For many artists, touring has become an increasingly difficult equation: costs are climbing, audiences are buying tickets later, and the financial risk still falls largely on the performer. A NZ On Air initiative is attempting to make that equation more manageable.
Launched with support from the NZ Music Commission, the New Music Project Touring pilot fund was created to help artists bring newly funded albums and EPs to audiences across Aotearoa.
Its first round attracted 36 applications, with 20 artists receiving grants of up to $50,000 to cover as much as half of eligible touring expenses, including transport, accommodation, production, venue hire, marketing and musician fees.
The inaugural recipients span genres and generations, from Bic Runga, Blindspott, and the Black Seeds to Dick Move, Foley, Kaylee Bell, Rei, and Sola Rosa.
Collectively, they planned shows stretching from Whangārei to Invercargill, including dates in regional centres and smaller towns often left outside traditional touring routes.
The pilot’s reception has already secured the fund’s return in 2026. Decisions for the current round were due on July 16th.
As rising travel, accommodation, and production costs continue to reshape the live sector, Rolling Stone AU/NZ spoke with Rei, Bell and Andrew Spraggon, aka Sola Rosa, about what touring support means in practice, why regional shows remain essential, and whether artists can continue keeping tickets affordable without pricing themselves off the road.
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Find out more about NZ On Air’s New Music Project Touring fund here.
Rei
An Auckland-based rapper, singer and producer blending hip-hop, electronic, and R&B with te reo Māori. Known for his bilingual tracks, Rei has won multiple Waiata Māori Music Awards and earned multiple NZ Music Awards nominations.
How important has NZ On Air’s touring fund been to your career development?
I love going to smaller towns on my tours, towns that usually get over looked by other artists. This is especially important for me, having a heavily rural Māori fanbase. The tour fund helped me reach the smaller towns and sell affordable tickets where I might not have been able to go to otherwise!
When did you first discover the touring fund? Do you think enough young Kiwi musicians know about it?
I heard about it last year. I joined the info Zoom call about it around this time last year from my tour in Canada!
How did it specifically impact/improve your most recent tour? How did you level up?
Touring for artists like myself with small teams is never easy. Couple that with a recession and a tough market for selling tickets makes for a difficult playing field. However, the funding took a lot of the stress and pressure off, as I was able to not worry so much about costs, and put more effort and focus into putting on the best show I could.
How did your latest tour go? Any favourite shows/moments?
Christchurch was one of my favourites, actually. I feel like they don’t get too many reo Māori-focused gigs down there, so when they do, the whole community shows out. That gig was my highest turnout of the whole tour! The crowd was super into it too, which makes my job so much funner.
Did you get to play many regional spots? If so, how did those shows differ from playing bigger cities/venues?
One of my favourite moments in the regions was performing at Smash Palace in Gisborne. It was my first time playing there and I loved it! The venue owner was super nice and was super appreciative of us making the trip from Auckland. The crowd was great too, there was a group of aunties sitting at the back the whole time. They weren’t the type to get up and dance but they were still giving me the best energy!
Do you think touring has gotten more difficult — economically speaking — for musicians like yourself in recent years?
Yeah, definitely. Between band/dancer costs, venue hire and travel, there is rarely any money left over for the artist. That’s why so many of us try so hard to get on festival lineups, where there are guaranteed fees and the admin is all taken care of. The cool thing about doing your own tours, though, is that it makes you appreciate the festival gigs so much more when you do get them!
Without revealing specifics (unless you want to!), how tight are the cost margins for your tour?
Even with funding, things can still be tight. But tours are super important for long-term fan engagment, which has economic payoffs further down the line. Things like merch and moisturiser (I released my latest album Moisturise & Decolonise as a moisturiser) sales have also helped boost the margins on this tour.
Do you feel the pressure to raise ticket prices in order to make your tour economically viable? It must be so tough when punters are struggling through a cost-of-living crisis.
I definitely do after this tour. I even had some feedback from fans saying my tickets were too cheap. But yeah, it’s hard, because you do turn away a lot of people when you raise the prices. Our main goal is to always get people to the gig and have a good night — profits come second.
Do you think there are enough funding opportunities for artists like yourself in Aotearoa?
We are lucky, to be honest. I’ve been lucky enough to get my last couple of albums funded both by NZ on Air and TMP. However, in terms of overseas expansion, which is super important being a musician in such a small country, the funding pool is a lot smaller. It would be awesome to see more funding for overseas tours and writing missions in future.
What can the NZ government do better to support artists like yourself?
It would be great to have a centralised database of venues all with streamlined costs and contact details. At the moment, when an artist plans a tour, they’ve got to track down venues, find the contact, wait days for emails, find out hireage and sound, lighting, door person costs, and it all takes a LOT of work. And they all have different systems. Some will give you the venue for free, others will need a fee, others charge for absolutely everything, without even a free drink for the artist hiring the venue. If there was a centralised database and even a network of venues in different cities with similar operating systems, that would make things a whole lot easier.
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Are you hopeful for the future of music in Aotearoa?
