Meet Young NZ Music Industry Professionals
Ignite is a training programme for young people aged 15-18 with a passion for music and events. We talked to a graduate, Elleana Dumper, who is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Commercial Music degree at Massey University in Wellington.
How did you get involved in Ignite?
I came across it when I was 16, at a time when I was involved in the all-ages music scene. It was frustrating that some of my favourite local and international acts performed at R18 venues. I got an email about applications for Ignite from my music teacher, Mary Lin at Baradene College, and was immediately interested.
What did learn through doing the programme?
We had the chance to put on our own gig – and it wasn’t only my own motivation but for the community of other teenagers around me. It can be a bit of a negative scene around the music industry, and somewhat intimidating. R18 restrictions block out the all-ages scene. It feels like we don’t have say, as music consumers, especially since we’re the future of the music industry.
All-ages live events feel so inspiring. The crowd reaction unites everyone together – I find it mutually compelling to the performance, the exchange of energy between audience and the performer. And when it’s your own gig, it’s an incomparable feeling!
I curated hip-hop artists from the Grow Room on K Rd. I was interested in them because hip-hop has been less common in the all-age scene. I put it on at the Old Folks Association Hall in Grey Lynn.
Ignite taught me everything I know in terms of the industry side of music. I never looked at the business or industry side before – communications by phone and email, and budgeting, and time management. It helped me to be more confident in myself and my creative direction, and to find my voice.
When did you decide to pursue tertiary study in commercial music?
My mum found the degree for me, and my parents were encouraging. Ignite sparked the reality of finding a career. I chose the Music Industry major, where you learn about event and artist management. I’ve really enjoyed the Live Music paper. We’ve learned to redefine what a live event is, and different ways to market and reach live audiences; curating artists, and budgeting. You think critically but also creatively. We will work together with Music Practice and Music Technology majors to put on a live event that has a unique concept.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to work in the music industry?
I think it’s important to find something you enjoy – as a performer, or more of the business side. Do something you’re interested in. What do you love to do so much that you procrastinate doing other things? For me it was going to gigs. I would suggest looking for any volunteering at local events.
Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I’m not entirely sure of my direction just yet – but I’m just learning and absorbing everything I can to build a wide skill set, experiences and relationships. I like to think of myself as endlessly changing and moving because that’s how I stay happy.
To learn more about the Ignite programme, click here.
To learn more about the Bachelor of Commercial Music at Massey University, click here.
How did you get involved in Ignite?
I came across it when I was 16, at a time when I was involved in the all-ages music scene. It was frustrating that some of my favourite local and international acts performed at R18 venues. I got an email about applications for Ignite from my music teacher, Mary Lin at Baradene College, and was immediately interested.
What did learn through doing the programme?
We had the chance to put on our own gig – and it wasn’t only my own motivation but for the community of other teenagers around me. It can be a bit of a negative scene around the music industry, and somewhat intimidating. R18 restrictions block out the all-ages scene. It feels like we don’t have say, as music consumers, especially since we’re the future of the music industry.
All-ages live events feel so inspiring. The crowd reaction unites everyone together – I find it mutually compelling to the performance, the exchange of energy between audience and the performer. And when it’s your own gig, it’s an incomparable feeling!
I curated hip-hop artists from the Grow Room on K Rd. I was interested in them because hip-hop has been less common in the all-age scene. I put it on at the Old Folks Association Hall in Grey Lynn.
Ignite taught me everything I know in terms of the industry side of music. I never looked at the business or industry side before – communications by phone and email, and budgeting, and time management. It helped me to be more confident in myself and my creative direction, and to find my voice.
When did you decide to pursue tertiary study in commercial music?
My mum found the degree for me, and my parents were encouraging. Ignite sparked the reality of finding a career. I chose the Music Industry major, where you learn about event and artist management. I’ve really enjoyed the Live Music paper. We’ve learned to redefine what a live event is, and different ways to market and reach live audiences; curating artists, and budgeting. You think critically but also creatively. We will work together with Music Practice and Music Technology majors to put on a live event that has a unique concept.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to work in the music industry?
I think it’s important to find something you enjoy – as a performer, or more of the business side. Do something you’re interested in. What do you love to do so much that you procrastinate doing other things? For me it was going to gigs. I would suggest looking for any volunteering at local events.
Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I’m not entirely sure of my direction just yet – but I’m just learning and absorbing everything I can to build a wide skill set, experiences and relationships. I like to think of myself as endlessly changing and moving because that’s how I stay happy.
To learn more about the Ignite programme, click here.
To learn more about the Bachelor of Commercial Music at Massey University, click here.
A passion for history and preserving our cultural heritage led this month’s young music industry professional to the Archive of Māori and Pacific Music at University of Auckland.
Name: Ruby Satele
Hometown: Christchurch, ancestral villages in ‘Upolu, Savai’i and Tutuila (American Samoa)
Job: Library Assistant (Pasifika) at the Archive of Maori and Pacific Music
Education: BA in Archeology from University of Otago (with help from wonderful parents, student loan and allowance, part-time job in the college cafeteria and school holiday job at Tegel), PGDipArts and MA in Museums and Cultural Heritage at University of Auckland, researching the history and significance of the selu (decorative Samoan comb).
What inspired you to work at the Archive?
