Hayley May Sell Most Albums for NZ Music Month

Thanks to Stephany, my legend, from HWI for brining great news on Hayley all the time! This piece is on Hayley's success for New Zealand's Music Month.

Music Month fosters salesSimon MCCARTHY.

28 May 2007

© 2007 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This year's NZ Music Month is missing major names but organisers say this does not distract from the focus of heavily promoting Kiwi music.

In 2005, Fat Freddy's Drop dominated the music month with its debut album, Shihad returned to its original name and released Love is the New Hate and Pluto's Pipeline Under the Ocean was also a household name.

Last year, the music month did not repeat the success of major bands using the month to release work and this year the emphasis of the month has gone back on increasing music sales.

In 2005, a third of all albums sold during the month were by Kiwi artists.

New Zealand Music Commission general manager Cath Andersen said they decided to focus on music sales this year.

However, the increase on sales always depended heavily on what albums were released in the month.

"Though I wouldn't be surprised if Hayley Westenra alone sold 10 percent of the market, she is doing so well at the moment," Ms Andersen said.

The absence, for the second year in a row, of some of the bigger-named artists releasing albums in the music month was not necessarily a negative thing, she said.

"If some of the bigger guys move out of the month it will give some of the emerging artists more money, advertising and coverage.

"I quite like the idea that some of the people who wouldn't get any press receive some," she said.

The music month is also held in the same month that houses one of New Zealand's biggest acts -- the International Comedy Festival.

However, Ms Anderson said NZ Music Month had no plans to change dates for fear the two events clashed for publicity.

"We never thought that NZ Music Month would get so big ... it's cool that two things have done so well and increased in popularity in the same month." NZ Music Month receives $50,000 funding from the New Zealand Music Commission as well as Champions of Music for the campaign but it received a lot of support in New Zealand from a wide range of people and businesses, she said. Simon Romero -- music student How are you celebrating New Zealand Music Month? I'm playing a New Zealand song every Friday at our lunchtime concert.