Auckland Has the Highest Number of Earning Songwriters

Auckland is where the most of the country’s 10,000-plus earning songwriters call home according to a new report released by royalty collection agency APRA AMCOS. The national rankings are based on the number of earning songwriters by postcode for the year 2013. 15 of the top 20 songwriting postcodes fall under the Auckland region, including everywhere from: Browns Bay to Te Atatu and Sandringham.

Inner city suburbs Grey Lynn and Kingsland come in at the number one spot, and retain the position since the last report in 2003. The neighbouring suburbs can be held responsible for the largest output of electronic, pop/rock, alternative, dance/techno, urban, metal and music for screen. The postcode breakdown of genres also saw Auckland’s Mangere/Mangere Bridge claim the number one for gospel music.

Wellington also features strongly in the report, with the Newtown/Brooklyn area being the second most popular postcode for earning songwriters in 2013, and Te Aro/Mt Victoria seeing the greatest percentage growth over the past decade, jumping from 51st in the overall rankings in 2003 to fourth in 2013. The Newtown/Brooklyn region is number one for country, jazz, blues and roots, classical and world music, while Te Aro/Mt Victoria can be thanked for largely producing folk, children's music and new age.

Other areas that saw significant growth include Wanganui East in Wanganui, which saw the second greatest growth, and Royal Oak in Auckland which was the third fastest growing area. Ponsonby fell from second to sixth place.

See the full report via APRA AMCOS.