CubaDupa announces Whanake Ringapuoro: Artist Development Sessions to help Wellington musicians build industry knowledge

Creative Capital Arts Trust and the CubaDupa team are thrilled to announce a series of six free artist development workshops for Wellington musicians, held weekly from 31 May to 5 July 2022, thanks to the support of the New Zealand Music Commission.

Following the cancellation of CubaDupa 2022 and many other music festivals and events due to Covid-19, this is an opportunity for Wellington-based artists to get the lowdown on getting the gig, funding, management, release, touring, and support for Māori music, ahead of the frenzy of festivals and gigs lining up for 2022 and beyond.

Aimed specifically at independent musicians based in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara in the early stages of a career in releasing and performing music, these six free weekly sessions will provide a unique development opportunity in the form of specific music industry education for young and upcoming musicians, access to guest speakers with relevant professional experience, and the chance to network and korero with other local musicians.

Starting on Tuesday 31 May and continuing weekly from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Tuesday nights until Tuesday 5 July, these sessions will be held at Naumi Studio Hotel on Cuba Street, and will each focus on one specific area:

  • Tues 31 May: Applying for festivals & support slots with special guest Gussie Larkin (Live Nation, Mermaidens, Earth Tongue)
  • Tues 7 June: Managing money as a musician with special guest Robert Westall (Naked Accounting)
  • Tues 14 June: Finding funding for your music with special guest Ash Wallace (Foley)
  • Tues 21 June: Release Ready: distribution, radio & marketing with Holly Kilmartin (DRM) 
  • Tues 28 June: Successful shows & tours with special guest Anthony Metcalf (100% Good, Monster Artist Management)
  • Tues 5 July: Support for Māori musicians with host Noel Woods and special guests Nadia Marsh (Te Māngai Pāho) & Cushla Aston (Aston Rd)

This programme has been developed and will be hosted by CubaDupa’s Artists and Programming team Bianca Bailey (Wiri Donna) and Clark Mathews (DARTZ), and CCAT Nga Toi Māori Director Noel Woods (Grove Roots).

Attendance is completely free with no criteria or barriers to entry, however participants are asked to register their interest here. Attendees can register for as many of the workshops as they wish to, and any questions can be directed to CubaDupa via email at [email protected]. 

 

Session 1: Applying for festivals & support slots with special guest Gussie Larkin (Live Nation, Mermaidens, Earth Tongue)

Tuesday 31st May 6:00pm at Naumi Studio Hotels (213 Cuba Street)

Special guest Gussie Larkin will join our hosts to share her experience and expertise on topics such as submitting festival applications, engaging with booking agents and promoters, application timeframes and expectations, and more.

Gussie plays, writes, and sings in two of Wellington’s best known indie/alternative bands, Mermaidens and Earth Tongue. She has toured Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and played festivals like La

neway, Rhythm and Vines and NestFest. Gussie has her fingers in many pies within the music industry – from directing music videos to booking tours and programming festivals such as CubaDupa, Newtown Festival and Mermaidens’ own music festival, Mermgrown. Gussie currently works in Tāmaki Makaurau for Live Nation, Drunken Piano Touring and the Tuning Fork.

 

Session 2: Managing money as a musician w/ Robert Westall (Naked Accounting)

Tuesday 7th June 6:00pm at Naumi Studio Hotels (213 Cuba Street)

Special guest Robert Westall from Naked Accounting will join our hosts to share his experience and expertise on topics such as budgeting, invoicing, taxes, booking fees, and much more.

Naked Accounting is a boutique firm who specialise in providing bespoke accounting and business services for musicians, artists, small to medium enterprises, startups and individuals. Naked Accounting’

s core purpose is to assist in the creation and consumption of music, art and culture. Its business model is forward thinking and future focused. Notable clients include the LGBTQIA+ non-profit Rainbow Youth, actor Johanna Cosgrove, and record label Sunreturn. Naked Accounting is an accredited service provider with NZ On Air Music, and works with recipients of the New Music Single funding to ensure they keep to budget and have a full understanding of their financial obligations.

Robert Westall (he/him, Ngāi Tahu) is the founder of Naked Accounting, who along with Peter Ruddell (Wax Chattels / Sulfate) lead a small, dedicated team. Outside of Naked Accounting, Robert enjoys fishing, rewatching Star Trek, and administrating Emo / Hardcore reddit threads.

 

Session 3: Finding funding for your music with special guest Ash Wallace (Foley)

Tuesday 14th June 6:00pm at Naumi Studio Hotels (213 Cuba Street)

Special guest Ash Wallace will join our hosts to share her experience and expertise on topics such as the funding options available to musicians in NZ, meeting funding criteria and requirements, preparing funding applications, her time working for NZ on Air Music, and much more.

Ash Wallace is one half of pop funk project Foley. The pair (Ash and Gabe) came together over a love of pop songwriting, telling stories, and a passion for out of the box live performance. Recently nominated for Best Pop Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards for their sophomore EP ‘Vacation’ and finalists for the APRA Silver Scroll Award; Foley have confirmed themselves as pop industry pioneers. Having had multiple Top 40 NZ Radio singles and reached Top 10 on the Album Charts with their debut EP ‘On My Conscience’, they have gone back to ground in the studio to craft their next body of work.

