The last issue basically finished coverage of the various expense claims you can make against your self-employed earnings, and that leaves us now with the final step. We have gathered all our details, receipts, bank statements, invoices and remittance advices together and have received our Summary of Earnings and IR3 Tax Packs from the IRD, so now we can start putting everything together to finalise and send our tax returns in to the IRD for processing. ...more

Many young musicians develop their interest in rock music as a career based on the model of The Beatles: struggling young band hits it big due to charm, talent and great songwriting. That’s certainly the dream of most unsigned rock musicians, whether they’ve ever played on stage or not. But it leaves out a harsh reality – The Beatles played for years as a working band wherever they could, and their repertoire was almost 100% covers until they were signed. In fact, thousands of name rock musicians have paid the bills and sharpened their skills in working covers bands before becoming famous as original artists. To see why, let’s compare the two types of bands side-by-side in a typical local pub/club scene. ...more

I was lucky enough to see James Reyne perform in Sydney in a recent trip across the ditch. He gave a superb 150% performance, AND all with a ‘shot’ voice (having been prescribed steroids to keep him going). The good news is, there are alternatives to extreme chemical medication. ...more

For a band that describes their music as “pre-apocalyptic rock music that is heralding the end,” guitarist Michael Hall and vocalist Peter Wujkowski of Carthaginian are surprisingly approachable guys. Self-confessed “massive geeks”, Michael and Pete waste no time in delving into the musical philosophies of their Auckland-based four-piece, most importantly the politics surrounding authenticity and creative freedom. ...more

Wellingtonian Eva Prowse has been steadily becoming well known through work with her musician father, Chris Prowse, and performances with the Fly My Pretties caravan. She has a long history with music, having played various instruments from a young age. ...more

For the last six years Will Rattray has traveled in endless circles around the islands, bringing the swamp rock thump of Thought Creature to towns as far flung as Franz Josef. That band carved its identity on the road, then proceeded to release their first album, ‘Teleport Palace’ in 2008. The fact that this was only two years back at first makes Rattray’s forays into a side project sound strange. ...more

We like animals,” says The Good Fun’s lead singer/guitarist Leroy Clampitt when asked to describe his own idea of ‘good fun’. “To be able to hang out and talk with, for example, a lion for a day, would be pretty good fun.” And right away (as if his name wasn’t giveaway enough) I realise that this Waikato four-piece possess that slightly unhinged quirkiness creative musicians are renowned for. ...more

On October 1st Frequency Media Group was launched. It’s a new name, but Frequency incorporates some very familiar local music industry players, combining as it does, three of the country’s highest profile independent labels/music businesses. Richard Thorne reports. ...more

I met Richard Kennedy back in the late ’80s when he hitched a ride with me from Wellington to Auckland one time. There was a third passenger in the car as well. Although that drive is the single occasion that Richard and I shared one another’s company, my enduring memory is that Richard had no outward appearance of questioning the pursuit of the artist’s life. You never know how the past is going to turn out – who would have guessed then that The Clash would one day impersonate his band for a Scorsese film? It’s reaffirming to reconnect nearly 20 years later and find that Richard’s motivation in music is still as single minded as ever, to see that true creative ‘spirit’ is ageless and relevant. Even if neither of us can remember who that third passenger was! ...more

Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 2009 to critical acclaim, the three prodigious members of Electric Wire Hustle have been busily spreading their sound far and wide. With the aid of an intro Outward Sound grant, the Wellington band hit the UK and Europe for a showcase tour to support the release of their album through UK record label BBE in July. Singer Mara TK gives us a peek at their travel diary. ...more

In previous Lawful Truth columns we’ve considered intellectual property issues by way of discussing copyright and the wide-ranging ramifications that this type of intellectual property has for anyone involved in the music industry. In this issue of NZ Musician we will be considering another type of intellectual property that is also very important for anyone involved in music, namely trademarks. ...more

Auckland rock band Decortica have recently released their sophomore album ‘Love Hotel’ independently and digitally using the ‘freemium’ model. Lead singer and guitarist Mathew Bosher (that’s him on the left, beside Tory Staples and Antoinette Lee), told NZM some of the whys and hows. ...more