Thrash metal band Alien Weaponry are “one of the most exciting young metal bands in the world right now” according to Revolver Magazine in the USA. And they’re not the only ones who thinks so. Since they released their third single ‘Rū Ana te Whenua’ in mid 2017, fans, bloggers, the music industry and the media worldwide have raved about Alien Weaponry’s unique blend of thrash metal and their native language, Te Reo Māori. 

Andre Manella is a New Plymouth-based Swiss-Kiwi musician. As Sonic Delusion he has over 600 gigs in New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and Germany and several international festivals under his belt

Starting as a Guitar tech and then working  in Stage management and Production management, Gavin spent the past two decades touring New Zealand and the globe with everyone from Dave Dobbyn to The Cranberries .

Mainard Larkin is a rapper, performer and oddball based in Auckland, New Zealand. After graduating high school and realising they had no friends, Larkin began writing bedroom projects under the name Randa. Whether rhyming about favourite home cooked dishes, Neopets or navigating life as a non-binary trans person, they’ve been winning over hearts ever since the drop of debut EP, ‘Summer Camp’.

Ria creates music with an urban yet distinctive Māori flare. October 2017 saw the release of her highly anticipated concept album entitled ‘Rules Of Engagement’, a work heavily based on the New Zealand Wars of the 1860’s, and in particular the Battle of Gate Pā which took place in her tribal home land of Tauranga Moana. In its first week of release, it debuted on The Official New Zealand Music Charts at #1.

Featuring appearances and production from Tiki Taane, Kings, Laughton Kora, Mara TK and Electric Wire Hustle, the album showcase Ria’s incredible talent as a vocalist and lyricist.

Based in Dunedin, Scott has worked in a variety of roles across the music industry including label management, artist management, label A&R, event & touring management, and online retail.

Having worked in the Music Industry for nearly 25 years, Teresa has worked with a wide array of artists from Scribe to I Am Giant, Six60 to Elemeno P and more recently Julia Deans.  She is also the Chairperson of the NZ Music Managers Forum, and is on the board of the NZ Music Foundation.

Tom Larkin has been a career musician for the past 29 years, as the founding member of the NZ rock band Shihad.  Having established himself in Melbourne since 2003, Tom is also the founder of the newly minted SIGNAL Artist Development Accelerator and also works as a Music Manager at VVV MGMT.

JessB, of Kenyan descent, is a passionate and energetic artist who is quickly stamping her mark as the newest queen of rap and hiphop in New Zealand.

Kevin Murphy has been involved in the event scene in Hawkes Bay for over 20 years.He is theFounder and Trustee of The Backline Charitable Trust and is the Napier City Council Event Manager.

Kim Boshier has been MD of Sony Music NZ for 8 years and is the first woman to run a major label in New Zealand or Australia.   She is focused on discovering new local talent and leading the company into a new period of growth for the recorded music industry.

Hailing from Wanaka, Lynne has been the driving force behind the not-for-profit Lake Wanaka Sounz which has staged 11 festivals (Rippon and Tuki) and has also started YAMI (Youth & Adults in the Music Industry) summit, for future artists, producers, managers, engineers and promoters

The NZ Music Foundation launched the Wellbeing Service nearly 2 years ago which has a 24/7 on line, on phone or in person service for anyone involved in the music industry.

Victoria is not only the Director of Member Services at APRA AMCOS but is also an award winning composer and musician, having worked with a range of projects and artists including film scores, classical compositions and Neil Finn’s recent album.

In this years Queen’s list of New Year Honours , Petrina was awarded a New Zealand Order of Merit for her outstanding service to Pacific Culture in the Music Industry. Petrina is a Trustee of the Pacific Music Awards Trust and the Event Producer for the Pacific Music Awards, which celebrates Pacific music.

Tommy Nee is a popular Niuean singer/songwriter influenced by all types of music from Motown to Pop, Disco to Funk, from the Roots Rock Reggae of the East Coast, to the Neo-Soul feel of the inner city Auckland. While not on the music scene, Nee has a strong political world view of global prosperity. He believes no matter what colour, gender, size or shape you are, that everyone is equal.