To Andrew:
My bad, and I apologise for that error. The fact an untitled Donald Reid album was approved in the same year In a Taxi Home came out lead to me conflating them. Again, I apologise. With hindsight I would have put greater empahsis on the fact that the figures represented only part of an albums sales run, and probably withheld the artist's names in favour of guides like 'young '60s influenced band' 'adult-contemporary singer-songwriter' etc. Things you learn along the way, but very unfortunate that they had to be at the expense of some good people's achievements.
Am glad though that even those I've managed to besmirch to an extent have taken the opportunity to debate the whole thing with open arms. It's what I hoped would happen. Now it just needs to lead somewhere beyond this forum...

Totally agree with DD. We've wandered down a cul-de-sac lead by commercial radio, and now we're acting like just because there isn't a map there aren't any other roads. It's not the case.

Sam's just posted the third conversation on the Real Groove site. It's with Mike Bradshaw, Crowded House's current manager. Pretty provocative opinions, that man:
http://www.realgroove.co.nz/Blog.aspx?id=372

The figure I've received from Paul and Mikee at Loop is 1233 for Edin. If that's correct then the unit cost changes to more like $50. Still a fair whack of cash, but much less than the one quoted.
As of today I've received no other disputes, which isn't to say that I won't.
In defence of my not double-checking the figures with the respective record companies - it's certainly something I considered, but knowing that it's the policy of most if not all NZ record companies not to release sales figures made me decide against it. Plus how would you ever know if the figures they gave me were accurate? And what's their incentive to release accurately low figures for public scrutiny, given the likelihood those figures might be used insome quarters to justify funding cuts (which I'm against) rather than new funding strategies (which I'm in favour of)?
It's a mess, and you can certainly argue I could have gone about it in a different way. But I felt like the debate needed to be had, and the numbers would aid it.

Simon you nailed it. As Russell mentioned earlier, this notion that to sound 'New Zealand' you need to be Maori, or play 'Aotearoa Roots' to sound different to overseas artists is a massive oversimplification of the point. When Collapsing Cities sing about party pills - that's something only New Zealanders can relate to. When Mareko raps about South Mall - that's geographically specific. Young Sid's new album talks about how TV3 made him a spokesperson for the Killa Bees - each part of that near inexplicable for anyone not from here.
And yes, I'm well aware that all the artists cited above (all of whom have been critcised for sounding too American/English at various stages) have had NZ on Air funding. I think you can make strong cases for all three. It's the sense that the nature of the funding is bleeding the life out of projects that bothers me. I interviewed Devolo a year ago, and loved most of his LP, but Rocker Girl is crazy bad. the kind of song which would only ever happen in a system which allows radio this much say over what's created, at the expense of all other worthwhile measures of a project's success. Radio is why so many of our artists who've been so urgent with their first EPs take the $50k, run straight to a US studio with the 'big name' producer, come back to have the album fail by the standards they've set up for themselves and never regain that momentum before gradually disappearing from view (The Bleeders, anyone?)... Only the careerists survive, and it's just not healthy.

Thanks for doing this Russell, I had desperately hoped that the piece would prompt debate, and thus far it seems to be doing just that.
One thing I'd like to re-iterate from the piece is that the sales figures quoted represent only a certain part of an album's sales - not, for example, those sold by artists at gigs, which for a big-gigging artist like McLaney can be far more than they sell in stores.
I put those figures out there not to to draw attention to specific artists, to name and shame, but to say that those are very much the norm for New Zealand albums. In the absence of a Soundscan organisation operating in the public eye those figures are pretty hard to come by for the average person (in some ways I feel like part of your being funded should be audited and publicly available sales figures), which can lead to the perception that local artists are more successful and sell more albums than they do in reality.
And given that they're funding commercial artists, some degree of commercial success would be desirable, surely?
This is why there's a frequent beef from artists who don't get funded about the same names cropping up again and again. I see merit in the oft-voiced argument that if you're given a $50,000 grant to make an album that then doesn't get any critical or commercial success (or yield radio hits), perhaps the next one you make should be entirely funded by you or your record company. put your money where your mouth is, and all that.

I agree that designating the KA 'suburban' would be monumentally stupid, though it's not like our council doesn't have form in that area. And when they built those poxy apartments and forced the KA to have shipping containers, then a very unsightly wall outside? Extremely objectionable. Surely if you choose to move in next to a long established live venue it's incumbent upon you or the developer to soundproof the housing, rather than the venue to keep your peace?
But has anyone else found themselves vowing never to return to the King's Arms after an international gig in the past year or two? I don't know who's at fault – promoters, the venue, a wrongheaded fire-limit – but the sheer volume of people at some shows is beyond ridiculous, maybe even dangerous. Moving through the venue is impossible, big chunks of the audience can't lay eyes upon the artist they shelled out $50 plus to see, and getting a beer, even if it were possible to struggle through the throng to the bar, is pointless, because you can forget about making it to the toilet.
Friday's Malkmus gig was just the latest in a string of shows which take advantage of the fact that the fire limit includes the garden bar's space, which is hardly used when an international (or big local) artist is playing. Something needs to be done, because it's not right to charge people for entry to show and provide that level of comfort and service.

Thanks for having me on last night Russell. Felt weird to be sitting alongside those I'd read/listened to so much growing up, but there you go. Just want to weigh in with my own NZ writers list, because, well, you don't get the chance too often.
Have to agree with the nomination of John Russell, my first editor, and a guy whose broad tastes had a profound impact upon a whole generation of music geeks I know.
Also Matt Hyland is, word-for-word, the best music writer I've read from this country. I've made a number of attempts to track him down and get him into RG, none successful.
I did get Jon Bywater in for a few issues though, who I think is outrageously good when you get to read him (which isn't often enough.
When I switched to RG from RIU (as a reader) in the late '90s I felt like I got a great education from Smithies, but also Troy Ferguson, Gavin Bertram (massively under-rated in my opinion), Gary Steel and Kerry Buchanan, who when in his pomp felt like our Lester Bangs.
Agree with the nomination of Nick Bollinger, who I don't agree with too often, but argues prettily and persuasively regardless. Russell Brown (not an ass kiss, he wrote half the FN special issue I edited) and Paul McKessar's stuff in the '80s RIUs I've come across has been fantastic.
Also, I don't care whether this sounds self-serving or not, but Stevie Kaye's reviews, particularly those of critically ignored artists like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, totally thrilled me.
Am sure I'm missing out a bunch, but that's what I've got right now.