Ash is an avid collaborator, both in her work for Foley and as a top-liner for other projects. She’s collaborated with SHY Martin, Nate Campany (Dua Lipa, Carly Rae Jepsen), Josh Fountain (BENEE), Ambian Sleo (Niko Walters) – alongside featuring on tracks with producers Health Club, Devin Abrams (Drax Project, Pacific Heights), Eastern Bloc and CASES. They have released tracks with NZ locals Abby Wolfe, SACHI, LA Women, and constantly collaborate with artists across all genres, including Wells*, NASAYA, DUAL, Christabel, and Paige.

In her professional life Ash has worked for APRA AMCOS and NZ On Air as the Music Funding Advisor. She has worked on projects across the industry with a focus on funding.

 

Session 4: Release Ready: distribution, radio & marketing with Holly Kilmartin (DRM)

Tuesday 21st June 6:00pm at Naumi Studio Hotels (213 Cuba Street)

Special guest Holly Kilmartin, Editor at New Zealand-based digital distributor DRM, will join our hosts to share her experience and expertise on topics such as release timelines and organising assets, digital distribution,

pitching and playlisting, and much more. Holly Kilmartin has been with DRM for four years, originally joining as a part-time catalogue assistant in 2018, following her internship at the company via a programme run by the NZ Music Commission.

After two years at DRM, Holly’s enthusiasm and interest in DSP editorial content saw her transition into the full-time role of Editor at the beginning of 2021. Complementing her role at DRM, Holly also graduated from the University of Auckland in June 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in music and communication. In alignment with DRM’s vision to champion local/independent music, Holly’s key focus as Editor is to aid artists in securing editorial exposure and support across the digital streaming platforms.

 

 

Session 5:  Successful shows and touring with Anthony Metcalf (100% Good, Monster Artist Management)

Tuesday 28th June 6:00pm at Naumi Studio Hotels (213 Cuba Street)

Special guest Anthony Metcalf will be joining our hosts to share his experience and expertise on topics such as planning and budgeting tours, booking venues, how to effectively promote shows in 2022, merchandise, and more!

Anthony is an active and passionate member of Auckland’s music scene for the last decade. Anthony is an artist manager at Monster Artist Management, and runs promotions and booking agency 100% GOOD. He has worked with a diverse range of clients such as: The Beths, Mac deMarco, Parquet Courts, Fazerdaze, Dave Dobbyn, Avantdale Bowling Club, Warp Records, Ninja Tune, Mermaidens, Estère and many more.

 

 

 

 

Session 6: Support for Māori musicians with host Noel Woods and special guests Nadia Marsh (Te Māngai Pāho) & Cushla Aston (Aston Rd)

Tuesday 28th May 6:00pm at Naumi Studio Hotels (213 Cuba Street)

Special guests Nadia Marsh (Te Māngai Pāho), Cushla Aston (Aston Rd) will join host Noel Woods (CubaDupa Nga Toi Māori Director, Grove Roots) to share their experience and thoughts on topics such as Māori music funding, radio and media networks, and other support networks for artists. This session will also provide a unique opportunity for Māori musicians to discuss the challenges they face and the state of Māori music.

Nadia Marsh:

Nadia is the lead for music kaupapa at Te Māngai Pāho. Her interest in music started with her musical family, and playing recorder to Prince Tui Teka and Bobby Brown at primary school. She later left high school to become an intern at Mai FM. In her two stints with the popular music station, she saw the transition from analogue to automation technology; the brand topple Newstalk ZB from its long-held  #1 spot; and shared a yarn and a packet of McDonald’s fries with Flava Flav from Public Enemy. Nadia now works as a conduit between the music industry and Te Ao Māori to create more opportunities for Te Reo Māori through music.

Cushla Ashton:

Cushla Aston, of Tainui and Te Arawa descent, is the founder of Aston Rd, a boutique Artist Management company managing Louis Baker, alongside music management consultation and special projects. With an extensive history in marketing and sales in the events and hospitality sector, both in New Zealand and the UK, her transition into the music industry was a natural extension of her skills.  Since joining the NZ Music industry in 2011 after a decade in the UK, she has worked with notable New Zealand artists such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Julia Deans, Kora and Trinity Roots.

In 2012 Cushla won ‘Upcoming Manager of the Year’ and was a finalist for ‘Manager of the Year’ in 2015 and 2021. Cushla is an active participant in the New Zealand Music Industry.  She is a mentor and Executive Committee member for the MMF NZ , mentor for Te Māngai Pāho funded artists and Senior Lecturer, Artist Development at Massey University for the Bachelor of Commercial Music. Collectively Aston Rd’s clients have been winners and finalists for the APRA Silver Scroll awards, NZ Music Critics Choice awards and Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.   They have toured in the UK, Europe, Polynesia, South Africa and Australia, and have achieved independent debut album releases charting within the top ten New Zealand album charts.