Music strategy

Our investments in Music fall mostly under the Creation stream of our Investment Strategy.

Our pūoro (music) mission is to get more New Zealand music on radio, online and on any platform where audiences are. The Music funding stream delivers music to radio and streaming services, and provides break-through opportunities to selected artists.

We actively promote New Zealand music to increase its discoverability in a crowded market. And we invest in capability development in the sector.

We run multiple music funding rounds each year. We fund the recording of:

• single songs
• multi-song projects
• music videos
• music promotion to make sure great NZ songs connect with the widest audience possible.

We also run targeted funding rounds to ensure there are opportunities for songs by artists that appeal to specific audiences, such as Pasific, Pan-Asian and Children, and we partner with Te Māngai Pāho to support songs in te reo Māori.

We've been funding music since 1991, helping to maintain a reasonable percentage of local music on mainstream radio stations.

Today, there's equal emphasis on providing great local songs to the major streaming platforms for worldwide audiences to discover and enjoy.

Our New Music funding streams are where we co-invest with artists and their music companies in the creation of great songs. The streams are:

• New Music Single
• New Music Project
• New Music Kids
• New Music Pan-Asian
• New Music Pasifika
• Waiata Takitahi
• New Music Project Kids

Our funding is split between catering for mainstream and alternative audiences.

We aim to cater to all tastes, whether it's pop, hiphop, country, folk, rock. If it’s a great song and has a potential audience, it may be a contender.

In 2023 we commissioned a comprehensive review of NZ On Air’s Music Funding and its role and efficacy in the music industry in Aotearoa New Zealand today.

The aim was to understand the challenges the industry is facing both at home and globally. And then ensure that our music funding initiatives were:

• fit-for-purpose
• future-focused
• continuing to give audiences a range of quality local songs to enjoy.

We take a comprehensive approach to promoting great local music. Our promotion activities include:

• producing NewTracks, a monthly compilation of the best new music that radio, broadcast and online platforms need to know about
• using social media and streaming services to help connect NZ audiences with NZ artists
• sponsoring music features on a range of radio stations to introduce audiences and tastemakers to new NZ music
• working with radio programmers and streaming platforms to ensure local music is included in playlists
• curating and updating our own Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube playlists with new singles and music videos.

We also sponsor awards and special music events to raise the profile of NZ music, and to promote an understanding of our funding and celebrate success in the music industry. We also provide operational funding to the Student Radio Network, a rich home for local music, and encourage the use of local music in funded screen content.