Down to the wire is an archive project for NZ internet*. A new competition launches on Nov 11 so enter if you would like to be part of that. Watch the video below for more details.
Not just over the past 21 years, but in the future too.
We look forward to evolving both past and future chapters with your contributions. So let’s start with 2010, which we will launch on 24 December.
As it happens I have been working on some music archiving ideas and projects and so I’m very much looking forward to see how this complementary project unfolds.
I’ve worked with musicians all my life and ironically some of the current opportunities that are coming up for musicians are because the “music industry” doesn’t understand that curating a culture is very different and much better than trying to simply exploit it.
Granted not all music business people are the same and there are legal rights issues galore but I’m positive about the future of NZ music and related cultural history.
For more information on the music project follow the deleting music website and a very fine related post by Simon Grigg over here called A Trillion Shades of Happy.
Much of our recent cultural history is disappearing and we shouldn’t let that happen.
“Just to make the point stronger, the following albums, from 1974 onwards, all important musical landmarks (and some are rather good too) are either unavailable or only out there in shitty first generation CD issues with appalling sleeves:
- Car Crash Set
- The Dance Exponents (the Mushroom albums are in print but almost unlistenable, the Ze Disc one has never been on CD)
- The Body Electric
- Grace (wonderful sweet soul from the Ioasa Brothers)
- Fuemana (parts of it are on Amplifier)
- The Deepgrooves Double” etc.
Watch this space as they say. There are a number of music collectors, journalists and other stakeholders who all see a future where contemporary and historical music / culture should not be lost.
Finally – if you are interested in NZ music 1918 to 1960 something go get a copy of Chris Bourke’s book Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918-1964:
Graham Reid has a great Lost Dawn summary over here .
Now if I was able to I’d say something dramatic like – “I’m off to the bookshop – I may be some time…” but its back to work for me.
