New NZ streaming site AllTracks launched

Barnaby Weir, Charlotte Ryan and Dan Aux.

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed by the huge amount of music available to you in the online world? Wish someone else with similar tastes to yours could make you a custom playlist you don't really need to think about?

Enjoy being introduced to new artists and tracks every now and then, but don't have time to hunt them down yourself? Want to support local artists but sometimes find yourself drawing a blank on whose music video you should search out next?

Good news! NZ On Air have just the thing, launching today, nicely timed to fit with NZ Music Month and their own 25th birthday. It's called All Tracks, and it's a dream come true for those of us who grapple with the questions above.

You'll be able to head to alltracks.co.nz, and listen to a whole world of specially curated New Zealand music, on whichever platform best suits you, from the genre of your choosing.

"We have a wealth of amazing musical talent in this country and we know that people are increasingly going online to listen to music," explains Sarah Crowe, assistant music manager at NZ On Air, who set up the new website.

"We wanted to make it easy for people to enjoy the type of New Zealand music they like, on the streaming services they use. To put it simply, we want people to be able to find the great music coming from New Zealand among the overwhelming amount of content, in the easiest way possible."

And to do that, they've divided the music into seven genres, with seven different curators - people who are in the know about their particular genre, whether they be musicians, media, or tastemakers - so you can simply push play, and find yourself listening to hours of the best local music, whatever suits your tastes.

So, if you're a keen fan of alt and indie sounds, you'll be able to click on a tab, and be led to a playlist specially created by ex-bFM and Kiwi radio host Charlotte Ryan.

Or perhaps you're more a dance and electronic fan, in which case well-known DJ, producer, and George FM personality Dan Aux will have a great selection for you.

You'll be able to listen to the tracks via YouTube, Spotify, or Soundcloud (more platforms will be added as they become more popular), share with your friends, and jump between different selections with ease if you want to.

Each genre playlist will be updated weekly, and will be an ideal way to keep up-to-date with new music, as well as having specially curated selections at your fingertips - on the stereo, in the car, on your phone, on whatever platform you're most comfortable with.

To give you an idea of the curated content and playlists available, we asked the curators to give us a list of their top five tunes in their respective genre at the moment.

Barnaby Weir: Reggae and Roots
Coconut Tree by Wild Bill Rickets
Slings And Arrows by Fat Freddys Drop
Molten Lava by Lord Echo
Get Away by Katchafire
Rainbow Warrior by Dread Beat and Blood

Charlotte Ryan: Alt and Indie
God Emoji by Silicon
Catastrophe by Yumi Zouma
Carriages by Tiny Ruins
Anything Can Happen by The Clean
Neurotic World by Liam Finn

Bryce Casey: Rock and Metal
You Again by Shihad
You & Me by The Checks
MF From Hell by The Datsuns
Out Of Time by Bleeders
What I Want by The D4

RDU: Folk and Country
Dark Child by Marlon Williams
Back To Your Arms by Tami Neilson
No Peace At All by Aldous Harding
Carriages by Tiny Ruins
Little Heart by Delaney Davidson

Dan Aux: Dance and Electronic
Touch by Maala
Luvvin' by The Peacekeepers
Get It featuring Young Tapz and Epic The Future by Jupiter Project and P-Money
Let Me Know by Terace
If Only by Maya Payne

Manchoo: Hip-hop and RnB
Behold My Kool Style by Dam Native
Without A Doubt by Che Fu
Closer by Paul Fuemana
Drop That Issh by Ill Semantics
Remember by P-Money featuring Scribe

Jamie McDell: Pop
Weather With You by Crowded House
Diamonds by Ladi6
Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! by The Mint Chicks
The Wire by David Dallas
Sway by Bic Runga

- TimeOut