ORiGiN Music signs Eddie Rayner as NZ keyboard maestro finalises five projects

ORiGiN Music Publishing has signed New Zealand keyboard maestro Eddie Rayner – best known for his days with Split Enz and Crowded House – to worldwide publishing representation.

ORiGiN Music creative director, Philip Mortlock, said it is an honour and delight to be representing Rayner.

“We’ve known each other for many years and it was after a couple of catch-ups in Auckland back in 2019 that we could see an opportunity for us to work together and realise the potential of all that Eddie has been working on and what is planned for the future.”

The deal covers Rayner’s works over the past 50 years, as well as five new projects made in his NZ studio and which are coming up over the next nine months on different record labels.

Sony Music will re-release the mid-90s two-part ENZSO, combining New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with Dave Dobbyn, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Jon Stevens, Annie Crummer, Sam Hunt, Neil Finn, Tim Finn and the New Zealand Youth Choir performing Split Enz songs.

The re-release will see ENZSO, which yielded sell-out tours in Australia and New Zealand, on vinyl and spatial audio for the first time.

ORiGiN Theatrical will additionally rep Rayner’s EnzSo Concert Library making the orchestral arrangements available to be licensed to third parties such as orchestras and schools.

ORiGiN Theatrical managing director, Kim Ransley, noted the potential of the deal.

“Our concert library is an important part of our theatre and concert catalogue”, said Ransley.

“The great potential for such a significant original New Zealand body of work is immense.”

That Rayner was responsible for orchestral arrangements is incredible given he can’t read music and taught himself how to play.

“The reason I got into music was I got expelled from school over the length of my hair,” he revealed at the time.

“Also in the principal’s office for the same reason was Steve Hughes who told me to come and join his band although I couldn’t play anything.

“From school we hopped a bus into the city to a music store and I bought a keyboards for $200.”

Warner Music is in spring issuing Shades And Echoes by The ForENZics, a project with Tim Finn, Noel Crombie, former Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera and the ensemble Double Life.

The album consists of songs fleshed out from brief ideas from Enz albums used as intros, outros and bridges, with fresh lyrics from Finn.

“It’s a pretty cool concept where you rip yourself off,” according to Rayner.

The other projects include Double Life, a long overdue debut album by his pre-Enz band Space Waltz (they had a 1973 hit with ‘Out In The Street’) with singer songwriter Alistair Riddell; and a band with former Coconut Rough and Pop Mechanix singer Andrew McClennan.