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It's not about the month, it's about the music.
The start of NZ Music Month is fewer than a hundred hours away, with this Friday marking the start date for 2009's celebration of homegrown musical goodness and bringing with it another opportunity to fill yourself with as many fine local flavours as you can handle. There's really no excuse not to take part in some way, whether it's getting out to shows, picking up a stack of new records, or simply keeping tabs on what's happening around New Zealand this May.
Since 2001 we've been helping to get the word out about this country's great music and this has meant tangible benefits to NZ artists. Kiwis' support for local tunes sees sales and airplay increase during the month, lending NZ Music Month commercial as well as cultural significance. Last May for instance local artists were responsible for over one in four albums sold, a sales increase of over 80% on April. Meanwhile one the singles chart one in every nine songs was by a local artist, a growth of over 40% on the previous month.
You can pick up one of the many awesome recent and upcoming releases in stores, catch plenty of local music on telly and radio and check out one of the hundreds if not thousands of great gigs happening all over the place. You can keep up with them by using the NZ Music Month gig guide.
But May's about more than us sending press releases and newsletters. We want you to share photos of your musical experiences – whether you're a punter at a gig, a band in the practice room, or you've had your picture taken with your favourite muso in the street (no stalking please!). Upload your pictures to our Flickr group and throughout the month we'll be displaying them on our website and building up a massive gallery of memories of NZ Music Month 2009.
Here are a few places you might want to get started and celebrate the launch of NZMM 09:
Friday May 1
Cornerstone Roots @ The Mill, New Plymouth
Ed Muzic and The Burning Sensations, Green Like Go, Pikachunes, The Steffan van Soest Hit Machine @ Al's Bar, Christchurch
Jody Lloyd 'Loops of Love' cd launch/exhibition @ Silvan Gallery, Christchurch
Mum Club Night ft. Bang Bang Eche and Charlie Ash @ Cassette Number Nine, Auckland
SJD @ Crystal Palace, Wanaka
The Mamaku Project @ The Little Theatre, Gore
The Midnight Kitemen @ Foxton RSA
The Upbeats Ghost Radio Tour @ Zen, Central Auckland
Tourettes, Alphabethead, Little Pictures @ Mighty Mighty, Central Wellington
Saturday May 2
Best of the West Country Music Awards @ Westport Community Centre
Brand New Math, Batman Tiddabades, Diana Rozz @ Mighty Mighty, Central Wellington
Pages from Dunedin @ The Regent Theatre, Dunedin
P-Money (club tour) @ The Outback, Hamilton
Smashproof @ Heaven Bar, Whangarei
Soundclash feat. Tahuna Breaks, Kolab, Roofdog, Badtown, the Randoms, Army of Darkness and many more @ Kings Arms, Rising Sun, Thirsty Dog, Auckland
The Eastern @ The Penguin Club, Oamaru
The Phoenix Foundation @ Cabana Bar, Napier
That's just a handful of many gigs around the country, and tomorrow we'll let you know about some great new releases out this week. Keep visiting the NZ Music Month website for information from NZMM HQ and further afield throughout the month, and you'll also be able to say hi to us on MySpace and follow updates on Twitter.
Oh, and before we wrap up – this year's range of NZ Music Month apparel through Hallensteins is available to buy in stores and online right away. Check out this year's expanded range at their website.
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