On Wednesday 15 April 2015, the music industry and artists will convene to drink a few sponsored bevvies and find out who has won the 2015 Taite Music Prize.
The award is named after the late Dylan Taite, a music journalist who was known for championing new and often underground music, as well as his unique presentation style.
The Taite’s purpose is to recognise outstanding creativity for an entire collection of music contained on one album. Which, when put into a modern context, is a daring concept. Instead of the emphasis being on one-off tracks, celebrity endorsed playlists or the shuffle option on your iPhone, it celebrates the tradition of crafting a body of work into a coherent piece that has the ability to take listeners on a journey or connect on a deep emotional level.
The Taite Prize is young, but is quickly becoming one of New Zealand’s most prestigious arts awards.
Previous winners have included Lawrence Arabia (‘Chant Darling’), Ladi6 (The Liberation Of’), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (‘Unknown Mortal Orchestra’), SJD (‘Elastic Wasteland’) and Lorde (‘Pure Heroine’).
Who will win in 2015? It’s too hard to tell, but Music 101 producer Zac Arnold talks to Noelle McCarthy about the finalists in this year's Taite Music Prize, as well as about International Record Store Day 2015.
