Aotearoa is blessed with a creative and inspiring music community. In 2020, there was a $732 million dollar industry behind it that had enjoyed multiple years of growth, before the covid pandemic shut it down. But now, music’s back, baby!
With lockdowns a thing of the past the music biz
Be it on stage or behind the scenes, these are the people whose influence is felt far beyond our music scene.
Zane Lowe, producer
With more spark than a flaming flint, Zane Lowe has become arguably the most powerful tastemaker in the world.
The former rapper turned DJ turned broadcaster made his mark at the BBC before being headhunted by Apple to be the face of Apple Music 1, their online radio station, on their streaming service Apple Music.
Not only is he Apple Music’s global creative director and co-head of artist relations, but he also hosts their two flagship shows, The Zane Lowe Show and New Music Daily, where his insightful interviews and genuine enthusiasm have made them must-listens.
A true music lover, he thinks nothing of playing the same song on repeat during his show if a new tune blows him away; an endorsement every artist should wish for.
Highly respected, Zane is now the go-to guy for the world’s biggest musicians who even if they aren’t talking to anyone, will still find time to talk to him.
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Harriet Ellis (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga), label manager, Flying Nun
Iconic New Zealand label Flying Nun Records came to define the sound of 80s New Zealand. Home to acts like Straightjacket Fits, Look Blue Go Purple, The Clean, The Chills and, of course, good old Chris Knox, among so many other classic bands, the label proved massively influential both here and overseas. The Nun has been just as essential in the decades following, with acclaimed indie bands like Garageland, The Phoenix Foundation and The Mint Chicks all enjoying success at the label.
Today, the Flying Nun seal of approval still carries considerable weight, with artists like Aldous Harding, Mermaidens and Vera Ellen flying the flag. As A&R and label manager, Harriet is charged with keeping Flying Nun on the cutting edge of indie music and ensuring its legacy continues. She’s also a successful musician herself, playing with local faves Na Noise and party-punks Dick Move.
Joel Little, producer
First coming to fame in Aotearoa with pop-punk rockers Goodnight Nurse, frontman Joel Little dropped the punk, embraced pop and never looked back. Responsible for producing and co-writing Lorde’s debut album Pure Heroine, and in particular its mega-hit single Royals — for which he won a Grammy — Joel has been in demand by pop music’s A-listers ever since.
He’s worked with some of the biggest names on the planet, including Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, and Ellie Goulding among many, many others.
A vocal supporter of up-and-coming local talent, Joel has recently put his money where his mouth is by opening Big Fan, a state-of-the-art, multi-room recording studio and live venue in Newmarket with an emphasis on nurturing the next wave of talent and beyond.
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When an artist thanks NZ On Air, a lot of this thanks can be directed towards Teresa Patterson, the organisation’s head of music. Teresa is the first Polynesian woman in the role and leads its music initiatives and funding which has the worthy goal of getting Aoteroa’s music into the ears of as many New Zealanders as possible. NZ On Air funds singles, albums, music videos, live streams as well as sponsoring events and special media features.
Teresa was also closely involved with the establishment of SoundCheck Aotearoa, is a board member of charity MusicHelps, is a past member of the NZ Music Commission Board and, alongside Lani Purkis and Julia Deans, founded the annual Milk and Honey Festival, which celebrates female-identifying and gender-neutral/non-binary folks onstage and off.
Mark Kneebone, New Zealand managing director, Live Nation
Behind the scenes of the New Zealand music industry, you don’t get much bigger than Mark Kneebone. Back in 2003, he formed the visionary Isaac Promotions, New Zealand’s first full-service music and festival management company, which became one of the South Pacific’s most successful indie music companies.
He’s responsible for bringing the hugely popular Laneway Festival to New Zealand, a gig that saw him catching the eye of the mega-behemoth touring company Live Nation.
Having worked his way up the chain of command for the last six years, Mark is now Live Nation’s New Zealand managing director, bringing some of the biggest international acts to Aotearoa like Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish and Harry Styles as well as handling tours for local heroes like Aldous Harding and The Beths.
Lorde, pop superstar
Our local pop heroine is one of a select few musicians whose release of new music becomes a global event. Exploding on to the world stage at just 16 with her instant classic Royals, Lorde was heralded as a true phenomenon. Her music inspired her peers, the wider general public and the entire sound of the pop charts.
