Speakers & Topics Announced For The Official NZ Music Month Summit 2020

This year is incontestably a significant year for Aotearoa's music community, with this month's 20th Anniversary of NZ Music Month highlighting the crisis faced by our live venue culture, currently effectively shut down by the coronavirus outbreak. The Official NZ Music Month Summit returns in 2020 in a slightly different form than usual, with four seminars being livestreamed via the net on Saturday 23rd May. Featuring artists and experts from throughout Aotearoa, sharing their firsthand insights and experiences on navigating the music industry, the day-long event is organised by MMF NZ and the NZ Music Commission, in association with Auckland Council Creative Communities and APRA AMCOS NZ.

Celebrating 2020's theme of Support Local, Stream Local, Follow Local, Buy Local, the topics for this year are The Importance Of Merchandise, Music Production In Aotearoa, L.A.B - From Indie Band To Number 1 and a special discussion about the skyrocketing success of NZ hitmaker Benee, who has racked up over 400 million streams for latest single 'Supalonely': Benee - Finding International Success. Speakers include Liz Stokes (The Beths), Villette, Anthonie Tonnon, Paul McKessar (CRS Management) and more – scope out the full details for each seminar here...

The 2020 Official NZ Music Month Summit
Saturday 23rd May 10.00am to 4.00pm – four seminars
Livestreamed through MMF NZ and NZ Music Commission Facebook & YouTube pages

10.05am to 11.00am: L.A.B - FROM INDIE BAND TO NUMBER 1
The local success story of the summer! Find out how L.A.B went from the summer touring circuit to a Number 1 airplay track and NZ Top 40 chart success.
Speakers: Dan Clist (Loop), Joel Shadbolt (L.A.B)
Moderated by Cushla Aston, Aston Road

11.30am to 12.30pm: MUSIC PRODUCTION IN AOTEAROA
New Zealand producers are shining on the world stage and forging new career pathways. We hear how turning to music production has enhanced their career.
Speakers: P Money, Tom Healy, Villette, Devin Abrams
Moderated by Greg Haver

1.30pm to 2.30pm: BENEE – FINDING INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Last year Benee was the toast of the Tui’s – this year her songs are all over TikTok, helping propel her to international stardom.
Speaker: Paul McKessar (Manager, CRS Management)
Moderated by Charlotte Ryan, RNZ

3.00pm to 4.00pm: THE IMPORTANCE OF MERCHANDISE
Pre and post Covid-19, merchandise is a fantastic income stream for artists with more scope than ever to produce artist related items for your audience to love.
Speakers: Tana Tupai (Tomorrow People), Liz Stokes (The Beths), Paul Martin (Devilskin), Anthonie Tonnon
Moderated by Sarah Thomson, 95bFM

Revisit the clip for Benee's staggeringly successful 2020 single 'Supalonely' featuring Gus Dapperton...

Press release:

The MMF NZ and the NZ Music Commission, in association with Auckland Council Creative Communities and APRA AMCOS NZ, are thrilled to announce the return of The Official NZ Music Month Summit, which will take place as part of the very special 20th Anniversary of NZ Music Month.

In keeping with the theme of this year’s annual kiwi music celebration, the topic of this year’s summit will be It’s All Local: Support Local, Stream Local, Follow Local, Buy Local.

The impact of Covid-19 upon the music industry continues to disrupt the tried and true methods of creating and sharing music, and this unprecedented situation has put Aotearoa’s creative sector squarely to the test. Despite these new challenges, Aotearoa’s music industry continues to thrive in the face of adversity. With resilience and progression in mind, our speakers at this year’s Summit will be sharing insights about their journey, and their drive to adapt and grow to find success. Topics such as the transition from indie band to number 1, finding international success, sustaining a career as a music producer in Aotearoa and the importance of great merchandise will be covered by an impressive line-up of industry professionals who will deliver four separate panel sessions across the day.

This year’s digital-only event will take place on Saturday 23 May, and will be live-streamed through the Music Managers Forum NZ and NZ Music Commission’s Facebook pages and YouTube channels, ensuring anyone in the NZ music industry, no matter where they are in the country, will benefit from the knowledge shared.