Roady for Roadies
Roady for Roadies
On Friday September 21 2018, the music industry and associated businesses will walk the 16km Coast to Coast from Onehunga to downtown Auckland to raise money for road crew “roadies” who may have fallen on hard times. This is not a race, it’s a walk.
The Roady for Roadies walk has been
proposed by music industry bright sparks Morgan Donoghue &
Brent Eccles and will be administered by The NZ
Music Foundation.
Roadies and production crew
are the often unseen but essential backbone of the live
music events that we all enjoy, but these roles can take
their toll on those involved. An industry survey by The NZ
Music Foundation of crew and roadies in 2016 showed that
while 58% report struggling with the intense pressures of
live music work, more than 40% also face issues with bills
and finances that impact on their daily lives. While the
shows are the obvious highlight, life in live music can be a
very hand-to-mouth existence and when illness, distress or
hardship occur, life can get very hard, very quickly.
Brent Eccles - Eccles
Entertainment
“This is a chance for many of
us to show our support for the real behind the scenes
workers in the concert & touring business - the guys who
push black boxes for a living and who we rely on for so
much.”
Morgan Donoghue - Joint
Management
“I started in the music industry
by helping mates move their gear around. I moved on from
being a roadie to being a manager (a glorified roadie).
Brent and I walk most mornings and wanted to do something
for an important group of people in the music industry
that isn’t well supported at the moment. I look forward to
walking Coast to Coast with you.”
The proceeds from the
Roady for Roadies walk will support the work of The NZ Music
Foundation. The charity provides professional counselling
support for kiwi music people through a tailored online, on
the phone and in person well being service. The charity also
supplies emergency assistance to music people who are
experiencing illness and hardship.
Peter Dickens
GM, The NZ Music Foundation
“We’re
delighted and honoured to be the beneficiary charity of the
Roady for Roadies walk. The production crew are the first to
the show and the last out and the moments we all treasure
from our live music experiences would be impossible without
them. All funds raised will go to provide vital support and
assistance to roadies and crew who find themselves in
situations of illness, distress and hardship and who have
nowhere else to turn.”
To join the Roady for
Roadies walk, tickets are available from
Ticketmaster from midday Thursday 30 August. There
are three different price levels and participants can
purchase which ever one suits their pocket. $25 (I’d like
to help out), $50 (I’d like to give a bit more) $100 (my
boss is paying). The walk will end at a down town venue,
where refreshments will be provided. Each participant will
receive a free t-shirt.
If you want to make a straight
donation to the NZMF you can do so via Ticketmaster or
Kiwibank 38-9011-0831927-01 or click here, please include the code
“roadie”
We’d like to acknowledge The
Tuning Fork, Ticketmaster,
JLP, LPATM & Muse
Entertainment & who are all providing services at
no charge.
The walk will be monitored by a volunteer
crew, medic, a chemist and a mixologist. So buy yourself
some new walking shoes and put your hand in your pocket for
this worthy cause for an often forgotten sector of the NZ
concert/ touring business.
Greg Peacocke - Oceania
Productions
“It's so good to see the
unknown foot soldiers of our Industry being acknowledged and
offered help while they are alive rather than once they are
in their graves.”
Chris Tate -
College Hill Productions
"Roadies, it’s a
funny old life…. in a world where minimum hourly wages,
holiday and maternity leave / pay, kiwi saver, overtime and
traffic attenuators rule supreme there is an industry that
serves the general public, helps make them smile, laugh,
dance and throw away the cares of a long 9 to 5 week….
Entertainment….. It’s great to see someone thinking
about the hard working crews that are responsible for making
the behind the scenes stuff happen! It’s a profession that
demands the sort of hours that would make a politician blush
with none of the standard ‘rights’ associated with the
deal you get when you get a ‘real job’. Let's show these
dedicated kind, friendly and talented professionals that we
care……. get out and roadie peeps……. maybe bring
something with wheels to push, like a baby stroller with
your future roadies in it to show your support!
Ben Cooper - Spotlight
Systems
"All it takes is someone to lead the
way, fly a flag, and others will follow. This initiative
“Roady for Roadies” could be a glue for our people who
do it tough, the guys that are always there for us,
dedicated and committed. Actually supporting these doers,
not just talking the talk…..but in this instance. . . .
‘walking the walk”
Rick Te Wini – Kiwi
Krew
“A Roadie fundraiser is a great idea
for a great cause. To have a foundation to support anyone in
need past, present and future is great for our
industry.”
The Coast to Coast walk is a 16km
hike across Auckland, from the Manukau
Harbour
to Waitematā Harbour.
Click here for a map of the Coast to Coast
walk
The walk takes you through landscapes shaped by
600 years of Māori settlement and offers panoramic views
stretching across Auckland city and the region. Along the
way you'll see some of our finest natural and built heritage
areas, woodland settings, windswept hills, charming parks
and gardens, captivating architectural treasures and
fascinating geological
landforms.