Since then, she’s won two Grammys, two Brit awards, appeared in Time’s list of the most influential teenagers two years running, featured on the 2014 edition of Forbes 30 Under 30 list, had two extensive New York Times features on her, won just about every New Zealand music award there is and graced the cover of influential magazines like NME, Rolling Stone, Vogue and, of course, Viva.
Jenny Morris, chair of APRA
Money, as the Beatles classic goes, can’t buy you love, but it can buy you food and a roof over your head. Which is where Jenny Morris comes in.
As the long-serving (and first female) chair of APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association Limited), the former hit-maker, award-winning pop star and inductee into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame ensures all music royalties are collected and distributed to musicians by organisations and corporations that use their music. There’d be a lot more hungry musos, composers and lyricists out there if it wasn’t for the copyright collective. APRA also presents the prestigious Silver Scroll Award each year, which celebrates the craft of songwriting regardless of commercial success.
Six60, the people’s favourite
From humble beginnings in a student flat in Dunedin, to securing two entries in Aotearoa’s history books, Six60 have come a long way. That doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten their roots. In fact, just last year they bought their old flat, located at 660 Castle St, and created four performing arts scholarships worth a cool $10k each at the University of Otago.
They’ve topped the charts and won awards, but the band has made our list for the way they’re using their popularity to bring invaluable exposure to fellow acts.
Each year Six60 undertakes a national tour headlining stadiums around the country. They’ve turned these gigs into mini-festivals and now take a bunch of other musicians and bands along with them, giving many of them their first taste of performing on a stadium stage.
And if you’re planning on going to any of the shows at the now music-friendly Eden Park, well, you’ve got Six60 to thank. The band played a pivotal part by throwing their considerable weight and profile behind the court battle to open the iconic venue up to gigs.
Caitlin McIlhagga, general manager, bFM
The dream of many bands and musicians toiling away in their bedrooms or garages is to one day hear their songs played on the radio. Student stations are usually the first to make those dreams a reality.
And none more so than Auckland’s legendary student station bFM. With a healthy disrespect for genre pressures and an enthusiastic embrace of local musicians, bFM has proven its unshakeable commitment to discovering and championing new local acts and has been an invaluable training ground for broadcasters for over 50 years.
Having worked her way up from station volunteer to general manager, Caitlin McIlhagga is the woman who steers the good ship b through the choppy waters of today’s media ocean.
Local acts who wouldn’t get a look in at most commercial stations now regularly fill up most slots on bFM’s weekly top 10, helping them find an audience and providing an outlet for some of our most thrilling, quirky or just plain loud acts.
Beneath the Glass Ceiling, Instagram whistleblower
While there are many insiders fighting for change, the music industry can still be an extremely shady place. The Instagram account Beneath the Glass Ceiling offers an anonymous and safe space for people to speak out about their negative experiences while on the job.
Its anonymity gives a voice to those who otherwise may be too afraid to speak out for fear of retaliatory repercussions to their careers or reputation or have a desire not to put themselves out there.
Beneath the Glass Ceiling’s feed is filled with stories of sexual assault and harassment, bullying, abuse of power and systematic inequality. It makes for harrowing reading but is essential in helping the industry improve.
Simon Grigg, archivist
Simon Grigg’s impact on New Zealand music can’t be overstated. He helped popularise punk in the 70s, and formed the influential labels Propeller Records and Huh!, which had a worldwide hit with OMC’s How Bizarre in the 90s. He also brought house music to New Zealand when he opened Mt Eden nightclub The Asylum in the 80s.
But it’s his recent incarnation as an archivist of our music history and culture that sees him appearing on Viva’s list.
Grigg is the brains behind the excellent Audio Culture website, which has steadily built up an archive of exhaustive features about Aotearoa’s musicians, bands, artists and music cultures.
He was also instrumental in making hi-res scans of the first eight years of our iconic music magazine Rip It Up available online on the Papers Past site of the National Library of New Zealand, providing an invaluable history of our then-emerging music scene. Most recently he’s powered the popular, nostalgic The Lost Nightlife of Inner-City Auckland social media account and has just crowdfunded a feature-length documentary, We Used to Dance, which will celebrate the inner-city nightlife of the 90s when it releases next year.
