The Opportunity Hiding In Our Small Scale:
The arts are the quiet engine of the economy. Beyond obvious cultural impact, they create jobs, support small businesses, bring people into cities, and help stories travel beyond Aotearoa. When the arts are doing well, so too are communities.
In a prolonged cost of living crisis, the ‘arts economy’ was hit twice as fast as the wider economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Creative New Zealand’s budget have dropped from $87m to $70m in a year, Radio New Zealand lost $18 million in funding over four years, and further funding cuts are affecting Māori media. Artists’ platforms are shrinking, minimising the visibility of local content.
Despite shrinking platforms, there are still ways forward. It just means artists need to be more intentional about where they put their energy, and which audiences they try to build with.
Funders like NZ On Air, Te Māngai Pāho and Ministry For Pacific Peoples are doing an incredible job despite a good chunk of their resources being slashed, but unfortunately they can’t meet the demand needed by the amount of talent we have here in Aotearoa. Many of these artists must self-fund, and releasing music can sometimes cost more than it returns.
If you’ve missed out on a round of funding, you’re not alone. Across the arts, Creative New Zealand received around $105 million in contestable funding requests in 2023/24, against a budget of just $26 million.
While the current outlook on funding may seem bleak, there are areas where artists' efforts can be placed to get the best return. By understanding how the system works, strengthening direct relationships with fans, and making better use of the unique platforms we have in New Zealand.
The common narrative is the music industry has changed - and that artists must change with it. While true, this risks putting too much stock into measures like social media engagement and number of streams. Establishing a foundation with the basics can go a long way.
In a globalised music industry where talent, and even great music, alone doesn’t guarantee success, understanding how the system works has become essential for artists trying to break through in Aotearoa.
Canadian music industry commentator and artist manager, Joel Gouveia, has spoken about how he believes that in recent years far too much emphasis has been placed on streaming numbers, and that the true reflection of an artist's success is not how many people they can reach, but the level of commitment they get from their fans.
Gouveia differentiates between a ‘listener’ and a ‘fan’. Citing artists he manages who may have tens of millions of monthly listeners on Spotify, but struggle to sell out even the smallest of venues.
This is contrasted with an organic, grassroots level approach, where artists may have a modest number of listeners, but those listeners are active and engaged - purchasing records, merch and attending live shows.
As Gouveia puts it, the goal isn’t for “a million people to listen once,” but “1,000 people to care forever.” With the system currently built to reward passive listening, it’s easy to mistake reach for impact.
The distinction between the two becomes clearer when you look at how the charts actually work. Streams might signal scale, but they’re weighted far lower than a direct purchase.
A single sale, whether that’s a vinyl, CD, Bandcamp or an iTunes download (yes, it still exists) can carry the same chart value as hundreds of streams. In other words: a smaller, committed audience who are willing to invest in an artist can outperform a much larger group of passive listeners, and an artist who supports a release with physical sales can sometimes leapfrog a larger artist relying solely on streams. These fans would also be likely to contribute a lifetime worth of streaming revenue for the artist.
Forbes once described this as “The Curren$y Model” — an artist building a loyal and hungry fanbase through consistent releases, a shared identity and community rather than chasing mainstream dominance. Curren$y’s ‘Jet Life’ world shows how music can become an ecosystem: music, merch, shows, values, language and lifestyle all working together to create something that fans can actually become a part of.
Closer to home, Fat Freddy’s Drop shows what this kind of long-term, community-driven career can look like. Their success was built off years of consistent live shows, largely independent releases, and their music travelling by word of mouth, fostering the communities they built in both Aotearoa and internationally.
This same principle applies beyond just music sales and the charts. While some in the industry focus only on streams and algorithms, radio remains one of the most powerful and widely consumed platforms in Aotearoa, reaching millions each week and contributing quite heavily to chart performance.
Within that, iwi radio is another one of the most valuable and unique assets to New Zealand’s music industry. While individual stations may be small, their collective influence can rival major networks, and when co-ordinated, their support has the power to push songs to the top of the charts and shape what gets noticed.
This is one of the opportunities we have making music in Aotearoa. Our smaller scale is our strength - we’re closer to our communities, our stories, and the people who tell them. Continue to show up in your community - playing shows, meeting people, giving back, because that’s how you build something that lasts.
If you’re ready to take the next step in intentional, strategic communications and PR for your music, Māia can work with you to ensure you have the connections, materials and strategic approach you need to make a splash in the industry.
We’ve worked with dozens of Aotearoa-based artists to help tell their story and grow their communities. Being part of the amplification of these voices, and connecting artists to fans through their kaupapa is why we do what we do.