Last night managers, industry professionals and artists came together to celebrate the people behind some of the biggest artists in the New Zealand music industry at the MMF Music Managers Awards.
For 13 years the awards have been held annually to reflect and celebrate the achievements of artist managers, many who are often out of view of the public.
Alastair Burns was awarded the prestigious Recorded Music NZ ‘Manager of the Year’ award for his work with Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin.
The newly appointed ‘Emerging Manager of the Year’ award is for managers who have just started managing in the last two years. The award was won by Nicole Thomas and Paula Yeoman for their work with the artist Theia.
The award for ‘Breakthrough Manager of the Year’ went to Matt Headland for his work with KINGs.
The New Zealand Music Commission ‘International Achievement’ award was given to Julie Foa’i for her work with Te Vaka.
Tami Neilson won ‘Best Self-Managed Artist’, proving herself for the second year in a row.
‘Best Independent Award’ was won by Rodney Hewson for his work on Anika Moa’s ‘Songs For Bubba’s 2’ tour.
Music venues were also in the spotlight, with the ‘OneMusic Best Small Venue’ award going to San Fran in Wellington, and the ‘One Music Best Large Venue’ award going to Auckland’s The Powerstation.
The ‘Industry Champion’ award for 2017 was awarded to APRA AMCOS for their contribution to the New Zealand music industry.
The MMF Mentoring Program provides opportunities for new artists to have one on one time with industry specialists, and the Achievement Award recognises the efforts of a member who utilises the resources provided by the program and shows great initiative. This year the ‘Achievement Award’ was presented to Andrew Papas.
The 2017 MMF Music Managers Awards winners are:
Recorded Music Manager of the Year – Alastair Burns (Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin)
Emerging Manager of the Year – Nicole Thomas and Paula Yeoman (Theia)
Breakthrough Manager of the Year – Matt Headland (KINGs, DUNES, Jamie McDell)
NZ Music Commission International Achievement Award – Julie Foa’I (Te Vaka)
Best Self-Managed Artist of the Year – Tami Neilson
Best Independent Tour – Rodney Hewson (Anika Moa – ‘Songs for Bubba’s 2 Tour’)
OneMusic Best Small Venue – San Fran, Wellington
OneMusic Best Large Venue – The Powerstation, Auckland