History is really interesting to me, especially material culture – those are the physical objects, resources and spaces that people use to define their culture. I really appreciate what we have today that tells us the story of our ancestors and our culture today.
I was working part-time in public libraries and was looking for a full time role after I finished my Masters’ studies. When the role came up for a library assistant in the Music Archive, I thought I didn’t have experience with that, but I kind of fit in a way. I grew up playing piano for church so I do have experience with music, and also as part of my undergrad one of my minor subjects was music technology. So it was a pretty new role for me in terms of music, but I brought forward my other skills.
Tell us about what you do!
I will be enhancing and creating descriptive metadata for the Pasifika recordings in the Archive. (Metadata provides information about a certain item's content. For a sound recording, metadata might be how long the recording is, where was made, what kind of music it is and what language it is.).
We’re still trying to learn what our collection is, to have the correct metadata, some of the spelling, meaning of translations, which is why they were looking for someone who understands Pacific languages. I will be working with all of the Pacific collection. I’m fluent in Samoan but will probably seek out help for some other languages.
What are some of the skills and qualities important for your role?
Volunteering can really open up pathways to learning new skills. I learned a lot from volunteer work I did at Auckland Museum about cataloguing (making an organized list of the museum items) and learning particular cataloguing systems. I was told it was one of the most important things on my CV when I applied for my role.
It’s important to be open to learning new things. I have to learn new technology and new equipment. And be open to learning about other cultures.
Part of my role is having to contact the stakeholders of the materials in the archive. These are the people we have to ask permission to share the recordings with others who are doing research. So that was kind of scary for me, talking to people I don’t know! So I have to be courageous in that.
What are the rewarding aspects of your role?
As a completely new team, we face number of challenges but seeing the bigger picture and remembering what we are there for sees us through it. We are here to help preserve the culture of our people. It’s a work that I’m honored to be a part of.
Another rewarding aspect of the job is seeing our people connect with their ancestors. There was a student who found a recording in the archive of her grandpa that she has never met! Another person accessed recordings of both her grandparents songs found in the archive in preparation for her family reunion. You can sense the joy of these individuals, which just makes our day.
This role has reshaped the way I perceive our material culture. Coming from a museum background, for me the tangible objects use to be the focus of telling the stories. Since taking on this role, I’ve come to appreciate what sound and music offers. I’m still learning to explore cultural history through this avenue.
Sometimes I’m reminded of the irony of it all because I have partial hearing impairment which can be challenging. But whatever you set your heart on, no matter your level of ability, you can accomplish it as long as you work hard and persevere.
Name: Ruby Satele
Hometown: Christchurch, ancestral villages in ‘Upolu, Savai’i and Tutuila (American Samoa)
Job: Library Assistant (Pasifika) at the Archive of Maori and Pacific Music
Education: BA in Archeology from University of Otago (with help from wonderful parents, student loan and allowance, part-time job in the college cafeteria and school holiday job at Tegel), PGDipArts and MA in Museums and Cultural Heritage at University of Auckland, researching the history and significance of the selu (decorative Samoan comb).
What inspired you to work at the Archive?
History is really interesting to me, especially material culture – those are the physical objects, resources and spaces that people use to define their culture. I really appreciate what we have today that tells us the story of our ancestors and our culture today.
I was working part-time in public libraries and was looking for a full time role after I finished my Masters’ studies. When the role came up for a library assistant in the Music Archive, I thought I didn’t have experience with that, but I kind of fit in a way. I grew up playing piano for church so I do have experience with music, and also as part of my undergrad one of my minor subjects was music technology. So it was a pretty new role for me in terms of music, but I brought forward my other skills.
Tell us about what you do!
I will be enhancing and creating descriptive metadata for the Pasifika recordings in the Archive. (Metadata provides information about a certain item's content. For a sound recording, metadata might be how long the recording is, where was made, what kind of music it is and what language it is.).
We’re still trying to learn what our collection is, to have the correct metadata, some of the spelling, meaning of translations, which is why they were looking for someone who understands Pacific languages. I will be working with all of the Pacific collection. I’m fluent in Samoan but will probably seek out help for some other languages.
What are some of the skills and qualities important for your role?
Volunteering can really open up pathways to learning new skills. I learned a lot from volunteer work I did at Auckland Museum about cataloguing (making an organized list of the museum items) and learning particular cataloguing systems. I was told it was one of the most important things on my CV when I applied for my role.
It’s important to be open to learning new things. I have to learn new technology and new equipment. And be open to learning about other cultures.
Part of my role is having to contact the stakeholders of the materials in the archive. These are the people we have to ask permission to share the recordings with others who are doing research. So that was kind of scary for me, talking to people I don’t know! So I have to be courageous in that.
What are the rewarding aspects of your role?
As a completely new team, we face number of challenges but seeing the bigger picture and remembering what we are there for sees us through it. We are here to help preserve the culture of our people. It’s a work that I’m honored to be a part of.
Another rewarding aspect of the job is seeing our people connect with their ancestors. There was a student who found a recording in the archive of her grandpa that she has never met! Another person accessed recordings of both her grandparents songs found in the archive in preparation for her family reunion. You can sense the joy of these individuals, which just makes our day.
This role has reshaped the way I perceive our material culture. Coming from a museum background, for me the tangible objects use to be the focus of telling the stories. Since taking on this role, I’ve come to appreciate what sound and music offers. I’m still learning to explore cultural history through this avenue.
