NZ music industry receives €9.2m recovery package

The government of New Zealand has unveiled a NZ$175 million (€98m) recovery package for the arts and creative sector, with $16.5 million (€9.2m) dedicated to the country’s music industry.

Available from July, the New Zealand Music Recovery Fund is expected to sustain 2,900 jobs and 150 tours over a two-year period.

The fund earmarks $5m (€2.8m) to support local acts on the domestic touring circuit “as alert levels permit”. Live shows returned to the country this weekend, with the debut of Live Nation New Zealand’s socially distanced Together Again concert series.

Venues in New Zealand will receive $3m (€1.7m) as part of the recovery plan, as they work to create a safe environment and adhere to social distancing and hygiene regulations. The funding will be distributed by the NZ Music Commission.

A further $1.4m (€785,000) is dedicated to helping musicians recoup losses incurred by the coronavirus shutdown, through the New Zealand Music Commission’s international investment programme, Outward Sound, and NZ Music Month.

“These initiatives will provide hundreds of opportunities for creatives to earn income and rebuild their careers, at a time when we have been reminded of the importance of our creative industries”

The recording and promotion of new music will be supported through a $7.1m (€4m) boost to NZ On Air’s new music funding programmes.

The wider package dedicates $70m (€39.2m) over three years for a creative arts recovery and employment fund to support the rebuilding of creative industries; $60m (€33.6m) for a cultural innovation fund; $20m (€11.2m) for a cultural capability fund to focus on the immediate response to the Covid-19 crisis; and $7.9m (€4.4m) for career support for creative jobseekers.

“The arts and music sectors have been decimated by Covid-19,” says prime minister Jacinda Ardern. According to government forecasts, the cultural sector will be hit “roughly twice as hard as the rest of the economy”, says Ardern, with the risk of 11,000 job losses over a 12-month period, without the appropriate intervention.

“We know many of our creatives get income from multiple sources and it is an ongoing challenge to piece together the gigs and commissions to earn a livelihood,” adds Ardern.

“These initiatives will provide hundreds of opportunities for creatives to earn income and rebuild their careers, and at a time when we have all been reminded of the importance of our creative industries.”

Full details of the funding are available here.

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