Heart strings

Hannah Harte Patreon: HRMNZ | @hannah_harte_

Music venues are essential to the cultural heart of any city. This month I’d like to shine a little insight into the background of the musicians who grace these stages and provide the aural joy so vital for human well-being. Listening to music is one of life’s great joys. A powerful, eternal force of human expression that has enhanced our lives dating back to the Paleolithic age when our ancestors figured out that banging rocks and sticks together hurt less than enthusiastically clapping our hands. There are countless, complex factors at play when it comes to forming a band: being good at your craft, alongside others also good at their craft, and making sounds that work well together is a highly elusive, ever-changing recipe. Even if you are the most incredible, talented, radio-friendly, charismatic group in the world, if you can’t afford to buy instruments, rent a practice space, record your music, arrange gigs (that you’ll probably lose money on), promote yourself effectively, create music videos, curate a strong social media presence OR have a bountiful word of mouth following, you’ll never get anywhere. Members will slowly give up, run out of money, get discouraged, leave to join other bands, or rage-quit and move to Melbourne.

Funding for musicians in Aotearoa is sparse and fiercely competitive, requiring a huge following and wide success before you can even apply. Being an artist of any persuasion is punishingly expensive, but it is immensely difficult to make any money from playing music, especially if you are experimental and genrepushing. Even touring doesn’t necessarily mean a paycheck; many bands return to home shores burnt out and owing money.

So why do people choose to make music with all the odds stacked against them? Some crave fame, to be seen and heard, admired. Others are driven by a desire to make music because they feel they will simply lose their minds if they don’t. It lives and breathes inside them, demanding to be expressed. Music creates a social glue; it is a way of keeping a community together and bonded. Some bands do this by gently caressing your ears with a pretty melody and breathy lyrics, while others prefer to scream obscenities and thrash their instruments within an inch of their lives until everyone on the dance floor becomes one sweaty, bouncing entity.

I hope that the next time you’re listening to music, especially in our own dear city, you consider everything that has gone into that moment when microphones are positioned, amps are turned on, and the band begins to play.