Sometimes I’m reminded of the irony of it all because I have partial hearing impairment which can be challenging. But whatever you set your heart on, no matter your level of ability, you can accomplish it as long as you work hard and persevere.
Welcome August! We talked with the inventor of the Deluge, a portable all-in-one synthesizer, sampler and sequencer. He told us how his love of music and tech has helped him to start his own boutique music electronics company! Learn more about the Deluge here.
Name: Rohan Hill
Hometown: Wellington
Job: Self-employed music electronics designer at Synthstrom Audible
Studied: Victoria University of Wellington, Philosophy and Computer Science (scholarships helped!)
What kind of music did you like listening to when you were in school? What kind of band were you in?
I was an early 2000s / late 90s rock kid, playing guitar and drums in covers bands of questionable quality with my friends. I wish I had something a bit more inspirational to report! Contrasting with my current career running an electronic music hardware company, I wasn't exposed to any electronic music that I really liked, and certainly didn't know a thing about synthesizers.
In school you were interested in both music and computers. When did you first think about putting them together?
In school I did recording on computers, and made MIDI music for computer games that I made, but computers and music were a largely separate thing for me. Aside from recording, it was only a few years ago that I became interested in using my computer as a live instrument and guitar fx processor - something that's quite difficult to do, and I really needed to get quite creative to make it work the way I wanted. For a while I was playing, and occasionally performing, with my guitar being processed through a vast array of effects (some partially created by me), with an elaborate MIDI controller footpedal that I built controlling them. Technologically it was quite spectacular, but around that time, I got so busy developing the Deluge that I stopped having much time to play!
How did studying arts and STEM help you get to where you are today?
My BA was something I was passionate about at the time and got satisfaction from, so that was worth doing.
My computer science study, primarily focused on software development, was essential in being able to create the Deluge's firmware, which is a very complex piece of software.
What was your first music + hardware project like?
In my old band, I was the drummer, my bandmate would make loops on his loop pedal, and I'd need to stay in time with them. The loop pedal had an LED that would blink out the tempo, but keeping in time by looking at that was very tricky. I'd recently learned how to use an Arduino, and I realised that I could blu-tac a light-dependent resistor onto that LED, and have the Arduino register when the LED was blinking, and play a metronome-style click through my headphones. We used this for a couple of years. It worked great except when the blu-tac came unstuck in the middle of a gig, or when we tried to play outdoors in direct sunlight.
You must have had a lot of trial and error when building the Deluge. What drives you to persist and keep trying when building a project?
I'm just kind of an obsessive person, and stopping never seemed like an option. I just always have to be working on something creative and self-directed. Also, in between quitting my last job and the Deluge beginning to succeed as a business project, there was a period where I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to sustain my mad-inventor lifestyle, so there was quite a sense of urgency to get it finished.
You are now part of a team that is building and marketing your product. What kind of personal, technical and professional skills do you think are important to be successful in this role?
You have to be ready to deal with unexpected circumstances on a day-to-day basis when you're dealing with so many people, manufacturers, suppliers and customers. It can get extremely busy, and it's certainly not for everyone. If you like having set work-hours and finishing at the expected time, starting your own company might not be the best option! I can only do it because I'm so obsessed with our product that working til midnight seems normal. That said, I am able to more-or-less choose when I work, and schedule time off for other creative projects whenever I need to, so I am extremely lucky to be able to be my own boss.
Name: Rohan Hill
Hometown: Wellington
Job: Self-employed music electronics designer at Synthstrom Audible
Studied: Victoria University of Wellington, Philosophy and Computer Science (scholarships helped!)
What kind of music did you like listening to when you were in school? What kind of band were you in?
I was an early 2000s / late 90s rock kid, playing guitar and drums in covers bands of questionable quality with my friends. I wish I had something a bit more inspirational to report! Contrasting with my current career running an electronic music hardware company, I wasn't exposed to any electronic music that I really liked, and certainly didn't know a thing about synthesizers.
In school you were interested in both music and computers. When did you first think about putting them together?
In school I did recording on computers, and made MIDI music for computer games that I made, but computers and music were a largely separate thing for me. Aside from recording, it was only a few years ago that I became interested in using my computer as a live instrument and guitar fx processor - something that's quite difficult to do, and I really needed to get quite creative to make it work the way I wanted. For a while I was playing, and occasionally performing, with my guitar being processed through a vast array of effects (some partially created by me), with an elaborate MIDI controller footpedal that I built controlling them. Technologically it was quite spectacular, but around that time, I got so busy developing the Deluge that I stopped having much time to play!
How did studying arts and STEM help you get to where you are today?
My BA was something I was passionate about at the time and got satisfaction from, so that was worth doing.
My computer science study, primarily focused on software development, was essential in being able to create the Deluge's firmware, which is a very complex piece of software.
What was your first music + hardware project like?
In my old band, I was the drummer, my bandmate would make loops on his loop pedal, and I'd need to stay in time with them. The loop pedal had an LED that would blink out the tempo, but keeping in time by looking at that was very tricky. I'd recently learned how to use an Arduino, and I realised that I could blu-tac a light-dependent resistor onto that LED, and have the Arduino register when the LED was blinking, and play a metronome-style click through my headphones. We used this for a couple of years. It worked great except when the blu-tac came unstuck in the middle of a gig, or when we tried to play outdoors in direct sunlight.
