Final grants from two music schemes

NZ On Air Media Release: 11 March 2011

NZ On Air has awarded the final grants from two of its music funding schemes - the New Recording Artist and album funding - to prepare for a new music funding scheme to be launched mid-year.

The new scheme, which follows Chris Caddick's independent review into NZ On Air's music funding released in December 2010, is expected to be announced in May, once details are finalized. It will be launched 01 July, 2011.

NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson said both the album funding scheme and the New Recording Artist funding scheme were closed earlier than planned to allow NZ On Air to channel funding and staff resources into its new programme.

"The last album funding allocations were made this month and there will be no June funding round," said Ms Wrightson. "This will enable us to divert the funds that we would have spent on albums into the new scheme and boost the budget for the new year."

"We have also funded ten songs, rather than five, under the New Recording Artist scheme in the March funding round. We had 332 applications and were able to fill all the New Recording Artist project slots now, so the NZ music team can focus on the rolling out the new scheme. This means we will not be accepting applications for the New Recording Artist scheme in June. We've now made 23 grants for this financial year from this scheme."

NZ On Air will continue its Music Video funding round in June and the closing date for Music Video applications (21 April for decisions on 02 June) still applies.
Details of the new scheme are expected to be announced in May.

The New Recording Artist grants (all up to $10,000) announced today are:

1995/Nowhere Slow (Isaac Promotions)

Chris Cope/World Without You (Chris Cope)

Janine Foster/These Big Tears (Janine Foster)

Jesse Sheehan/Grandma's Cookies (The Family Of Actors)

Leno Lovecraft/Princess (A Low Hum)

Lydia Cole/Love & Loss & Love (CRS Records)

Mel Parsons/I Won't Let You Down (Cape Road Recordings)

Ruby Frost/Smoke & Mirrors (Universal Music)

The Good Fun/Karaoke (The Good Fun)

Tyson Tyler/Go Hard (Illegal Musik)

The Album grants (all up to $50,000, to be confirmed after acceptance of final budget) announced today are:

Black River Drive (Black River Records)

K One (Illegal Musik)

Kids Of 88 (Dryden Street)

Pieter T (Handmade Records)

Shapeshifter (Truetone Recordings)

The Datsuns (Hellsquad Records)