Hard News by Russell Brown

Just noticed this brilliant Martyn Pepperell interview with Jordan Arts, aka High Hoops (and also a member of Leisure), about having a hit with Kids of 88, falling in an emotional hole – and getting back out again.

It comes with a link to the New Zealand Music Foundation's Wellbeing Service, which got a big boost today out of the sale of one of Neil Finn's unique Maton guitars for $27,500.

The herald articles are lazy imo... hardly noticing the year music has had locally

(official) Music Charts are a bad hangup, best left to the past or as a curiosity... the people listening to music don't care about the official chart and haven't for a very long time (if ever) and even then they reflected sales (and more recently radio paly too) not popularity - the only charts/playlists that matter are found on spotify, apple music et al, ie where the people are. Even then local acts rarely can compete on the very level playing field of the digital domain

2017 has been a stunner of a year for local artists, as RNZ gets

https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018623939/screw-the-charts-2017-s-been-a-great-year-for-nz-music

a bunch of really talented kiwis are making great music (as ever) and a whole lot are actually carving out careers and a living... they've all got audiences, local, globally, online and off, so they're not in the charts

As they say screw the chart

Did you really think it was well researched? If I'd read that knowing nothing about the music industry I'd be lead to believe it only had two components - major record labels and NZ on Air. She spoke to three people from RMNZ, one from NZ on Air and one of the artists from the 2000s. No current artists, live music, venues, independent labels etc etc.

Also little mention of the myriad of artists excelling internationally today, which mostly started happening around 2010....this was roughly the same time that the major labels backed away and the financial incentives to make radio friendly hits were removed. Coincidence?

That said, she did get one thing right - the domestic industry is in pretty poor shape economically - though not musically.

Lorde "Down the back, but who cares? Still the Louvre" and more. h/t @ghetsuhm

cheers man, to be frank we're probably the least likely standard bearers for NZ funk etc, but we're giving it a fair lash. really looking forward to meeting to Totals' lads and ready to road test for tracks for Vol 2.

We've been spun out by the reception. we knew we were going to surprise some people, but so stoked by the uptake for the vibe we were aiming for.

feeling a lot of feels and gassed for tomorrow night.

Lorde “Down the back, but who cares? Still the Louvre” and more.

Very apt for it to return to the Louvre as the Brooklyn-based artist Sam McKinniss is a big fan of Henri Fantin-Latour, who actually has works hanging there!

Did you really think it was well researched? If I’d read that knowing nothing about the music industry I’d be lead to believe it only had two components – major record labels and NZ on Air.

Fair enough, but that's more about the focus and scope of the story than the research.

Also little mention of the myriad of artists excelling internationally today, which mostly started happening around 2010….this was roughly the same time that the major labels backed away and the financial incentives to make radio friendly hits were removed. Coincidence?

You make a very interesting point there.

Sarah Daniell at the Herald Weekend magazine got festival promoters to share their best festival stories.

Campbell Smith's are gold.

Funk Soul brothers…
Seeing as how Christmas is coming up this could be a great stocking stuffer for some kiwi funk/soul fan, or jukebox owner and many other discerning individuals…
Step Right Up Folks
own your own copy of Mark williams’ 1975 single ‘Yesterday was just the beginning of my life’ – I’m selling my copy:
https://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/vinyl/45-rpm/rb-soul/auction-1489572875.htm?rsqid=d1289daf725b47478173a50692179780
Bids start at $20…
I see it on Discogs for about $80!!

Bids start at $20…
I see it on Discogs for about $80!!

Oh, man. I probably can't justify this, but it's tempting ...

I actually looked up this song yesterday. It's a Vanda & Young composition – and 15 years after its release Mark actually signed to Alberts and wrote songs with Vanda and Young.

Alan and John's sort-of launch party for the album was nice on Saturday night. The highlight for me was having a wee dance to 'House for Sale' and really realising what a beautifully-made record it is.

Some of the industry reflections reminded me of passages from ‘How Bizarre’, in terms of the push for albums and the need for follow up singles etc – certainly a dynamic which has changed these days. The reflections on touring as the main money spinner also resonated with a book on Bob Marley I’ve just finished, where it was noted Exodus only sold 180,000 copies – most of the income came from relentless touring (as an aside, Bob’s militancy also seemed to put off some of his potential audience, and when Legend as assembled as a Bob Marley ‘lite’ collection after his death it went on to sell 20 million copies). Anyhow, long story short I think things seem healthy, and there is a stream of new artists and releases which – for me at least, noting I live in Oz – is too hard to keep up with. I have just come across this Midnight Riders release though, which is on a label from Raglan. Tasty stuff, wouldn’t mind some more.

https://redrobinrecords.bandcamp.com/track/midnight-riders-bobby-was-a-gangster