You must have had a lot of trial and error when building the Deluge. What drives you to persist and keep trying when building a project?
I'm just kind of an obsessive person, and stopping never seemed like an option. I just always have to be working on something creative and self-directed. Also, in between quitting my last job and the Deluge beginning to succeed as a business project, there was a period where I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to sustain my mad-inventor lifestyle, so there was quite a sense of urgency to get it finished.
You are now part of a team that is building and marketing your product. What kind of personal, technical and professional skills do you think are important to be successful in this role?
You have to be ready to deal with unexpected circumstances on a day-to-day basis when you're dealing with so many people, manufacturers, suppliers and customers. It can get extremely busy, and it's certainly not for everyone. If you like having set work-hours and finishing at the expected time, starting your own company might not be the best option! I can only do it because I'm so obsessed with our product that working til midnight seems normal. That said, I am able to more-or-less choose when I work, and schedule time off for other creative projects whenever I need to, so I am extremely lucky to be able to be my own boss.
Our young music industry professional for June has combined his love of playing in bands with working in law.
Name: Dan Chisholm
Hometown: Christchurch
Job: Entertainment lawyer
Studied: Otago University, supported by student loans, playing drums in a band and working at a fitness shop
Your job in one sentence:
It’s all about helping individuals and companies within the entertainment industry understand legal agreements and concepts so that they can minimise risk and make informed decisions.
When did you realise you wanted to work in the music industry?
I started playing the drums when I was eleven and always thought playing in bands would be a cool job. I’m a massive fan of the arts in general- film, painting, writing, performing. To be honest, I never really thought I would work within the music industry but thought I might play in a band for fun in the weekends or something along those lines.
I was always in pub bands at uni. When I was 2 months away from graduating and I met three “hardcore” musos who planned to move to Melbourne and live off music. They were after a drummer and asked me to come with them. That was the first time I really considered a career in music but the thought of it was exciting, so I became a full-time muso in Australia. It never felt like “work” to me. A few years down the track I wanted to get more into the business side of music so I utilised my legal skills by working for a specialist music law firm. Two very different jobs but equally interesting. I have drums set up in the office for the odd jam session with clients.
What are some of the challenges with becoming qualified as a lawyer?
For starters, you need a degree, which takes around 4 years of study. Following this, there is a further period of time in which you undergo training in order to be fully qualified and get admitted to the bar. Aside from the initial university costs, you have to sacrifice a full-time job so you have time to attend classes and study. You will also need to be “accepted” into second year law by achieving sufficiently decent exam results in your first year.
The time it takes to get qualified is well worth it if you keep the end result in mind. Student loans come in handy for the uni costs coupled with part time jobs to pay rent while studying. In terms of tackling the law papers, I’d get a mentor if necessary to give one on one advice. I recall back when I studied that a lot of students skipped classes and opted for drawing pictures during lectures rather than taking notes, so, as simple as it sounds, simply showing up and listening can put you ahead of the pack. Lecturers are generally happy to give feedback after class, so don’t be afraid to hit them up- that’s their job. It comes down to the basics really, the more prepared you are the better you’ll do.
What attracted you to your current job as an entertainment lawyer?
I thought it would be great to practice law in an exciting industry. I love being around creative individuals, musicians and entertainers. I feel we are on the same page. They are generally super positive, and have had the courage to put themselves and their creative material out there which is not an easy thing to do.
Being in the entertainment industry is never dull and often there is something exciting happening when entertainers seek legal advice. This can open doors to a bunch of new opportunities for them and to be part of that process from the start is pretty cool.
What skills are important for this kind of job?
Taking the time to read contracts and other documents carefully is important. This means paying attention to detail, as opposed to cutting corners. If you hate reading, then law’s probably not your thing. In saying this, I wasn’t always a huge reader of books and novels but find it easier to read legal documents because I’m interested in getting to the bottom of things…identifying how the content affects my clients.
Being able to identify the important issues and relevant points is a key skill- contracts, case law and legislation can be quite lengthy. Communication skills are important to virtually any job. Some people think that lawyers talk in pompous language using words like “furthermore” “forthwith” etc but in reality, it’s quite the opposite (or at least it should be the opposite!). The good ones always keep their language simple and concise.
I think experience as a musician has really helped me understand my client’s perceptive and also identify issues that might not be so obvious to the average non-entertainer. I realise the passion that comes with being a muso, the time involved, the sacrifice etc. Being able to slot into your client’s shoes is an important skill.
Lastly, just like any other job, being positive and respectful to others is also important. Negotiating is a big part of the job, and people will always talk if they have had unpleasant dealings with you.
Our young music industry professional for May is working for one of NZ's most prestigious live sound companies - and has her own successful business too!
Name: Danny Champion
Hometown: Auckland
Job: Live sound engineer at Oceania Productions and self-employed at DC Sound
Education: Bachelor of Arts from SAE, supported with student loans but paid off through income from DC Sound
How did you become interested in sound engineering?
