Here in New Zealand we have this strange event called ‘New Zealand Music Month’ It is organised by the New Zealand Music Commission to help promote NZ music, because “Music has value, Music is an essential part of our national identity & Successes achieved both at home and abroad impel increased cultural pride and increase New Zealander’s sense of place in the world”

Most musicians and independent label people that I know are, at best, ambivalent about the idea of a New Zealand Music Month. This seems mainly to be because for those making and releasing and promoting and selling music in NZ it is something that happens 12 months of the year. Some feel that singling out one month to make some noise about NZ Music is a bit of ‘cultural cringe’ by segregating it from the rest of ‘music’. They prefer just to view music as music, and to recognise that some of it is made locally. Most bands would prefer to be defined by their genre than their country of origins, at least within NZ. Overseas it may be a different proposition as ‘New Zealand music’ is sometimes viewed as a useful distinction.

This year, to do something contrary to my normal position (curmudgeonly grumbling mostly), I’m going to do something positive. I intend to BUY some New Zealand music every day direct from the artist/ label on Bandcamp and share the link to it. This will also encourage me to update this blog more regularly (at least for May) and share some New Zealand Music with people around the world…

I’ve missed 1 May so I’ll post a link to the last thing I bought just before May – this wonderful single from Kane Strang.