8 November 2022

Auckland City of Music | Tāmaki Makaurau Pā Puoro was named Best Global Music City at the 3rd Annual Music Cities Awards at a ceremony in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday 5th November NZT. This is the second successive win for Auckland at these awards, following on from 2021’s award as Best Global Music Office.

The Music Cities Awards is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward the most outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental and cultural development in cities and places all around the world.

The aim of the Best Global Music City category is to celebrate the city that has best integrated music into as many aspects of its development as possible, with the winning city able to demonstrate that it is actively supporting its music ecosystem, as well as integrating music into improving equity & inclusion, economic development, health, tourism, urban planning, night time economy, community building, and more.

This year’s jury was impressed with the work Auckland City of Music has been doing and the impact the work has on communities across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Mark Roach, Director of Auckland City of Music, says “This award recognises the place that music plays in building world-class cities. By designing and embedding music-friendly policies in city planning; creating & protecting the spaces and places that music needs to thrive; and caring for the unique sounds of this region, we can create a sustainable music ecosystem for all. There is still much mahi to do, but in winning this award, I am confident we are on course to realise Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s potential as a global creative capital [1].”

With the aim of the awards being to promote best practice and demonstrate the value of music to the world, Luke Jones, CEO of Music Cities Events, the awards producer, states “We’re delighted with the success of the third edition of the Music Cities Awards. We received over 150 applications from twenty countries and five continents, and each application demonstrated how versatile and powerful music can be. It was exciting to be able to gather all of these examples of how music can be used to improve cities around the world.”

Mirla Edmundson, Auckland Council’s Acting Director of Customer and Community Services, says “We’re thrilled this award recognises the efforts of the partnership and acknowledges our unique music industry and culture across Tāmaki Makaurau. Auckland is a highly creative city, filled with world-class musicians, music workers, orchestras, venues and festivals and it’s wonderful to help play a part in bringing them to the world stage.”

The win recognises key Auckland City of Music and Auckland Council activations and projects, as well as the collaborative efforts of the municipal and music sector partners to find ways to solve challenges and maximise opportunities within the ecosystem. 

More information can be found here.

[1] Tātaki Auckland Unlimited published Create Auckland 2030, a strategy for growing the creative economy. The vision statement is to see “Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland navigating towards a glo bal creative capital.” https://www.aucklandnz.com/createakl2030

6 July 2022

Music in Venues Funds awarded

We're pleased to be supporting the return of live music through the Music In Venues grants. We received 86 applications requesting $430,000 in total. Applications were prioritised based on event quality and outcomes for Auckland communities. The panel awarded 24 grants for a total of $117000.

Venues that will be hosting events from these grants this year are: All Goods, Audio Foundation, Big Fan, Cupid Bar, Four Shells Kava Lounge, Ink, Little Wilderness, Move Space, Nice Goblins HQ, Ponsonby Social Club, Q Loft, Stampede Bar & Grill, The Hollywood, The Tuning Fork, Whammy Bar, Wine Cellar

10 May 2022

Auckland City of Music in collaboration with our partners are proud to invite you to

THE INAUGURAL EQ NETWORKING HUI
A celebration of Women* in screen and Music

Saturday 28 May
10am - 1pm
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre
Light food and drinks provided

Equaliser (EQ) is a networking and grants initiative that provides professional development and an ongoing network to female* music and screen sector professionals. It is produced and presented by Auckland UNESCO City of Music, Women In Film & Television and supported by SAE Creative Media Institute, Auckland Live, the NZ Music Commission and NZ On Air.

Project grants of $10,000 were awarded in 2021 to facilitate three musicians working with three female directors to create filmed music content. The Inaugural EQ Networking Hui gives the creatives involved an opportunity to discuss their work and processes, as well as give other music and screen professionals an opportunity to network amongst peers.  EQ is a global initiative by UNESCO Cities of Music to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

 The Hui will take place on Saturday 28th May inside the Herald Theatre with an aim of building a community of female screen and music professionals here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.  Numbers are limited - so RSVP swiftly! 

Our programme includes:

• Q&A session with our 2021 EQ Grant Recipient Directors and Musicians, moderated by Sarah Thomson
• Q&A session with Sylvia Betham from NZ on Air regarding funding
• An opportunity to network with peers and industry professionals.

View and learn more about our 2021 EQ Grant Recipients here.

We have a ticket price of $5, with all proceeds donated to MusicHelps.
RSVP to the event by clicking the button below and purchasing your tickets. 
If you've any questions contact Renee Tanner on 

Get your tickets here

17 February 2022

Auckland City of Music, a collaborative partnership between music sector leaders and Auckland Council has today released its four-year report [PDF] highlighting a substantial programme of work resulting in it being awarded the Best Global Music Office at the 2nd Annual Music Cities Awards 2021.

