NZ Music Awards: Their Genesis

NZ Music Awards: Their Genesis

Ever wondered about the origin of the NZ Music Awards?
Probably not, but for the curious here's the genesis:

In 1964 broadcaster Eddie O'Strange returned to New Plymouth
from a year's OE in Australia. That same year, the NZBC's
Head Office decided to instigate a Suggestion Box scheme
with a cash reward for any ideas that were taken up.

O'Strange had noticed that over the Tasman there were various
entertainment awards. Most of them seemed to be linked to
television which had several music and variety shows in those days.
Eddie had been working as a songwriter in Sydney and thought
that awards for songs and artists would force the NZBC to treat
local recordings more seriously, reflecting the musical sea-change
spearheaded by the newfangled pop DJs.

Eddie can't remember hearing of any across-the-board music
industry awards in Australia. Trying to find an international
system to provide a blueprint proved fruitless. So he devised
a system awarding singles, LPs, artists, songs and such.
It was typed up in the typing pool and sent off to Wellington.

Head Office requested the 2XP Station Manager,
Tahu Shankland, to get the idea expanded into a full proposal.
It was such a fresh idea that no-one quite knew how to deal
with it. But some senior staff were impressed enough to find
a way to implement the concept. The closest anyone came to
understanding it was seeing the annual results of the Jazz Awards
published in Billboard and Cashbox, both American music trade
magazines. The other then-known music awards were the Oscars
for the Academy Award soundtrack and theme song categories.

Top NZBC management agreed to getting New Zealand
music awards established. But there was a major impediment.
The state broadcaster could not be seen to be running a competition
which involved commercial interests, and would indeed be of
commercial advantage to recipients. They handed the proposal to
Neville Chamberlain, a radio DJ known nationally as Cham the Man.
He worked closely with the Charles Haines advertising agency.

Cham loved the idea, signed up Reckitt Colman as the sponsor,
and launched the renamed NZ Music Awards as the Loxene Golden
Disc Award in 1965. Cham phoned Eddie to discuss a couple of
changes, including starting off with just a single award.

Eddie's insistence that an award for a New Zealand composition
was extremely important, was ruled out. However, as an APRA
member, Eddie was pleased the APRA Silver Scroll award
came into being in the same year, taking care of that aspect.
He has often wondered how much his appeal via APRA NZ's
Patricia Bell contributed to the birth of the songwriting award.

So, the NZ Music Awards were underway in 1965, albeit
reduced to a single Loxene Golden Disc award. Eddie O'Strange
received a generous cash payment for his innovative idea.

ENDS

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