I am… It’s not always easy to be hopeful in this industry but I hold on to hope. My recent shows in Australia, Japan, and Canada have shown me just how special our music is here in Aotearoa. Especially when the music sounds like where it is from.
More support from radio, streaming services, festivals, and even film and TV for local Aotearoa music will definitely help create a more thriving industry in the future. If we can support NZ music as much as we did in the pandemic era every year, there would be a lot more full-time musicians singing about our own unique Kiwi life experience. This in turn builds more cultural resilience, and a stronger, more connected Aotearoa.
How important is it that a fund like this is available?
Super important! Touring is hard but it’s one of the most rewarding things we can do as artists. Performing my music and getting direct feedback from the crowd is one of my favourite things in the world. Tour funding like this not only makes tours possible, but also just makes it more fun. Kia ora NZ on Air and NZ Music Commission for the tautoko!
Kaylee Bell
The ‘Most Streamed Country Artist’ for Australasia in 2022, Waimate-born Kaylee Bell won the Toyota Star Maker award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2013, and has gone on to open for Brad Paisley, Ed Sheeran, and Kane Brown on their recent Australia and New Zealand stadium tours.
How important has NZ On Air’s touring fund been to your career development?
It has been vital. It has allowed us to tour in the regional areas of NZ and that has been such a huge part of building a loyal fanbase in NZ. It has also allowed us the chance to tour every year which is also very important to show loyalty to fans by repeatedly coming back to see them, and I wouldn’t have been able to tour to so many places or as frequently without that support from NZ On Air.
When did you first discover the touring fund? Do you think enough young Kiwi musicians know about it?
I found it online and I believe anyone that is in our field has accessibility to the funding and should be always looking for opportunities as we are very fortunate in NZ to have such a solid support system in NZ On Air.
How did it specifically impact/improve your most recent tour? How did you level up?
It allowed us to play venues I have dreamed of playing like The Civic in Auckland and The Town Hall in Christchurch, where we sold out. It allowed me the confidence to invest in my show and the level of production by including screen and fun staging to take it up a step from my previous two tours, and this allowed us to put on a show of international quality.
How did your latest tour go? Any favourite shows/moments?
Very well: we sold out Christchurch and Invercargill, we almost sold out The Civic, and the connection I have with my fans on the road is unmatched. I had two-hour meet and greets after every show.
Did you get to play many regional spots? If so, how did those shows differ from playing bigger cities/venues?
This recent tour was targeted towards more of the metro, as I wanted to put on a level of show production-wise that was consistent, and therefore we had to stick to rooms that allowed this. But given the last two tours we have played hit regional NZ, I find a lot of my fans travelled to see us play and that created such a buzz around the places we played. For example, the lines to get into the show for our sold-out Christchurch Town Hall show went around the block — the fans turned up and turned up early!
Do you think touring has gotten more difficult — economically speaking — for musicians like yourself in recent years?
Touring is incredibly expensive and, as the artist, all the risk falls on you, so it can be pretty daunting when you first hit the road knowing that the expenses have already started coming in. Travel and flying is expensive, paying for bands and crews is expensive, hotels are expensive, and the cost of bringing in production is the greatest expense as venues in NZ do not come as self-sufficient venues, therefore a lot has to be bought in to put on a level of show we can be proud of.
Without revealing specifics (unless you want to!), how tight are the cost margins for your tour?
They can come down to the wire. I find merch helps a lot but again venues take a huge cut on the margin of this. It really is about the experience in a lot of ways, and if you break even in this current climate with the cost of touring, then you are doing well.
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Do you feel the pressure to raise ticket prices in order to make your tour economically viable?
It must be so tough when punters are struggling through a cost-of-living crisis. I feel like the ticket price still needs to be accessible to fans and also a reflection of the level of show and production, therefore every time we tour I am trying to work out how to make the show go up a level but keep it at an affordable cost for fans.
Do you think there are enough funding opportunities for artists like yourself in Aotearoa?
We are very fortunate in NZ, I think, especially compared to other countries. I think the touring funding is one of the most important forms of funding, as playing live and connecting with fans is everything to us as artists, and needs to be supported to help artists avoid going into the red to do so.
What can the NZ government do better to support artists like yourself?
Put proper sound gear in venues through NZ so we don’t have to bring everything in from scratch, support more NZ touring, and support more NZ artists on radio as radio support can still break careers for artists.
Are you hopeful for the future of music in Aotearoa?
Always. I always look for positivity in everything I do, but I do think we need more NZ artists on radio and that will flow on to touring, etc.
How important is it that a fund like this is available?
It is a game-changer for artists on every level in NZ to have support when the cost of touring is through the roof, and I hope it continues as it has been vital for us to tour the way we want to and put on a show at a level we are proud of in NZ.
Andrew Spraggon (Sola Rosa)
Andrew Spraggon is the Auckland-based beatmaker, songwriter, and producer behind acclaimed New Zealand musical project Sola Rosa. Growing from a solo beat-making endeavour in the late ’90s into a highly collaborative effort featuring an array of guest vocalists and musicians, Sola Rosa has earned earned critical acclaim, multiple New Zealand Music Awards nominations and wins, as well as a loyal global fanbase.