Auckland City of Music Director Mark Roach says it’s vital that Auckland supports our music sector now and continues to build a sustainable music industry for the future.

“We can be really proud of what the partnership has achieved, and we know the industry is extremely resilient, but the pandemic has really challenged artists and creatives. 

“We have to find new ways of addressing income loss and working collaboratively to create a sustainable industry.” 

Park, Arts, Community and Events Committee Deputy Chair Councillor Cathy Casey says Auckland being awarded Best Global Music Office is a recognition Tamaki Makaurau should be proud of.

“Having a thriving music industry has wider benefits like supporting the reinvigoration of tourism and creates a source of pride and inspiration for Aucklanders that reflects the culture and character of the city.

“Music is arguably the most accessible art form and one way that communities engage and participate in creative and cultural experiences.”

The report [PDF] highlights an impressive list of professional development programmes, initiatives and free events from songwriter workshops with music legends Bob Geldof and Mick Fleetwood, music heritage projects such as Songlines, youth participation via the Young Gig Makers scheme, support for the city’s grassroots venues, through to Equaliser, a programme designed to address gender equality as well as support Auckland’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

During the pandemic, the Music Office supported sector-led initiative MusicHelpsLive, to raise money for music workers in need by collaborating with other industry organisations. The appeal raised over $850,000 and assisted nearly 600 musicians and music workers with direct support for 18 grassroots music venues.

A new four-year strategy will be launched late-2022 which will look to build upon Auckland City of Music’s existing programme.

Auckland’s award for Best Global Music Office was contested by Music Victoria (Melbourne) and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music Arts & Culture and voted on by a jury of international judges. Auckland City of Music Director Mark Roach was also nominated for the Public Service Award for a Leading Music Cities Professional category at the Music Cities Awards 2021.

Tāmaki Makaurau was designated a UNESCO City of Music within the global UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in 2017. This was in recognition of the talent in the region and the critical role that music plays in our communities to connect and share Auckland’s unique identity with the world.

Read and download the four-year report here [PDF].

Join Mark Roach (Director | Auckland UNESCO City of Music) at the upcoming Alberta Music Cities Convention.

To be live streamed worldwide on 10-11 February 2022, from Calgary and Edmonton.

The event will explore the use and importance of music in the development of cities all around the world and will feature talks and presentations on topics such as global music city policies, economic development, health, technology, education and much more.

Find out more here.

Register for FREE here. 

1 December 2021

Working in partnership, Auckland UNESCO City of Music (ACOM) and Auckland Council’s urban regeneration agency, Eke Panuku Development Auckland, are pleased to be launching Songlines - a free interactive community exhibition celebrating the music of Tāmaki Makaurau in Takapuna next month.

At the heart of Songlines is a mixtape of a dozen songs, represented by record-shaped pavement decals, creating a trail of tunes throughout in the town centre. Each decal carries song lyrics from some of Tāmaki Makaurau’s most memorable tracks, plus a QR code that links audiences to the audio on Spotify.
 
The lyrics are also referenced in displays around the Takapuna town centre which provides the public with further information regarding the artist and song. A converted shipping container at 38 Hurstmere also serves as an exhibition space, featuring photos of Auckland musicians and/or venues curated by From the Pit. The large-scale photographic reproductions further showcase Tāmaki Makaurau’s puoro and the vital role that photography plays in preserving out musical heritage and telling our stories, as well as offering a fun backdrop for music fans’ summer selfies.
 
This Project is about bringing people and communities together, as well as filling Aucklanders with civic pride. Songlines provides the opportunity to introduce people to both older and newer tracks they may not have heard before and take them on a musical journey through our city’s soundtrack.

The Songlines project gives us an opportunity to not only remunerate local writers for the reproduction of their lyrics, but to feature new and emerging talent from the city. Two of the decals were reserved for the winners of the Play It Strange secondary school songwriting competitions which enables the project to promote both the songwriters and the work of the songwriting charity.

Enjoy Songlines free in Takapuna town centre from 4 December 2021 until 12 January 2022.

Not able to see Songlines in person? View the featured artists  here.

15 November 2021

Auckland UNESCO City of Music is celebrating being named as the Best Global Music Office at the Music Cities Awards 2021.

250 global music cities professionals attended the 2nd edition of the Music Cities Awards Ceremony last week (9 November). Held as a fully virtual event featuring 30 award nominees from countries spanning New Zealand to Canada and from South Africa to Denmark, the Ceremony comprised ten talks, one for each award category, with the award winner announced at the end of each discussion.

Our office serves as a whare that connects our music ecosystem and we are honoured to have been recognised for this work by international peers on a global stage.

Projects such as Equaliser, Young Gig Makers, the Aotearoa Music Photography Award and supporting From The Pit, Sync-Posium, Young At Art and Our Venues are examples of the Auckland Music Strategy in action.

Read more about the awards here.