Hard News by Russell Brown

New posts aren't showing up on the home page today, so this is just to get this one showing in PA System, y'all.

Hey Russell, I just posted a bit of a rant on my facebook page about Kiwi FM closure – I have copied it below as I think it covers off something around the closure that will otherwise be overlooked….as per the bottom, figures are imprecise, though perhaps someone could ask APRA and Recorded Music NZ to confirm or correct them?

really bummed about the closing down of Kiwi FM. Quite apart from the fact that it was a great station and exposed lots of local artists, it also means many THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS LESS performance royalties to LOCAL songwriters, recording artists and labels and many THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MORE performance royalties going straight offshore to Justin Beiber, Rianna, major record labels and international publishers.

Obviously I don’t have the detailed figures in front of me, but each percentage point LESS NZ music on the radio could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars LESS going into the local music economy and the same amount MORE going offshore. That means less money being re-invested back into local music, which just further exacerbates the situation.

Frankly, I am tired of the weak (though noble) attempts to try to rectify this kind of cultural and corporate imperialism – a scenario where I would guesstimate that for every dollar spend on music within New Zealand probably more than 90c of it goes offshore. Obviously that set up benefits some, but not those of us involved in local music.

Some things, like the “radio code” and NZOA grant’s are a good idea to try to mitigate this problem, but if they are just ignored, then they are clearly not enough on their own.

Thanks guys, Rant over!

disclaimer, figures are off the top of my head, but likely to be generally correct, either that or even worse than what I have said
*now lets all get back to discussing that other awesome Mediaworks product – X Factor

Aren't bFM and Radioactive those places?

(I know bFM is technically "student radio" being liked to AUSA, right. But AFAIK Active doesn't have any university links any more).

Why not grow those rather than trying to invent another tier.

(Oh, and maybe a future left wing government could take the tip and just stop subsidising the National Party's various propaganda outlets).

maybe a future left wing government could take the tip and just stop subsidising the National Party’s various propaganda outlets

That’s a game the left can't win, as by definition the right have more backing from rich pricks who can keep the funding going and the spin circulating.

Hey Russell, I just posted a bit of a rant on my facebook page about Kiwi FM closure –

Thanks Ben -- I did see this on Facebook and wondered about incorporating it in the post, but I was running out of time to finish it. It makes a very interesting point.

Aren’t bFM and Radioactive those places?

(I know bFM is technically “student radio” being liked to AUSA, right. But AFAIK Active doesn’t have any university links any more).

I've puzzled over this for literally years, but I think there's virtue in letting the student stations operate in a looser, less professional environment.

The first hint that Hugh Sundae had been appointed as new bFM station manager was his tweet on the day of the announcement:

"Fucknuckles, cock and piss."

Which is, of course an evocation of bFM's legendary BSA advisory. I think tasking the student stations with being official "youth radio" puts elements of their culture at risk. And yet, they provided Kiwi with its best talent, so there has to be a relationship.

I'm actually working on a report related to these issues at the moment. The Kiwi FM news does make things interesting.

Like we didn't already suspect it ...

Dr. Dre’s Beats by Dre Cost An Estimated $14 To Make

Like we didn't already suspect it ...Dr. Dre’s Beats by Dre Cost An Estimated $14 To Make

Does this make all the cheap Asian ones good or bad value and are they the real thing?
They're everywhere over there.

It's time for a quota. Why don't we have a quota? It's crazy. Kiwi FM shouldn't have been such a bizarre concept.

Maybe the real reason they didn't do so well is because they have hosts who sound like nice people.

Does this make all the cheap Asian ones good or bad value and are they the real thing?
They’re everywhere over there.

See also: Avondale Market. I did buy some knock-offs there one time, and they are really flimsy. Real Dres are heavier and better engineered, just not good for what you're paying.

I love Kiwi fm, I alternative between them and bfm. They're the best morning programme without all the talking, kid safe and the best music.

Great track from Kane Strang- and an interesting interview on the Audience site. His stuff is always worth listening to, and is excellent live. He is also part of a band Dinosuar Sanctuary- brilliant fun live, and a really good album available on bandcamp http://dinosaursanctuary.bandcamp.com/

I did buy some knock-offs there one time, and they are really flimsy

So they were more at the $1 end of the scale I guess.

Very sad to hear of KiwiFM's demise. They were my favourite station for many years - until they started playing overseas music, which, to my mind, then made them similar to other stations such as bFM and GeorgeFM. But that only relegated them to second favourite.

The Warners were the ringmasters of New Zealand's most competitive mosh pit. I met these guys who lived at a doss house in Pt Chev while holidaying in Mangawhai over New Years 1985. They'd pub crawled from Auckland, arriving noisily late but were up and drinking over an open fire at 8am. It was the first time I'd seen a skulling funnel and tube in action. I was impressed so caught up with them when I shifted to Auckland a month later and luckily they invited me to the Windsor Castle and various other venues to see The Warners. They were incredible. Allan Stephenson was pure energy. The crowd was electric - and amazingly friendly as we smashed into each other gleefully. No one got too badly injured. I always felt things may have been a lot different if I wasn't so young and with the right people though.

Sorry to see Kiwi FM go. They were my go-to station when BFM played stuff I couldn't get my ears around. Their DJs were good and their specialist shows interesting. Their tag line "Playing 100% Kiwi music 60% of the time." always sounded a bit desperate and untrue. After all, is Crowded House 100% Kiwi?
Kiwi music as a genre was always going to be difficult but it did give airplay to many artists who would not usually get a look in at a station sponsored by Magness Benrow.
With the loss of TVNZ6 & 7, the TVNZ charter and now Kiwi FM, the cultural landscape narrows again.