How important has NZ On Air’s touring fund been to your career development?
To be honest, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to make the albums I’ve made without funding support. I’m sure I would’ve found a way somehow, but I definitely wouldn’t have been able to work with some of the talented artists and creatives I’ve collaborated with over the years without it. The funding allows artists to focus on the art instead of constantly stressing about how they’re going to pay for everything.
When did you first discover the touring fund? Do you think enough young Kiwi musicians know about it?
I’ve had funding through the NZ Music Commission, and I think Creative NZ back in the day, but touring support through NZ On Air was new to me. I was lucky enough to meet the criteria through having a New Music Project Funding application open at the time. I actually heard about it through socials.
I’m not sure enough younger artists — especially independent artists trying to navigate everything themselves — are even aware of it. I didn’t really start paying attention to industry newsletters or the wider music industry side of things until much later in my career. Early on, I definitely had an aversion to anything that felt too ‘music industry’. A lot of that probably came from my experience in the band I was in before Sola Rosa, where it felt like we never really got much support or encouragement in those early days.
How did it specifically impact/improve your most recent tour? How did you level up?
Honestly, touring the new album would’ve been incredibly stressful financially without the support. I introduced visuals into the live show this time around and the funding allowed me to put on a much bigger show for small to mid-sized venues and crowds.
It also meant I could pay the people I work with a half-decent fee, which I think is only fair.
How did your latest tour go? Any favourite shows/moments?
The tour’s been going really well so far. We’ve only played two shows — Auckland and Nelson — but both have been fab. The audiences seemed to really connect with it, and we loved playing them too, so it’s been a great way to kick things off.
I was definitely a little anxious in the lead-up about introducing the new AV side of the show, but it’s gone down amazingly well. That’s been really exciting and has definitely started the tour on the right foot.
Kendal Calling was a bit of a nightmare though because Kevin, our singer, went to the wrong gate for artist accreditation and the festival was so massive he didn’t have time to get to us, so we had to play the set without him.
Did you get to play many regional spots? If so, how did those shows differ from playing bigger cities/venues?
The Nelson show was part of the Small Hall Sessions, although it was actually in quite a large hall out in Puketapu, so I guess that would count as a regional show. I often find those audiences are incredibly appreciative, and they also tend to support more by buying merch, which genuinely makes a big difference for independent artists like us.
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Do you think touring has gotten more difficult — economically speaking — for musicians like yourself in recent years?
Yeah, definitely. A few years ago I honestly wondered if I’d ever tour again. Everything is so much more expensive now — fuel, flights, accommodation, venue hire, production costs — and it all feels really unpredictable as well. Things can shift overnight.
It feels like there’s always some kind of crisis going on that affects touring.
Without revealing specifics (unless you want to!), how tight are the cost margins for your tour?
Very tight. I mean, we’d probably all feel a lot calmer if people still bought pre-sale tickets the way they used to, but there’s definitely a tendency now to leave things until the last minute.
People seem to wait and see what the weather’s doing, how they’re feeling that week, or whether they can afford it at the time — which I totally understand — but when you’re putting on a tour costing tens of thousands of dollars upfront, it can be pretty terrifying.
Do you feel the pressure to raise ticket prices in order to make your tour economically viable? It must be so tough when punters are struggling through a cost-of-living crisis.
It’s tough, yeah. I really wanted tickets to stay affordable, but at the same time if you want to put on a great show with high-quality audio and visuals, it gets expensive pretty quickly. So it’s definitely a balancing act between affordability and making the numbers work.
Do you think there are enough funding opportunities for artists like yourself in Aotearoa?
I think the funding opportunities are pretty good for artists like myself in Aotearoa. What I’d love to see, though, is more support for artists who maybe don’t have the stats required to get the grants, such as streaming numbers or big social followings.
I was lucky to come up during a pretty nascent electronic scene, but now there are so many artists competing in a really small country, with fewer venues and rising costs. A lot of those artists need support too.
What can the NZ government do better to support artists like yourself?
Just keep investing in arts and culture. If you look at progressive countries, such as Ireland, they really value and support their artists and culture, and I think that pays for itself in so many ways.
Are you hopeful for the future of music in Aotearoa?
Of course. Art will always exist. Artists will always find a way to create and connect with people. It’s part of the human experience really — a way to process hardship, heartbreak, and all the madness going on around us, and to transcend it all in a way nothing else really can. If anything, it feels like we need art now more than ever.
How important is it that a fund like this is available?
To be honest, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to sustain the kind of touring and album output I’ve had without funding support. I’m sure I would’ve found ways to make things happen, but it would’ve been on a much smaller scale, and I wouldn’t have been able to work with many of the talented artists and creatives I’ve collaborated with over the years.
The touring fund, in particular, is really important in the current climate. With costs rising and touring becoming more expensive and complex, especially for independent artists, it helps bridge the gap between what’s creatively possible and what’s financially viable. It allows artists to actually focus on the work and the live experience, rather than constantly trying to cover shortfalls or cut corners just to make a tour happen.