Cath Andersen, chief executive, New Zealand Music Commission
As chief executive of the New Zealand Music Commission, Cath Andersen is tasked with a hugely important, thankfully not impossible, mission. The government-funded arts agency is responsible for growing Aotearoa’s contemporary popular music industry — both financially and culturally.
Some of their bigger initiatives include running the month-long celebration that is New Zealand Music Month, a vital part of the calendar year for fans and industry alike. She also runs the Outward Sound programme which provides funding for acts and projects to get in front of international audiences and also brings music to schools through work with the Ministry of Education.
Brent Eccles, promoter
Formerly a drummer in Aussie pub rockers The Angels, Brent moved offstage when the band split up in 2000 and formed Eccles Entertainment. Twenty-two years later Eccles Entertainment is one of New Zealand’s biggest tour promoters.
It’s brought over the world’s biggest artists like Adele and Paul McCartney for stadium sell-out shows and taken artists like Marlon Williams, Lorde and Fat Freddy’s Drop around New Zealand. Eccles is also behind Six60s gargantuan Six60 Saturdays stadium tour that travels across Aotearoa each summer.
It also looks after a stable of artists including Harper Finn, Swidt and Drax Project.
Nadia Marsh, music co-ordinator, Te Māngai Pāho
A long history in radio, both behind the mic and behind the scenes, led Nadia Marsh to her current gig as music co-ordinator for the Māori language agency Te Māngai Pāho.
Established in 1993, Te Māngai Pāho funds the creation of te reo Māori media and content for broadcast on radio, television and online. Funding includes everything from news and current affairs shows, children’s te reo shows and sports coverage.
Funding music production also plays a big part in Te Māngai Pāho’s remit, which is where Nadia comes in. Her role is to envision strategies that increase both the production of te reo Māori music and the audiences who consume it, and bring waiata te reo Māori into the lives of everyday New Zealanders.
Richard Thorne, publisher, New Zealand Musician
As publisher and editor of the long-running local institution New Zealand Musician Magazine, Richard has been laying foundations for generations of local acts and offering a receptive arena for both newcomers and established legends.
The magazine’s pages have often given new musicians their first taste of press attention, be it via a review, profile or feature, as well as giving new music writers a professional outlet to hone their craft.
While there’s plenty for punters to enjoy, the publication is primarily aimed at musos, with articles and columnists that focus on the craft of songwriting, musical instruments and gear, and navigating the pitfalls of the music industry.
Pippa Ryan-Kidd, chairperson, Independent Music New Zealand
From stacking shelves at music retailer HMV on her OE in London, to working behind the scenes with artists like Tami Neilson and Troy Kingi to recently becoming the first woman chairperson of Independent Music NZ (IMNZ), Pippa Ryan-Kidd has seemingly done it all in her 30+ years in the music industry.
But it’s her achievement helming IMNZ that we’re celebrating today. As its name suggests, IMNZ is all about advocating for our indies, whether that’s homegrown record labels or artists who self-release. For 20 years the association has been supporting our thriving NZ independent music culture and industry.
As well as running training courses and seminars for musos and managers throughout the year, IMNZ also puts on three major annual events: the industry-focused educational Going Global and Going Local summits and the public-facing Taite Music Prize. This celebrates outstanding creativity in an album and the ceremony also hands out awards for Classic NZ album and the Independent Spirit award, as well as highlighting exciting fresh talent with its Best Independent Debut award.
Neill Finn, music icon and studio head
Let’s not split enz here, no matter how crowded any list of Aotearoa’s music folk gets, you’ve simply got to make room for Neil Finn. No local artist has penned as many worldwide hits as Neil, first with Split Enz, then with Crowded House and as a solo artist.
That’s more than worthy enough for inclusion. But had he never picked up a guitar, his role as the owner of prestige recording studio Roundhead in Auckland’s Newton would still place him on our list here. As well as international artists like The Who, Jeff Buckley and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, local artists like the Phoenix Foundation, Liam Finn, Neil himself and, er, Kim Dotcom have all recorded albums in the stunning Studio A.
