Shihad blast off Kiwi music month

Shihad frontman Jon Toogood rocks Aotea Square yesterday. Picture / Richard Robinson

About 7000 fans packed into Aotea Square yesterday to watch Kiwi rockers Shihad launch New Zealand Music Month - just in time for Auckland's skies to open.

"They started playing at 4.02pm, and it started raining at 4.02pm," said Music Month spokeswoman Cath Andersen. "The show was free and fantastic, but the timing couldn't have been worse. The rain stopped during the heaviest song.

"We were joking that Shihad scared away the rain."

This month's music extravaganza includes stellar gigs nationwide, increased airplay on radio and several new releases.

There are high expectations for new albums from Shihad and The Phoenix Foundation, as well as from touring garage rockers The D4.

Ms Andersen said the month would showcase the talents of established artists as well as give exposure to lesser-known acts.

Now in its fifth year, the music month concept was initially a drive for more airplay on commercial radio for New Zealand artists.

Anthony Healey, director of New Zealand music for the Australasian Performing Right Association, said it had been a success.

"We now have 20 per cent of commercial radio airplay, and it has now become a wider celebration of New Zealand music - live, on TV, on radio," he said. "We are not promoting New Zealand music because it's New Zealand. We are promoting it because it's great."

He said Kiwi FM, the all-New Zealand music radio station that rated poorly in its first month, would need time to develop an audience.

Yesterday's launch coincided with the release of a list of the most successful artists in the country to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the New Zealand Music Chart. With four No 1 singles and nine No 1 albums on the top 40 list, former Split Enz and Crowded House musician Neil Finn is our most popular artist.

nzmusicmonth.co.nz