NZ Music Recovery Package Announced

The NZ Music Commission Te Reo Reka O Aotearoa welcomes the investment towards the recovery of the music sector as announced earlier today by Prime Minister Ardern as part of the package to reinvigorate the Arts, Culture and Heritage sector across Aotearoa.
Music Commission Chief Executive Cath Andersen said “New Zealand musicians and the people who support them to make a living have been devastated by the international pandemic.  Like tourism, Covid-19 has completely stopped the live music sector, which employees the majority of people who work in contemporary music, and hugely restricted the ability for artists to earning a sustainable living.  This investment by the Government will support New Zealand artists and venues who are at heart of our sector.
“The NZ Music Recovery Fund is great news for live and recorded music, and I understand there will be more opportunities for the music sector when the details of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Creative Arts Recovery and Employment Fund, Cultural Innovation Fund and Cultural Capability Fund have been announced. Additionally, the Careers Support for Creative Jobseekers programme will support emerging artists and music professionals to develop sustainable careers and contribute to the New Zealand economy. Taken as a whole, the investment announced today will be truly transformational for the music sector in New Zealand”. 
More details will be published in the coming weeks, but an overview of the work the Music Commission will be leading as part of the cultural recovery package is as follows:
 
NZ Music Month Make Good Fund: This fund will enable NZ artists and music businesses to apply for a contribution towards recouping lost income and costs incurred for original NZ music activity that was scheduled to occur in NZ Music Month 2020 which was cancelled as a result of Covid-19. More information on this fund will be available on our website in mid-June.


Outward Sound Make Good Fund: This fund will enable Outward Sound supported artists to apply for the reimbursement of costs incurred for approved offshore activity that was cancelled or disrupted due to Covid-19. More information on this fund will be available on our website in mid-June.
Music Venue Infrastructure Fund: This fund will enable music venues to apply for a contribution towards the costs associated with operating an environment safe for artists, audiences and staff.  It is for music venues with a track record of original New Zealand music performances, both in the main centres and the regions.  Grants of up to $50,000 per venue will be available for expenditure that could include contact tracing facilities and security, facility upgrades (for example for bathrooms, staging, backstage etc), hireage of equipment and ensuring the safety of technicians and venue staff. More details about this fund will be available on our website in mid-June.
Aotearoa Touring Support Programme:  This programme is intended to reinvigorate the live music sector and grow the potential for touring across Aotearoa. The goal is to support NZ artists and music businesses, and enable more New Zealanders to experience live, local music. It will support production costs, and touring both nationally and regionally.  More information on this fund will be available on our website in July.
 
The NZ Music Recovery Fund announced today also includes additional investment for NZ artists through NZ On Air, who will support 455 additional new song releases in the coming two years, including more targeted funding for Pasifika artists, songs in te reo and for children. NZ On Air will also create a new music development fund for newer artists and songwriters, and support the provision of more professional services around early-career artists who receive funding.   More information on the NZ On Air investment is available here.
 
An outline of the work that will be undertaken across the arts and culture sector is available on the Ministry for Culture and Heritage website at www.mch.govt.nz.
 
Further information regarding the Music Commission’s programmes will be available on our website www.nzmusic.org.nz over the next few weeks.