New Zealand Commercial Radio Agrees To Music Quotas

One in five songs broadcast on New Zealand airwaves could be home-grown by 2006, under a new agreement hammered out between the government and commercial radio operators.

Last August, Broadcasting Minister Marian Hobbs announced she was seeking more commitment to New Zealand music from the country's stations and wanted local content levels to grow to 25% within five years. The government preferred the self-regulatory route but warned it would legislate for quotas if an agreement could not be reached.

Now, after months of negotiation, the Radio Broadcasters Assn. (RBA)—which represents the majority of commercial radio stations here—has adopted the Code for Accelerated Growth of New Zealand Music, which takes immediate effect and aims to see local content grow to 20% by 2006. But like the model used in neighboring Australia, actual content levels will vary from format to format: For example, pop and rock stations will be expected to achieve levels of 24% and 25% local music, respectively, while album rock and easy-listening broadcasters will only have to achieve between 12% and 15%. The starting levels vary: 15% for pop stations, 20% for rock, and 6% for easy listening. State broadcaster Radio New Zealand's charter already commits it to providing local content.

All RBA members have agreed to abide by the new code, administered by a new, RBA-funded independent body—the New Zealand Performance Committee—which will provide quarterly reports on the performance of RBA members. The committee includes representatives from the Recording Industry Assn. of New Zealand, the New Zealand Musicians Union, and the RBA.

John McElhinney, chief executive of New Zealand's largest radio operator, the Radio Network, and chairman of the RBA, calls 20% a "very demanding target." Nonetheless, he says, "we believe it can be achieved if the whole music sector works together."

Hobbs praises the establishment of the code, though she warns that the government has reserved the right to regulate if the initiative falters. "But I am greatly encouraged by the key elements that have been agreed as part of the code."

The music industry broadly supports the initiative. Mike Chunn, director of operations for the New Zealand arm of the Australasian Performing Rights Assn., is fully committed to the concept and believes the code will ensure ongoing commercial success for New Zealand artists: "I'm sure the RBA won't look back from implementing this code."

Flying Nun Records, one of the mainstays of the New Zealand independent music scene, gave a thumbs-up to the code, though GM Andrew Meier says he hopes that broadcasters will take it as a positive initiative and not regard the 20% level as a maximum. Sean Coleman, managing director of New Zealand's largest specialist music chain, Sounds, says New Zealand content on-air has improved in recent years, but anything that provides additional exposure for local acts has to be positive.