Cath Anderson Photo: Courtesy of IMNZ
Going Global is a local music summit that brings together musicians and key music industry players from across the globe.
The summit kicked off with the news that the NZ music industry is worth $86 million a year, a fact gleefully delivered by Cath Anderson, the Chief Executive of the NZ Music Commission (who hosted the summit).
We also heard that although the digital revoution has changed the music industry a great deal, it's still a place where musicians can prosper - if they set their minds to it. Which is kind of how the music industry has always been.
Something else that hasn't changed much is that bands still need to get out there and tour, they still need to make real human connections with movers and shakers in the cities they want to succeed in, and they still have to promote their music just as they always did.
Theresa Patterson and Maggie Collins taking part in a panel discussion. Photo: Courtesy of IMNZ
One of the best things about Going Global is that so many amazing industry people from all over the world come along to speak. For some of them, it's their first visit to New Zealand.
This year's guests include artist and repertoire (A&R) directors (the people at record labels who sign bands), festival directors, publicists, music journalists, tour bookers, artist managers, curators and lawyers and more. They'd come from places including the UK, the US, Australia, Chile Sweden and more.
NZ musician Mel Parsons loves the intimacy of the Going Global summit. She’s attended Brisbane's BigSOUND - a similar event - and says musicians just don't get access to the speakers and delegates the way they do here.
Alison Wenham Photo: Courtesy of IMNZ
The summit's keynote was delivered by Alison Wenhem, the CEO of the Worldwide Independent Network. She's smart, experienced, stroppy and bit posh. The kind of woman you’d be ill advised to get on the wrong side of.
She spoke about the power in numbers afforded by industry associations like hers and Independent Music New Zealand, which represent the interests of independent record labels, giving them more bargaining power with bigwigs like Spotify, iTunes and Youtube.
Speaking of bargaining power, there was hardly any major label representation at the Summit. It was filled with passionate music industry purists: lots of people doing things the old fashioned way, including A&R director for record label 4AD, Jane Abernathy.
Hear Trevor Reekie's interview with Jane Abernathy.
Jane said that while majors are making decisions based on data, the indies are - on the whole - still signing artists according to a gut feeling. And they get a buzz out of being ‘first’ to a band: they’d rather sign someone up who's had no plays on Spotify, than someone with a couple of million.
How to make your band succeed: the inside guts on the music industry
Going Global is a local music summit that brings together musicians and key music industry players from across the globe. Here are some of the things we learned this year.
