Overview
Although we may be currently basking in New Zealand Music Month, the local music scene copped a solid kick to the guts earlier in the year with the closure of homegrown radio station Kiwi FM.
To help alleviate the now continuous stream of white noise and to make locally produced music even more accessible online, independent broadcast funding agency NZ On Air has launched a new streaming service.
The website dubbed AllTracks features playlists curated by artists, radio DJs, industry experts and tastemakers who are all well versed in their allocated genres; Christchurch student radio station RDU (Folk & Country), George FM DJ Dan Aux (Dance & Electronic), broadcaster and social media expert Charlotte Ryan (Alt & Indie), acclaimed singer-songwriter Jamie McDell (Pop), Black Seeds frontman Barnaby Weir (Reggae & Roots), Flava FM Musical Director DJ Manchoo (Hip Hop & RnB) and The Rock FM DJ Bryce Casey (Rock & Metal).
The playlists are made available through embedded YouTube clips and links to Spotify and Soundcloud. They will be regularly updated with music from New Zealand artists.
NZ On Air Music Manager Brendan Smyth says of the initiative, “Today we take our music with us everywhere in our pockets. And we all have different tastes. Our genre playlists mean you can discover and enjoy great NZ music without the need to create your own playlist. This is about making it easy to find the kind of NZ music you like.”