I enjoyed the academic side when I was in school but I didn’t like the culture of the school and I didn’t like the people. I would go hide in the theatre and climb up the lighting rigs and eat my lunch so nobody could find me! One day the house sound tech found crumbs on the stage and looked up and said “What do you think you’re doing? If you’re going to be up there come down and sweep the stage!” This went on for a week and then I started to take an interest in what he had to say. He started teaching me about microphones and speakers and gave me some simple jobs to do. When the school put on musicals, he trained me up so that I’d be able to work on them. I absolutely enjoyed it, it just clicked, and best of all I really liked the other people doing it.
I really wanted to continue with it as a career, and the house tech – Ian - discouraged me from studying and to go straight into the industry. He took me to Oceania and said, they’re the best in the industry, don’t settle for anything less! The CEO told me I was better off going to study because I had so little experience. I was gutted that day! But I completed the bachelor’s degree at SAE and ended up getting hired by Oceania.
Tell us about DC Sound.
DC Sound is my own business. My lecturers were very supportive and helped me make up my work at SAE while started it. I wanted to support local bands because I hugely admire musicians – I never learned to play any instruments and I’ve got huge stage fright so I won’t become a performer, ever – I find it frustrating that they do a lot of the work and they get too little of the money. I did the sound at a lot of small venues around town where my mates were playing. I just bought about $25,000 of specialist gear that I rent out to other companies when I’m not using it, and when I do sound for local bands I don’t charge for equipment, just for me, and I keep the prices cheap.
What’s it like as a female in a male dominated industry?
I don’t believe I’ve been in the industry long enough to have a professional opinion. There’s a hierarchy in the industry based on experience, and if you can do the job, that’s it. I will be treated as a junior because I’ve only been doing it for four years. You do in general have to be a stronger person. I wasn’t confident when I came into the industry, but I had to develop confidence in myself. It’s really hard, there will be people who discriminate against you for whatever reason, saying you can’t do that because you’re a girl. Even if they’re a million dollar client you don’t need that person in your life. You go to the grave with no dollars, so [stuff] them! Have the confidence to leave them and that you’re better than that.
Your high school had a pretty flash theatre department and you learned a lot there. What’s your advice to other students who don’t have that opportunity?
If you want to do it, you will seek it out. I was lucky that I went to a privileged school and it was all there for me on a plate. A lot of people don’t have that. But I will tell you that 80% of live sound is dedicated to churches. Go to your church or mosque if you’re a religious person, see if someone is willing to teach you and pick up skills there. If you’re over 18, go to your local bars, befriend the bands and the house techs – the house techs are always willing to teach. There are so many books and resources out there; there are software programmes you muck around with for free. Go to my Facebook page, contact me and I can connect you with anyone in any town who can teach you and help you.
How do you look after your health in the industry?
It can be dangerous. Once a 100 KG box fell on my hand, and I was out for two months. I’ve seen forklifts fall on people, I’ve seen people fall off buildings. It’s pretty grim out there. But with the health and safety laws, your employer is supposed to supply safety gear like steel capped boots, gloves and high-viz helmets if you can’t afford it yourself so you should always be firm about that. You have to keep onto your sleep and food. Demand that you are treated right. They will respect you for saying it.
What about looking after your mental health?
I’m still working on that. Some of the music gigs I love, corporate gigs and theatre, I don’t. You’ve got to have someone you can talk to. That could be your parents, your boyfriend or girlfriend, or a close friend in the industry, that you can have a recreational cry to if you want. I’ve had four days off this year, I don’t get to enjoy things I used to do like horse-riding. Some people turn to drugs for stress relief. Some people will get super-plastered as soon as they finish work. You really have to manage it – don’t try to compete with your friends, if you don’t want to do it, you never have to do it. Be confident enough in yourself to control it, or you’ll burn out.
Hometown: Auckland
Job: Live sound engineer at Oceania Productions and self-employed at DC Sound
Education: Bachelor of Arts from SAE, supported with student loans but paid off through income from DC Sound
How did you become interested in sound engineering?
I enjoyed the academic side when I was in school but I didn’t like the culture of the school and I didn’t like the people. I would go hide in the theatre and climb up the lighting rigs and eat my lunch so nobody could find me! One day the house sound tech found crumbs on the stage and looked up and said “What do you think you’re doing? If you’re going to be up there come down and sweep the stage!” This went on for a week and then I started to take an interest in what he had to say. He started teaching me about microphones and speakers and gave me some simple jobs to do. When the school put on musicals, he trained me up so that I’d be able to work on them. I absolutely enjoyed it, it just clicked, and best of all I really liked the other people doing it.
I really wanted to continue with it as a career, and the house tech – Ian - discouraged me from studying and to go straight into the industry. He took me to Oceania and said, they’re the best in the industry, don’t settle for anything less! The CEO told me I was better off going to study because I had so little experience. I was gutted that day! But I completed the bachelor’s degree at SAE and ended up getting hired by Oceania.
Tell us about DC Sound.
DC Sound is my own business. My lecturers were very supportive and helped me make up my work at SAE while started it. I wanted to support local bands because I hugely admire musicians – I never learned to play any instruments and I’ve got huge stage fright so I won’t become a performer, ever – I find it frustrating that they do a lot of the work and they get too little of the money. I did the sound at a lot of small venues around town where my mates were playing. I just bought about $25,000 of specialist gear that I rent out to other companies when I’m not using it, and when I do sound for local bands I don’t charge for equipment, just for me, and I keep the prices cheap.
