Album Funding - Overview

NZ On Air offers funding for record companies towards the costs of recording and releasing albums by New Zealand groups/artists with proven commercial radio airplay credentials.

We have made some changes to the way we are doing Phase Four Album funding in the 2009-2010 year.

For the last two years, we have run out of Phase Four Albums budget half way through the funding year. The problem is partly the first-come-first-served way that we have been running the scheme. Clearly, we can't go on like this.

In this new funding year (from 01 July), we are budgeting to do 30 albums at $50,000 apiece which is more than the 25 that we budgeted to do last year.

In the new funding year, we will spread those 30 grants across the six meetings and aim to average only five projects per round. No more first-come-first-served, which has run us into problems in each of the last two years. We won't be slavish about five per round but will aim to average five per round.

Also, in the new funding year, we will use new prioritising criteria. In each round, we will take each artist's two highest airplay charting songs and add the peaks together to give each artist a kind of score. So ... the best score an artist can get is "2" (which is two #1 NZ Airplay Chart songs) and the worst is an "80" (which is two #40 NZ Airplay Chart songs). The five artists with the lowest scores will be the priorities for funding.

For more info, or to ask a question - check out our FAQs page.

What this means is that from now on two current radio hits is not enough. An artist will still need two radio hits (two RadioScope NZ Airplay Chart Top 40 songs) to be eligible to apply but it will be the quality of the radio hits (meaning, how high they charted) that will determine which projects we will fund.

Objective

To fund albums that will provide a source of new radio hits and by supplementing a record company’s budget, to help create an album with higher production values and/or to improve the marketing budget of the album.

Criteria

To be eligible for Album Funding, the group or individual must have: a track record on commercial radio (at least two recent Radioscope Top 40 New Zealand Airplay songs).

potential for at least four more commercial radio hits (include demos of these four songs with application).

a convincing marketing plan (including a release deal in place).

at least matching (dollar-for-dollar) funding of $50,000 from a record company or other parties involved in the project.

Album funding must be repaid from domestic sales on the basis of one dollar per album sold.

Application

There is no online application for Album Funding.

Provide written information to satisfy the five criteria (above).

Send to NZ On Air by one of the six annual closing dates

Contact

Brendan Smyth on 04 382 9524 or

Deadlines

APPLICATION DEADLINES

All applications to NZ On Air music funding must reach NZ On Air's Wellington office by 5pm on the relevant closing date.

March 2010 Funding Round
5pm, Friday 29 January - application deadline
5pm, Thursday 11 March - funding results available

June 2010 Funding Round
5pm, Friday 23 April - application deadline
5pm, Thursday 03 June - funding results available

August 2010 Funding Round
5pm, Friday 25 June - application deadline
5pm, Thursday 05 August - funding results available

October 2010 Funding Round
5pm, Friday 27 August - application deadline
5pm, Thursday 07 October - funding results available

December 2010 Funding Round
5pm, Friday 29 October - application deadline
5pm, Thursday 09 December - funding results available