Funding local talent

New Zealand On Air is a “generous government-funded programme that’s fast-tracking New Zealand bands on the road to stardom and beyond,” writes Lars Brandle for Australian site The Music Network. “The likes of Kids Of 88, Gin Wigmore and Midnight Youth and many others are making waves across the Tasman and further afield, thanks in no small part to the New Zealand government’s pragmatic approach to supporting the creative industries. The NZ Music budget receives about $5.4 million a year, or roughly 4 per cent of New Zealand On Air’s total expenditure. Those funds are distributed to support better-quality recordings and videos, the idea being that local artists would then have a stronger chance at competing for airtime. ‘Back in the early 199s,’ Auckland music promotion executive Mike McClung explains, ‘there used to be 2 per cent New Zealand music on commercial radio. Now it’s up around the 2 per cent mark. That has huge cultural benefits but also huge economic benefits because that airplay fuels the local music economy.’”