Vodafone Rocks Up As Sponsor Of NZ Music Awards

Vodafone Rocks Up As Sponsor Of New Zealand Music Awards

With Kiwi music on a roll, the New Zealand Music Awards 2004 are set to be the best yet, with Vodafone today announcing it will be the event’s first ever naming rights sponsor.

The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards are an opportunity to celebrate a diverse range of kiwi musical talent both on and off the stage, with the categories ranging from Best Rock Album to Best Music Video.

“New Zealanders are buying more Kiwi music than ever before and this year’s awards are going to be a fantastic showcase for the talent we have in this country,” said Vodafone Sponsorship Manager Brendon O’Connor. “Local music is edgy, creative and world-beating and that’s why we’re so pleased to be launching our association with the New Zealand Music Awards. ”

Last year, more than nine million albums were sold in New Zealand and almost a million of them were by Kiwi artists. Home-grown music also features strongly on radio these days – up from 2% in 1995 to more than 15% now. “Globally, music sales fell last year but New Zealand is bucking that trend – and it’s hardly surprising when you look at the creativity we have here,” said O’Connor.

“The likes of Split Enz, Dave Dobbyn and Dragon set the scene for recording success years ago and now. “Kiwi music has never been more popular. Artists like The Datsuns are achieving worldwide fame, Scribe is breaking chart records at home and in February this year Moana Maniapoto won the grand prize at the International Song Writing Competition.

“The music industry is a new space for Vodafone and we’re really excited about being a part of it – for our customers and for the business”, said O’Connor.

The New Zealand Music Awards, which are owned and organized by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Inc (RIANZ), aim to celebrate and promote the achievements of the local music Industry. The 2004 Tuis – the 39th – will be held in Auckland on 22 September.

This year’s awards are being held later than usual and will acknowledge the achievements of New Zealand musicians during 2003 and up until May 31, 2004.

RIANZ pushed the awards back so that they will be of greater benefit to the industry, highlighting the beginning of a critical time for record companies and retailers - the fourth quarter pre-Christmas sales period.

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