thriving. Established indies such as Wildside and Pagan/ Antenna continue to uncover fresh talent, while a new generation of labels, including Kog Transmissions, Mai Music, Dawn Entertainment, Intergalactic and Round Trip Mars, are offering a new side of New Zealand music to fans in international territories.
The elusive breakthrough global hit has yet to materialize, but the feeling in industry circles is that this time something is going to give. That said, record executives here are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

CULTIVATING LOCAL ACTS

"Some New Zealanders think the whole world is talking about us; the reality is it's not," says Adam Holt, managing director of Universal Music New Zealand. "But, from a Universal perspective, to have two acts--Hayley Westenra and Zed--get international deals in one year is a remarkable feat. And if you add onto that Bic Runga, Anika Moa, D4, the Datsuns and all the others, you have got to say that, internationally, we're on a purple patch, possibly the best the industry has ever had."
The New Zealand music resurgence at home couldn't be more timely. As in other territories around the world, New Zealand has seen sales slip, down 8.2% in value and 8.6% in units in the first half of 2002. Piracy and a dearth of strong product are seen as contributing factors to the slide.
However, nearly every record company has reported a strong rise in the sales of New Zealand artists. Along with the phenomenal success of Nature--a Sony compilation of New Zealand's top-30 songs of all time, as voted by members of the Australasian Performing Rights Assn. (APRA)--most major labels have enjoyed success with their local rosters. Sony has achieved triple-platinum sales with Che Fu, as did Virgin Records with Salmonella Dub. Universal successfully launched a new chart-topping pop singer, K'Lee. EMI celebrated a platinum debut album and a No. 1 single with Goodshirt, while, for Warner Music, Anika Moa became the first New Zealand female artist to achieve two No. 1 airplay hits.
Sony Music managing director Michael Glading says developing a strong, diversified New Zealand roster is a key priority for the company. "Obviously, we need the rest of the business to be healthy to be able to afford to keep doing this," he says. "In the old days, you tended to think 'Maybe I can sell 5,000 copies of a debut album.' Now you have got to be thinking about platinum-plus on local acts because it is very doable."
Glading and the other label bosses are all keen to repeat that success on the international stage, although they accept that there is still a lot of work to be done. But progress is slowly being made. As well as continuing to fly the flag for local artists among their own international affiliates, some are also hooking up their acts with international managers. Warner Music, for example, has helped secure U.S. management for Anika Moa, while Festival Mushroom has done the same with two of its new Flying Nun acts.
FMR managing director Mark Ashbridge says the success of D4 in the U.K. has awakened interest in New Zealand acts from international managers. "It's a new area for us, but we think some of our acts will really benefit from international management," says Ashbridge. "Alan McGee [whose Creation Records label in the U.K. launched the likes of Oasis] has signed on as D4's manager, so we are very happy about that. And we are also lining up another major international manager for Betchadupa."
Domestically, the record industry has benefited from the support of radio, and commercial radio's commitment to local music has been instrumental in driving New Zealand music sales. That commitment was further reinforced by a voluntary quota system brokered by the government and the Radio Broadcasters Assn. earlier in the year, which sets a target of 20% of airtime for local music within the next five years.
APRA, which had lobbied hard for a quota, has been pleased with the response so far, and the radio sector is already exceeding the set target. Mike Chunn, director of operations for the New Zealand arm of APRA, says, "It is product- driven, and, at the moment, there are three female artists on high rotation. Overall, I don't hear nearly as much as I used to about record companies finding it difficult to get airplay."
James Southgate, managing director of Warner Music, agrees. "The whole industry had been pleased with the natural growth of local music on the radio, even before the quota," he says. "But, since May, we haven't dropped below 16% New Zealand music on a weekly basis, which is well above our target."
The radio and record industries have also been assisted by the work of the government-funding agency New Zealand On Air. NZOA provides several funding programs for a number of music initiatives, ranging from the production of music shows and radio pluggers for local music to financial support for the recording and marketing of albums.
"I think NZOA has done an outstanding job," says EMI managing director Chris Caddick. "I think the resurgence in New Zealand music has a large amount to do with NZOA."

PACIFIC POP

There's certainly no doubt that the current Labour Government is very committed to helping the music industry grow. This month, for example, the overseas trade department, Trade New Zealand, provided NZ$345,000 (US $167,000) to fly in leading international artists for a series of showcase concerts.
However, some in the industry caution that it would be dangerous to rely too much on government support. For example, the self-released Datsuns, licensed to Infinity/Shock at home and V2 abroad, have achieved top-20 status in the U.K. but have largely eschewed the usual government funding options. And while dance specialist Kog Transmissions welcomes the financial support, the label says there is only so much that state funding can achieve.
Kog is one of the new breed of New Zealand indies that is striking success internationally with acts such as Concord Dawn and P-Money, who last year placed third at the Technics DMC World DJ Championships.
"The big advantage for us is, if you want to send a band overseas, it's a real big expense," GM Chris Chetland says. "Whereas, we can send one DJ over there--or even just the vinyl to the right DJ."
Executives at another new independent, Mai Music, an offshoot of a media group that also owns one of the highest rated Auckland radio stations--Mai FM--believes that New Zealand can make inroads internationally with a new musical form, which they term "Pacific pop."
The best known practitioner of that has been OMC, whom Mai Music GM Victor Stent discovered back in the '90s. Stent believes the global success of OMC--the act's single "How Bizarre" went top 10 in more than 30 countries--means there is a market for a uniquely New Zealand--style of music, a Pacific-flavored sound which draws on hip-hop, R&B and reggae.
"Rather than mimicking overseas sounds, we are evolving our own sound, which will ultimately be more exportable," he says. "New Zealand has a real opportunity, like Jamaica did with reggae, to establish a new music form. It's a combination of the Maori three- chord strum and the lovely, untutored harmonies that Polynesians use. If we can harness that with an innate pop consciousness, I think it could be huge."
The independent sector remains a key source of New Zealand talent and is also making its voice heard in other areas, as well. Last year, labels and distributors formed Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ), a trade body designed to provide a voice for the interests of New Zealand independent recording labels and distributors. At present, it is looking at a number of initiatives, including the establishment of an independent music chart, which it hopes to launch in 2003.
IMNZ chairman Bernie Griffen, whose company, Global Routes, is a key distributor for a number of local labels, believes the indie sector is in excellent health. "I think it's really strong at the moment," he says. "We've seen a huge growth curve in the last three years, but I think it can get even stronger."
The idea of an independent chart has also been welcomed at retail. Sean Coleman, managing director of New Zealand's largest specialist music chain, Sounds, says, "I like the idea of an indie chart because it gives indies a lot more credence in the marketplace. And there are titles out there that sell better than chart product."
However, Sounds and other retailers are also keen to see changes in the RIANZ chart, which is heavily weighted toward radio airplay, and hope a new, more sales-oriented chart can be launched next year.
That aside, the industry is united in the belief that New Zealand music has never been stronger--and that at long last it can make an impact internationally. The final word goes to Jeremy Eade, lead singer of Flying Nun act Garageland, which has enjoyed some success in the U.S. and the U.K. Eade is a member of the New Zealand Music Industry Commission, another government-funded body formed two years ago to coordinate activities in the music sector. While he remains frustrated about some of the industry's practices, he has no doubt that the country has the talent to make an international impact.
"We have this incredible music reservoir," he says. "Everyone says we are a small country, but we're not small in a musical sense. We don't have all the building blocks yet, but we are starting to realize that we have an incredible variety and a huge amount of music talent here."