Last night The Tuning Fork hosted managers, self managed artists, industry professionals, artists and bands, to celebrate the people working hard behind the scenes in the New Zealand music industry at the NZ Music Manager’s Awards.

The 2018 MMF Music Managers Awards winners are:

Recorded Music NZ Manager of the Year – Alastair Burns (Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin, The Weather Station, Phantastic Ferniture) second consecutive year.

NZ Music Commission International Achievement Award – Niel de Jong (Alien Weaponry). Last year the band signed with Napalm Records, one of Europe’s two biggest independent metal labels as well as German based agency das Machine, and are about to embark on a big European tour.

Emerging Manager of the Year – Chris Chetland and Callum McDougall (Rei). Rei’s release, ‘A Place to Stand’, went straight to #1 on the iTunes Hip Hop album charts, beating Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Damn’ for the top spot. Rei won Best Urban Album at the Waiata Māori Music Awards in 2017, and was also a finalist at the 2017 NZ Music Awards.

Breakthrough Manager of the Year – Rikihana Douglas. His roster of SACHI, Montell2099, L.A. WOMEN and Matthew Young have had a busy year

APRA AMCOS Self-Managed Artist of the Year – Tana Tupai and Avina Kelekolio (Tomorrow People). Their EP ‘BBQ Reggae’ debuted No 1 in the NZ Charts and they were also finalists in the 2017 VNZMA’s.

JLT Best Independent Tour – Nick Atkinson ‘Round the Horn’ Tour (Hopetoun Brown). The groundbreaker sold out tour was a very bold but successful concept as the band sailed from venue to venue in their own yacht, rowing all their instruments and a small PA into each new coastal venue in a tiny dinghy.

Best Small Venue – Neck of the Woods, Auckland

Best Large Venue – The Civic , Auckland

NSL distributors of Shure & QSC in NZ Industry Champion Award – The NZ Music Foundation

MMF NZ Achievement Award – Pennie Black (HEX, The Echo Ohs). Black was mentored to help her band Hex with their USA tour and SXSW appearance.