What’s it like as a female in a male dominated industry?
I don’t believe I’ve been in the industry long enough to have a professional opinion. There’s a hierarchy in the industry based on experience, and if you can do the job, that’s it. I will be treated as a junior because I’ve only been doing it for four years. You do in general have to be a stronger person. I wasn’t confident when I came into the industry, but I had to develop confidence in myself. It’s really hard, there will be people who discriminate against you for whatever reason, saying you can’t do that because you’re a girl. Even if they’re a million dollar client you don’t need that person in your life. You go to the grave with no dollars, so [stuff] them! Have the confidence to leave them and that you’re better than that.
Your high school had a pretty flash theatre department and you learned a lot there. What’s your advice to other students who don’t have that opportunity?
If you want to do it, you will seek it out. I was lucky that I went to a privileged school and it was all there for me on a plate. A lot of people don’t have that. But I will tell you that 80% of live sound is dedicated to churches. Go to your church or mosque if you’re a religious person, see if someone is willing to teach you and pick up skills there. If you’re over 18, go to your local bars, befriend the bands and the house techs – the house techs are always willing to teach. There are so many books and resources out there; there are software programmes you muck around with for free. Go to my Facebook page, contact me and I can connect you with anyone in any town who can teach you and help you.
How do you look after your health in the industry?
It can be dangerous. Once a 100 KG box fell on my hand, and I was out for two months. I’ve seen forklifts fall on people, I’ve seen people fall off buildings. It’s pretty grim out there. But with the health and safety laws, your employer is supposed to supply safety gear like steel capped boots, gloves and high-viz helmets if you can’t afford it yourself so you should always be firm about that. You have to keep onto your sleep and food. Demand that you are treated right. They will respect you for saying it.
What about looking after your mental health?
I’m still working on that. Some of the music gigs I love, corporate gigs and theatre, I don’t. You’ve got to have someone you can talk to. That could be your parents, your boyfriend or girlfriend, or a close friend in the industry, that you can have a recreational cry to if you want. I’ve had four days off this year, I don’t get to enjoy things I used to do like horse-riding. Some people turn to drugs for stress relief. Some people will get super-plastered as soon as they finish work. You really have to manage it – don’t try to compete with your friends, if you don’t want to do it, you never have to do it. Be confident enough in yourself to control it, or you’ll burn out.
Our young music industry professional for April is writing and producing music for film!
Name: Seth Haapu (Ngati Porou, Tahiti)
Hometown: Whanganui
Job: Composer and producer of music for independent film
Experience: Recording artist (Seth Haapu, Volume I) mentor for emerging Maori artists in the Pao Pao Pao programme and producer of the debut Pao Pao Pao album.
Tell us about the film you are working on.
The film is called Poi Hopes and Dreams. It’s about ten individual Maori women that are very good at poi, and how the use of the poi is a metaphor for how they parent their children.
How do you match your compositions with the content of the film?
I’ve been lucky that I’ve had experiences that have focused on a producer role where I’ve had to listen more. A lot of the music inspiration comes from what their stories inspire, rather than from a technical standpoint. And so I’ve listened to what they’re trying to convey and tried to translate that in a musical sense.
What gave you the confidence to take this role?
I think just working over the years with different musicians and being open to a collaborative community. I think often that can really help with sharpening up your ideas, exposing you to new ideas and methods about production that you weren’t quite sure of before.
What kind of technical and personal skills do you need to be good at this role?
The technical skills you need include a knowledge of recording software, and you need to play an instrument or use MIDI to arrange your musical ideas. And the other essential thing is your creativity and really trying to connect and translate what’s being told visually, in a musical sense. It’s really paying attention to the detail of the story being told.
Some of the good personal tools are to be open to collaborative experiences, you can learn so much from that. And also sharing your ideas with other people, and just growing that music community. And it also extends to when you’re given a particular brief for a certain type of production that you need to do, it’s good to have versatility from one genre to another genre, and therefore being flexible in your craft.
You have to work to deadlines too, so flexibility is really helpful with that. Some projects have to be done in a short amount of time, and with others there’s a bit more back and forth between you and the company that needs the music produced.
Being a good listener is very vital, because if you’ve been given a concept and the company has asked you to come up with the music for it, you have to be conscious of what the other party wants.
What should students do while at school to help them develop their skills?
For me, when I was at school, NCEA provided opportunities to perform and collaborate with other people, and those foundations really helped solidify what I do now. And making the most of opportunities that come through school is really important, because you learn quite fundamental things, like with composition. It’s always fantastic to take all those opportunities in. You’re given opportunities to gain credits to compose and perform as a group, so take them all on board and do your best.
Our young NZ music industry professional for March is an entrepreneur who went from doing lighting for school productions to starting his own business in record time!
Name: Joshua Strand
Hometown: Auckland
Job: Self employed lighting technician and owner of Metro DJ
Experience: Stage tech team at Murray's Bay Intermediate and Rangitoto College, Volunteer at ZEAL Henderson
Studied: Diploma of Audio Engineering and currently Bachelor of Recording Arts at SAE, supported by delivering pizza for Domino's!
