1. Make a mixtape!
Ok, it's 2017, so maybe make a Spotify or YouTube playlist instead. Share it with every man and his dog.
Here's one we made especially for kids:
2. Offer a band some free practise space.
If you've got an empty garage, rumpus room, shed or dungeon, invite a band to rehearse in it.
The All Seeing Hand outside their storage-unit-cum-practise space Photo: RNZ Kirsten Johnstone
3. Ring your favourite commercial radio station and ask them to play more NZ music.
Go ahead caller.
Alan partridge Photo: Courtesy of BBC
4. Share your favourite NZ music on social media.
Tell people about great local gigs you're attending, artists you love, and share songs and videos.
Wellington musician Mike Fabulous fully supports this:
Mike Fabulous encourages sharing on social media. Photo: RNZ Music
5. Be a flexible employer so musicians can do what they love now and then, but also pay the rent.
"You know, I get all this, 'Ooh David, you're a brilliant singer-songwriter and you're stuck in Slough, while it's Texas that are off making all the money, and they're rubbish compared to you'
"I say, I've been there, I've done that ... thing is, we're both good in our own fields. I'm sure Texas couldn't run and manage a successful paper merchants."
6. Buy band merch!
Whether it be a tea towel, tote, poster or t-shirt, when you go see your favourite NZ band, make sure you swing by the merch tent.
Anika Moa and her tea towel Photo: Courtesy of ESP Screenprinters
7. Ask your local music venue to give bands a percentage of the bar take, instead of taking money on the door.
This is often a better deal for artists.
On the way to a what will hopefully be a decent bar take Photo: Buller, Grey and Westland District Libraries
8. If you’re a concert promoter, save a support slot for a local musician.
Auckland band Golden Axe supported American electronic musician Dan Deacon on his 2012 NZ tour.
Dan Deacon and Golden Axe tour poster Photo: Christopher Cudby
9. If you've got a bach, let a band use it to write and record in, in the off-season.
You never know, your humble holiday home might be the birthplace of NZ's next big thing.
A classic New Zealand bach Photo: Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
10. Buy from Bandcamp.
Bandcamp is known for paying artists significantly more than other streaming services. Here are some excellent tips on how to get the best out of your Bandcamp listening experience:
How to listen to all the music on the Internet
