Recording opportunity for young songwriters

23 March 2012

Recording opportunity for young songwriters

Auckland Libraries is running an exciting competition called Launch Your Lyrics for budding songwriters and musicians to celebrate NZ Music Month.

The competition, to be judged during NZ Music Month (May), is open to Auckland Libraries members between the ages of 11 and 18 and gives first prize winners the opportunity to record their winning song.

There are two categories, 11-14 years and 15-18 years, and prizes include:

• First prize: a recording session at Zeal Music Studios to record the winning song
• Runner up: $200 music voucher
• Two highly commended prizes: $100 music voucher.

“Song writing can be pretty hard sometimes,” says competition judge Rodney Fisher. “It’s a really personal thing to do; this project is a cool way to encourage young people to give it a go.”

An internationally successful singer-songwriter himself, the Goodshirt front man will be on the lookout for original lyrics and emerging musical talent.

“I can’t wait to see what sort of stuff people come up with!” he says.

Auckland Libraries Youth Service Development Team Leader Pip Henderson says there is plenty to inspire young songwriters in the region’s 55 libraries.

“Local libraries have a fantastic range of books, CDs and e-resources to spark songwriting ideas and help get the creative juices flowing,” says Pip. “For us, this competition brings NZ Music Month to life in our libraries and is an opportunity to showcase our vast collections of books, CDs and sheet music.”

Go to www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz for competition details and an entry form.

Entries close on 16 May 2012. Launch Your Lyrics competition winners will be announced on May 31 at a special prizegiving ceremony at Zeal Music Studios in Henderson.

Last year’s competition winner was Rita Laing with her winning song My Best Friend and the 2010 winner was Jana Nee with her song, I Carry You.

• Auckland Libraries Music Collections
http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/CollectionsServices/Pages/Collectionsoverview.aspx
• Auckland Libraries Music Blog http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/getdoc/6040062a-17ea-4ecb-8ece-02af248623d8/musicblog.aspx
• Auckland Libraries Teens Blog http://www.aucklandcitylibraries.com/blog/teenblog.aspx

About Rodney Fisher
Rodney Fisher is a singer/songwriter - the lead singer in Goodshirt, he also has a solo career and is well known in New Zealand and the UK.

Goodshirt’s unmistakable brand of quirky pop music found success in the early 2000’s. Both their albums (Good and Fiji Baby) went platinum in NZ, with singles Sophie and Fiji Baby reaching number 1 in the NZ charts. Goodshirt toured extensively in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and Japan.

Rodney’s solo career began in 2005 when he recorded his first album, produced by Breaks Co-op's Andy Lovegrove. Rodney moved to London in 2006, where he quickly became a fixture on the new-folk scene and played with artists including Mumford & Sons, Justin Young (The Vaccines), Ladyhawke and Nathan Haines. Rodney has appeared at South By Southwest many times, and in 2008 his showcase earned him critical acclaim and led the Wall Street Journal to call his sound "a gentle brand of folk music—gossamer-like songs”. (Jim Fusilli, Wall Street Journal)

Since Rodney’s return to New Zealand in November last year, Goodshirt have started playing shows together again. The band recently supported Hall & Oates at Day On The Green in Napier and Auckland, and are currently working on new material for release later this year.

About NZ Music Month
NZ Music Month is a promotion run by the NZ Music Commission that takes place each May, in association with other organisations including NZ On Air, RIANZ, APRA, Independent Music NZ, and the Radio Broadcasters Association.
Over the last decade, the month of May has gone from a period of encouraging radio to play more local tunes, to a 31 day celebration of homegrown talent across the length and breadth of the country.

www.nzmusicmonth.co.nz

ENDS

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