This likely won’t have much relevance to anyone offshore, but a few months back our state funded Radio NZ (like the BBC in UK) updated their morning news theme music, replacing local composers Plan 9 previous version.

The only part that stuck in my craw was that RNZ decided to go to Australia to spend our taxes hiring Song Zu to compose the new theme music. Many people were both underwhelmed by the new theme music and that it appears our own National broadcaster does not believe we have the talent required to achieve even such a mediocre result.

As RNZ are a state funded enterprise, they too must follow OIA requests (Official Information Act) so I put in an OIA request to see what the budget was for this work of art not otherwise achievable by a citizen of this country.

Today I got the answer

“Amounts Paid
Composition $10,819.00
Rights in Perpetuity** $32,858.71

** RNZ pays licence fees to composers for music which is broadcast on our
networks. In this instance, RNZ has purchased perpetual rights to use
this theme music for an unlimited time.”

Fascinating!

Currently the NZ Government is in the process of melting down RNZ and TVNZ and reforming them into a new public broadcaster. Here’s hoping whoever is steering that ship has the awareness and belief in the local talent pool of composers & sound designers to commission new work. (And no I don’t mean me, its not the kind of work that holds any interest for me. But it would be a far more interesting process AND outcome, to commission draft versions from a number of people, especially young up & coming talent… Indigenous, diverse and culturally competent! Of course, a fair process to choose final commissions would also be required.