Nathan Graves was marketing music while he was still in high school.
The Gore-born musician, marketer and producer, began selling tickets for local gigs as a teenager in the 1980s, including acts from the Flying Nun record label coming down from Dunedin.
Nathan Graves. Photo: Supplied
Graves was still in his teens when he landed on his feet in London, finding a job at Tower Records.
Later on, Graves returned to New Zealand and got work in sales with Polygram Records, where he persuaded record shop owners up and down the land to stock more classical music.
To the surprise of many store managers, Graves' suggestions (The Three Tenors, Vivaldi's Four Seasons) sold like hotcakes.
Success in music sales lead to a career in music production, mostly based in the UK.
Back in New Zealand to help with one of his other projects, organising the ‘Somethin’ Else Festival’ in Auckland over Waitangi Weekend, Graves took time out to discuss the music business with RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump.
The two discussed another of Graves' interests - a vault of historic music recordings on the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard. They've even got a recording of Lilburn's Overture: Aotearoa in there.
Grave also shared some thoughts on the role Artificial Intelligence will play in commercial music in the future.
Svalbard - there's a recording of Lilburn locked away there somewhere. Photo: AFP