How did you get interested in stage lighting? It started in intermediate school. I got interested in lighting school shows, so I joined the tech team there. It was purely just a hobby, and I did it with some friends and we learned from each other. Then in college I joined the tech team there and kept working on school productions and dance shows. Around the same time I was doing it at school, I started doing volunteer lighting for rock bands, and also for a charity talent show. I emailed ZEAL and told them I was really interested in doing volunteer work. It was cool because they just let me do whatever I wanted. So I've been with them since year 7.
When did it go from volunteering to getting paid?
I running lighting at events for one of the staff at Murray's Bay who was running his own audio company. With the little pocket money I had, I started buying my own lighting equipment, so I was providing the lighting as well. I also started getting paid work at ZEAL, and investing the money I made in more equipment. That really added value to my business. I was learning to DJ at the same time, and ZEAL asked me to DJ the Auckland Council Disabilities Disco. So that was my first proper gig. I built up a playlist and bought a DJ controller that had software that could run off a laptop, and I charged them $150, but they came back and wanted to pay me double that because I did such a great job. Then they booked me for another one after that, and that's how I got the idea for the DJ company. I started promoting to intermediate school discos. Now I'm more focused on weddings and private parties.
I learned a lot from hanging out with my good friend Jack about lighting and also from YouTube. There's a large community of young lighting entrepreneurs and mobile DJs, so I watched their videos and ended up Skyping with some of them.
What did your parents think when you wanted to start your own business?
My parents have always been supportive of anything I've wanted to do. My dad used to drive me to every gig until I got my restricted driver's licence. My parents didn't push me too hard, they let me find my own interest and passion. That's what will take you the furthest because you're interested in it rather than being made to do it.
When you get a job, do people seem to to judge you because of your age?
All the time! Especially now that I'm doing weddings. The first impression is that they're always a bit skeptical. But as long as you have confidence that you can deliver a quality service, and you're not going to let them down, most of the time I can turn that around. And after the event you can get a good testimonial - that will help build your reputation.
What skills are important for your job?
For lighting, you need to know the technical aspects as well as troubleshooting and knowing exactly how everything is patched in. If something doesn't work, which happens in almost every gig, you need to be able to fix it under pressure. Communication with bands and the people running the event - they'll have an image about how they want it to look, and you need to translate that into technical terms.
For DJing, you need to be able to read the crowd and play to their tastes. You need a good knowledge of music from different eras as well.
You also can't let your feelings get into it if someone doesn't like the song you're playing. You have to keep your cool and be professional.
In general, getting the experience and meeting people and networking, that's really important. Being able to do it for real and apply the things you've learned.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I'm studying audio engineering at the moment, so that's the direction I'm headed - working with artists, producing, mixing and mastering in a studio. I've found artist management interesting, and business management as well. So I don't know where it's going to take me. MetroDJ is my testing ground and I'll see how far I can take it.
Name: Seth Haapu (Ngati Porou, Tahiti)
Hometown: Whanganui
Job: Composer and producer of music for independent film
Experience: Recording artist (Seth Haapu, Volume I) mentor for emerging Maori artists in the Pao Pao Pao programme and producer of the debut Pao Pao Pao album.
Tell us about the film you are working on.
The film is called Poi Hopes and Dreams. It’s about ten individual Maori women that are very good at poi, and how the use of the poi is a metaphor for how they parent their children.
How do you match your compositions with the content of the film?
I’ve been lucky that I’ve had experiences that have focused on a producer role where I’ve had to listen more. A lot of the music inspiration comes from what their stories inspire, rather than from a technical standpoint. And so I’ve listened to what they’re trying to convey and tried to translate that in a musical sense.
What gave you the confidence to take this role?
I think just working over the years with different musicians and being open to a collaborative community. I think often that can really help with sharpening up your ideas, exposing you to new ideas and methods about production that you weren’t quite sure of before.
What kind of technical and personal skills do you need to be good at this role?
The technical skills you need include a knowledge of recording software, and you need to play an instrument or use MIDI to arrange your musical ideas. And the other essential thing is your creativity and really trying to connect and translate what’s being told visually, in a musical sense. It’s really paying attention to the detail of the story being told.
Some of the good personal tools are to be open to collaborative experiences, you can learn so much from that. And also sharing your ideas with other people, and just growing that music community. And it also extends to when you’re given a particular brief for a certain type of production that you need to do, it’s good to have versatility from one genre to another genre, and therefore being flexible in your craft.
You have to work to deadlines too, so flexibility is really helpful with that. Some projects have to be done in a short amount of time, and with others there’s a bit more back and forth between you and the company that needs the music produced.
Being a good listener is very vital, because if you’ve been given a concept and the company has asked you to come up with the music for it, you have to be conscious of what the other party wants.
What should students do while at school to help them develop their skills?
For me, when I was at school, NCEA provided opportunities to perform and collaborate with other people, and those foundations really helped solidify what I do now. And making the most of opportunities that come through school is really important, because you learn quite fundamental things, like with composition. It’s always fantastic to take all those opportunities in. You’re given opportunities to gain credits to compose and perform as a group, so take them all on board and do your best.
Our young NZ music industry professional for March is an entrepreneur who went from doing lighting for school productions to starting his own business in record time!
Name: Joshua Strand
Hometown: Auckland
Job: Self employed lighting technician and owner of Metro DJ
Experience: Stage tech team at Murray's Bay Intermediate and Rangitoto College, Volunteer at ZEAL Henderson
Studied: Diploma of Audio Engineering and currently Bachelor of Recording Arts at SAE, supported by delivering pizza for Domino's!
