The latest news from Independent Music New Zealand including a double platinum albumn for Kora, NZ Music Month seminars, a debut album from Nightchoir, a NZ tour from Katchafire and a ruling from the Copyright Tribunal in Australia.

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Congratulations to Kora whose self-titled album has just gone double platinum - and they're stoked with the timing as it coincides with the 10-year anniversary of NZ Music Month. The album was unleashed in October 2007 and has remained in the top 100 all that time. Since the release of 'Kora', the band have continued to build on their live reputation, brought electronic legends Cabaret Voltaire out of retirement to give the album the remix treatment, and most recently created a sonic boom as the local headlining act on the main stage at this year's Big Day Out. At this very moment KORA are gathering their chi and are hard at work on a 2nd album. 

New Zealand Music Month Seminars

The NZ Music Commission and the NZ Music Managers Forum have joined forces to organize this year's New Zealand Music Month Seminars.

Starting in Dunedin on Wednesday May 26th , and stopping over in Wellington and CHARTFEST in Christchurch, the seminar series culminates on Saturday 29th May in Auckland for the inaugural one day Seminar Summit to be held at the magnificent Auckland Museum.

Speakers include Flash Taylor (Sony/ATV UK), Ande MacPherson (formerly XFM, now George/Kiwi FM), Vicky Blood (Blood Management Group), Scott Maclachlan (Universal Music), Rodney Hewson (Sony Music), Ben Howe (IMNZ/Arch Hill), Peter Baker (Rhythmethod), Hamish Pinkham (Rhythm & Vines), Mark Wright (Homegrown/Coromandel Gold), Barry Blackler (Big Day Out), Lindon Puffin, Dave Dobbyn, Ross Flahive (The Edge), Tania Dean (NZ On Air) and Matt Barthlow (C4).
Read more...

International and Industry Action

In honour of NZ Music Month, Parachute Music will host a workshop titled ‘Noise: Online Music & Promotion'on May 25. The event will feature a panel discussion with industry experts focusing on how artists can build a strong brand and create buzz on the internet, and digital distribution. Speakers include Dane Rumble, Matt Coleman (Let The People Speak Founder), Scott Maclachlan (Universal Music A&R Manager), Stephen O'Hoy (Amplifier.co.nz and DRM Manager) and Julie Warmington (MySpace NZ Marketing & PR Manager). The event will be held from 7:30pm on Tuesday, May 25 at The Loft in Kingsland, Auckland. Tickets are $20 on the door. Read more...

New Release Fanfare

24 Hours Of Night is the debut album from Nightchoir, released on 1157. Though this may be a “new” project, the members of Nightchoir – Mike Hall, Matthias Jordan and Michael Franklin-Browne – have played together for nearly a decade as the rhythm section for Pluto. However Nightchoir's sound differs in temperament and tone, with their songs drawing on the gentler edge of musical genres, including alt-country, indie-pop and folk. The trio first got together to work on some of Mike Hall's tracks; then, in 2008 while catching their breath after Pluto had been promoting and touring their 3rd album, the Nightchoir project resurfaced – with Hall having more songs and both Jordan and Franklin-Browne also contributing. Frontman Mike Hall's music history is long: from hardcore band Balance in the late ‘90s to sweet indie popsters The Brunettes in the early 2000s and having now played bass for Pluto for more than a decade. Mike Franklin-Browne has lined up behind the drums for Pluto and recently for Head Like A Hole. Read more...

On the live front

Hot on the heels of a successful tour of Hawaii and the USA playing to over 20,000 people at festivals, Katchafire are bringing it back to where it all started and will hit the road for a full NZ tour at the end of May. The band have come a long way since forming as a covers outfit back in 1997 - they've released a double platinum debut album (Revival), a platinum follow up (Slow Burning), 2003's highest selling single (Giddy Up), and 2007 album Say What You're Thinking continues to hold firm in the IMNZ album charts. Read more...

Round the World

Artists will be receiving more from Australian fitness clubs, who are coughing up more cash to play licensed music in their classes after their Copyright Tribunal ruled that current fees didn't adequately compensate them. Following a hard-fought battle between the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia and Fitness Australia (the national industry association), the Copyright Tribunal has applied a new rate of $1 for each fitness class attendee or an optional tariff of $15 per class. Read more...