NZ On Air Passes 1,000 music videos

29 October 2003

Media Release

NZ On Air Passes 1,000

NZ On Air's funding of more than 1,000 music videos will be celebrated at a function in Auckland tomorrow night.

"It's a major milestone in our New Zealand music strategy," said NZ On Air Chief Executive Jo Tyndall, "and yet another endorsement of the quality and growth of the New Zealand music industry over the past few years.

"The NZ On Air music strategy has at its heart a goal to increase local music content on radio through helping to create hit songs," she said. "It was boosted three years ago by an increase in Government support for what has come to be known as the Phase Four plan.

"Part of that strategy is a focus on funding music videos for television, to help bolster the work our NZ music promotions team does with radio programmers.

"And it's paying dividends, especially with the radio industry's strong backing for voluntary local music content targets for radio. This year, NZ music content on commercial radio is ten times what it was in 1995," said Ms Tyndall.

NZ On Air has allocated funding to music videos since the early 1990s. In the 2002/2003 financial year, more than half a million dollars was spent on the production of music videos.

"I was really heartened to hear outgoing APRA Director, Mike Chunn at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards on Tuesday night talking about the growth and diversity of local music content on radio and television, and the impact that voluntary airplay targets are having on the production of New Zealand music," said Ms Tyndall.

"NZ On Air is delighted to be a significant part of that growth by helping to make sure there is good locally made music available for radio and television programmers to play. We look forward to clocking up at least another 1,000 videos in the next few years."

Ends

This media release is available on the Internet, at http://www.nzonair.govt.nz

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