How did you get interested in stage lighting? It started in intermediate school. I got interested in lighting school shows, so I joined the tech team there. It was purely just a hobby, and I did it with some friends and we learned from each other. Then in college I joined the tech team there and kept working on school productions and dance shows. Around the same time I was doing it at school, I started doing volunteer lighting for rock bands, and also for a charity talent show. I emailed ZEAL and told them I was really interested in doing volunteer work. It was cool because they just let me do whatever I wanted. So I've been with them since year 7.
When did it go from volunteering to getting paid?
I running lighting at events for one of the staff at Murray's Bay who was running his own audio company. With the little pocket money I had, I started buying my own lighting equipment, so I was providing the lighting as well. I also started getting paid work at ZEAL, and investing the money I made in more equipment. That really added value to my business. I was learning to DJ at the same time, and ZEAL asked me to DJ the Auckland Council Disabilities Disco. So that was my first proper gig. I built up a playlist and bought a DJ controller that had software that could run off a laptop, and I charged them $150, but they came back and wanted to pay me double that because I did such a great job. Then they booked me for another one after that, and that's how I got the idea for the DJ company. I started promoting to intermediate school discos. Now I'm more focused on weddings and private parties.
I learned a lot from hanging out with my good friend Jack about lighting and also from YouTube. There's a large community of young lighting entrepreneurs and mobile DJs, so I watched their videos and ended up Skyping with some of them.
What did your parents think when you wanted to start your own business?
My parents have always been supportive of anything I've wanted to do. My dad used to drive me to every gig until I got my restricted driver's licence. My parents didn't push me too hard, they let me find my own interest and passion. That's what will take you the furthest because you're interested in it rather than being made to do it.
When you get a job, do people seem to to judge you because of your age?
All the time! Especially now that I'm doing weddings. The first impression is that they're always a bit skeptical. But as long as you have confidence that you can deliver a quality service, and you're not going to let them down, most of the time I can turn that around. And after the event you can get a good testimonial - that will help build your reputation.
What skills are important for your job?
For lighting, you need to know the technical aspects as well as troubleshooting and knowing exactly how everything is patched in. If something doesn't work, which happens in almost every gig, you need to be able to fix it under pressure. Communication with bands and the people running the event - they'll have an image about how they want it to look, and you need to translate that into technical terms.
For DJing, you need to be able to read the crowd and play to their tastes. You need a good knowledge of music from different eras as well.
You also can't let your feelings get into it if someone doesn't like the song you're playing. You have to keep your cool and be professional.
In general, getting the experience and meeting people and networking, that's really important. Being able to do it for real and apply the things you've learned.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I'm studying audio engineering at the moment, so that's the direction I'm headed - working with artists, producing, mixing and mastering in a studio. I've found artist management interesting, and business management as well. So I don't know where it's going to take me. MetroDJ is my testing ground and I'll see how far I can take it.
Every month we're profiling a young NZ music industry professional! For February, we sat down with our very own Rebekah...
Name: Rebekah Ngatae (Cook Islands)
Hometown: Auckland
Job: International Coordinator, NZ Music Commission
Studied: Bachelor of in Business at AUT with major in management and advertising, Graduate Diploma in Film and Television at University of Auckland - supported by a job at the Pizza Hut call centre and a number of other random jobs!
Your job in one sentence:
I manage communication between the Music Commission and artists and managers who apply for Outward Sound funding, which helps them to market their music overseas.
When did you realise you wanted to work in the music industry?
When I was studying film and TV, I got interested in music supervision, which is a job working with choosing music to go along with media like movies, tv shows and video games. I thought that was a way that I could apply my musical interests to my current skill set.
I got a graduate visa to work in the United States and found a job in New York which was for a production music library. We had thousands of songs, and I worked on mostly non-scripted television. I learned a lot about interpreting music, and and started to listen to music differently. I worked with composers and producers - I would go to composers and tell them we were looking for a certain kind of music, and make the producers a playlist and suggest what music would work. In general, I learned a lot about the music industry as it applies to film and TV.
What attracted you to your current job at the NZ Music Commission?
With a lot of jobs it's just all over email, so I like that in this job I get to meet a lot of people face to face, and it's all different kinds of people - artists, managers, other industry professionals. Since I coordinate the Outward Sound funding, I get to learn a lot about what goes into touring overseas and how funding processes work in New Zealand for artists. I look through a lot of marketing materials and see how artists really put themselves out there. It's been really interesting so far and I that's an insight I never had before.
What skills are important for this kind of job?
You need really good verbal and written communication - you have to get on the phone sometimes and explain really difficult things to people. You're
representing your workplace and co-workers so you definitely need to have good writing skills as you're constantly sending emails out. If you're dealing with budgets you need to have good numeracy skills because you definitely don't want to make mistakes with money!
Organisational skills in general are a really good thing, and you have to be reliable. Some people may think that in the music industry everyone just goes with the flow but there are a lot of jobs in an office environment.
To work in the music industry it really helps to be open-minded in your music tastes, and being open to new ideas and being able to adapt to changes. It helps to be a good networker - to put yourself out there and look for opportunities where they might be jobs. You have to make your own opportunities and don't wait for them to come to you.