Music Commission News

Aotearoa has concluded a landmark week as Lead Country Partner at The Great Escape 2026 in Brighton, UK. The New Zealand Music Commission and Live Nation New Zealand joined forces in a landmark partnership, bringing some of the country’s leading talent to Europe’s foremost new music industry festival as it celebrated two decades of championing emerging artists.

Held annually in Brighton, The Great Escape brings together thousands of artists, managers, labels, agents, festival programmers, and media from across the global music industry. New Zealand’s appointment as Lead Country Partner for 2026 provided an unprecedented platform to showcase the depth and diversity of Aotearoa’s contemporary music scene to an international audience.

The New Zealand programme spanned three days and included a major official showcase, an industry conference panel, and a dedicated networking event.

On Thursday 14 May, the official New Zealand showcase filled two stages at Patterns, featuring some of the nation’s leading talent. Artist performances included LEAO, Vera Ellen, Muroki, Luca George, Who Shot Scott, Hemi Hemingway, Ringlets, and Jude Kelly. Following that, many of the acts performed again across the festival, alongside Len Blake, Office Dog and ratbag who completed the New Zealand artist delegation – a programme that reflected the star power of Aotearoa talent emerging from the region.

Earlier that morning, the Music Commission and Live Nation New Zealand co-presented a conference panel titled “Far Out: Building a Global Music Career from the End of the Earth.” Held at the Leonardo Royal’s Noblesse Room, the session brought together musicians with current and ex-pat industry leaders from Aotearoa to discuss the strategies, mindset shifts, and creative breakthroughs that emerge when geography demands a different way of thinking about international music careers.

On Friday 15 May, the delegation hosted an industry networking event at the TGE Beach Site’s On The Rocks venue. The event brought together artists, delegates, labels, festival programmers, agents, managers, media, and international tastemakers for an informal opportunity to connect and build relationships across borders.

Mark Kneebone, MD Live Nation, said: “New Zealand’s appointment as Lead Country Partner at The Great Escape was a genuine milestone for our music industry. To bring these artists to Brighton and have them performing alongside some of the most exciting new artists in the world is a powerful statement about the quality and ambition of what Aotearoa is producing. We’re proud of what we achieved here alongside the New Zealand Music Commission, and we’re already seeing the doors this week has opened.”

“People were impressed.” said Alan Holt, International Manager for the Music Commission. “The artists all played exceptionally and were well received throughout the week. There were many, many comments about the high quality of artists from New Zealand this year. There are going to be some fantastic results for our artists from The Great Escape.”

New Zealand’s participation at The Great Escape 2026 forms part of a broader strategy to grow the international profile of Aotearoa’s music industry and create sustainable pathways for New Zealand artists to build global careers.

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The New Zealand Music Commission is a Government-funded agency committed to growing the NZ music business. The Commission undertakes projects and partnerships aimed at exporting NZ music and assisting music businesses in working internationally.

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

The Great Escape is the festival for new music, showcasing 450 emerging artists from all over the world in 30+ walkable venues across the city and a pop-up festival site on Brighton Beach. It’s the first place to discover your new favourite artist and see them in an intimate setting before they go on to headline major festival stages. TGE is also attended by the music industry who are on the hunt for the next big thing. The festival runs a conference alongside the gigs featuring insightful panels, topical debates, keynote speeches and networking opportunities in abundance. For more information visit greatescapefestival.com.