NZ On Air to restructure music, media, funding

With the massive change of consumer behaviour and proliferation of new media, NZ On Air (NZOA) – New Zealand’s Government-run music and cultural funding and promotional body – is proposing to change its funding strategy.

It is its first major shakeup in 27 years since it was set up.

“We’re responding to the massive media disruption,” explains NZOA CEO Jane Wrightson.

NZOA invests in New Zealanders’ stories and songs on radio, TV, music and digital media.

Jane Wrightson

For contemporary music, its focus was to get NZ music on commercial radio, support community radio, and fund new music projects for up to $30,000. It was also a major partner of the Taite Music Prize to find the best NZ record in the past 12 months, support music awards, and hold workshops for musicians on how to get their music to a wider audience.

Now, in proposing a major change, NZOA explains, “In a complicated media environment, and with increased demand for our funds, we are looking for simplicity and flexibility.”

With so much cross-collaboration and overlapping, it intends to abandon the separate divisions for drama, documentary, digital, Pacific and music.

A new draft funding strategy outlines a single, contestable Media Fund as part of its core task, to “reflect and develop New Zealand identity and culture”.

From the millions of dollars in the Media Fund, there will be four streams.

Music will have an estimated $4 million allocated for its creation and distribution, primarily of singles.

In contrast, audio/visual documentary and factual projects get $42 million, while “scripted” content as drama, comedy and animation is expected to receive $43 million.

“Platforms” now expands from radio, TV, New Zealand and NZ on Screen to include stand-up comedy, web content and podcasts.

Funding will be determined by cultural or social value, innovation, potential audience size and appeal and co-investment (to share production costs).

NZOA had already responded to new media platforms covering music earlier this year. After a review, the five-year-old Making Tracks was changed in July to a new two-tier New Music funding scheme, for singles (up to $8,000 to record, make a video and marketing with the artist contributing $2,000) and project funding (up to $30,000) that had the greatest potential to reach a significant audience via broadcast and online platforms.

CEO Wrightson sums up, “With intense competition for audiences from international media it is more important than ever…to maintain a space for local content. It’s vital to our cultural identity.”

After public feedback, NZOA will release the final strategy early next year and to taker effect from July 2017.