On Friday September 21 2018, the music industry and associated businesses will walk the 16km Coast to Coast from Onehunga to downtown Auckland to raise money for road crew “roadies” who may have fallen on hard times. This is not a race, it’s a walk.
The Roady for Roadies walk has been proposed by music industry bright sparks Morgan Donoghue & Brent Eccles and will be administered by The NZ Music Foundation.
Roadies and production crew are the often unseen but essential backbone of the live music events that we all enjoy, but these roles can take their toll on those involved. An industry survey by The NZ Music Foundation of crew and roadies in 2016 showed that while 58% report struggling with the intense pressures of live music work, more than 40% also face issues with bills and finances that impact on their daily lives. While the shows are the obvious highlight, life in live music can be a very hand-to-mouth existence and when illness, distress or hardship occur, life can get very hard, very quickly.
Brent Eccles - Eccles Entertainment
“This is a chance for many of us to show our support for the real behind the scenes workers in the concert & touring business - the guys who push black boxes for a living and who we rely on for so much.”
Morgan Donoghue - Joint Management
“I started in the music industry by helping mates move their gear around. I moved on from being a roadie to being a manager (a glorified roadie). Brent and I walk most mornings and wanted to do something for an important group of people in the music industry that isn’t well supported at the moment. I look forward to walking Coast to Coast with you.”
The proceeds from the Roady for Roadies walk will support the work of The NZ Music Foundation. The charity provides professional counselling support for kiwi music people through a tailored online, on the phone and in person well being service. The charity also supplies emergency assistance to music people who are experiencing illness and hardship.
Peter Dickens GM, The NZ Music Foundation
“We’re delighted and honoured to be the beneficiary charity of the Roady for Roadies walk. The production crew are the first to the show and the last out and the moments we all treasure from our live music experiences would be impossible without them. All funds raised will go to provide vital support and assistance to roadies and crew who find themselves in situations of illness, distress and hardship and who have nowhere else to turn.”
To join the Roady for Roadies walk, tickets are available from Ticketmaster from midday Thursday 30 August. There are three different price levels and participants can purchase which ever one suits their pocket. $25 (I’d like to help out), $50 (I’d like to give a bit more) $100 (my boss is paying). The walk will end at a down town venue, where refreshments will be provided. Each participant will receive a free t-shirt.
If you want to make a straight donation to the NZMF you can do so via Ticketmaster or Kiwibank 38-9011-0831927-01 or click here, please include the code “roadie”
We’d like to acknowledge The Tuning Fork, Ticketmaster, JLP, LPATM & Muse Entertainment & who are all providing services at no charge.
The walk will be monitored by a volunteer crew, medic, a chemist and a mixologist. So buy yourself some new walking shoes and put your hand in your pocket for this worthy cause for an often forgotten sector of the NZ concert/ touring business.
Greg Peacocke - Oceania Productions
“It's so good to see the unknown foot soldiers of our Industry being acknowledged and offered help while they are alive rather than once they are in their graves.”
Chris Tate - College Hill Productions
"Roadies, it’s a funny old life…. in a world where minimum hourly wages, holiday and maternity leave / pay, kiwi saver, overtime and traffic attenuators rule supreme there is an industry that serves the general public, helps make them smile, laugh, dance and throw away the cares of a long 9 to 5 week…. Entertainment….. It’s great to see someone thinking about the hard working crews that are responsible for making the behind the scenes stuff happen! It’s a profession that demands the sort of hours that would make a politician blush with none of the standard ‘rights’ associated with the deal you get when you get a ‘real job’. Let's show these dedicated kind, friendly and talented professionals that we care……. get out and roadie peeps……. maybe bring something with wheels to push, like a baby stroller with your future roadies in it to show your support!
Ben Cooper - Spotlight Systems
"All it takes is someone to lead the way, fly a flag, and others will follow. This initiative “Roady for Roadies” could be a glue for our people who do it tough, the guys that are always there for us, dedicated and committed. Actually supporting these doers, not just talking the talk…..but in this instance. . . . ‘walking the walk”
Rick Te Wini – Kiwi Krew
“A Roadie fundraiser is a great idea for a great cause. To have a foundation to support anyone in need past, present and future is great for our industry.”
The Coast to Coast walk is a 16km hike across Auckland, from the Manukau Harbour
to Waitematā Harbour.
Click here for a map of the Coast to Coast walk
The walk takes you through landscapes shaped by 600 years of Māori settlement and offers panoramic views stretching across Auckland city and the region. Along the way you'll see some of our finest natural and built heritage areas, woodland settings, windswept hills, charming parks and gardens, captivating architectural treasures and fascinating geological landforms.