Spark teams up with The Spinoff

Spark announced today that it is partnering with rapidly growing online magazine The Spinoff to produce a new music section on The Spinoff’s website. The new section, which will go live on November 1, will be dedicated to music news, discussion and storytelling, with a big focus on local New Zealand music.

Clive Ormerod, General Manager Customer & Marketing at Spark, said as a digital services business with thousands of music-loving customers, Spark was excited to be partnering with the Spinoff on a brand new section celebrating the power of New Zealand music:

“We believe there’s so much potential when technology and music come together. Our phones and other devices are now the main gateways to music for most of us and music is absolutely central to those emotional moments of connection we share with loved ones. It’s something we know our customers love and value, so it’s a massive focus for us.”

Spinoff Editor, Duncan Greive, said the section had been a dream of his ever since The Spinoff launched in 2014. "It's taken a couple of years, but was so worth the wait. We wanted, above all, to do it once, and do it with the right partner. That was always Spark, thanks to their deep and abiding commitment to music and their relationship with Spotify. It's going to be a beautiful thing, and we can't wait to get to work."

The section will feature interviews, reviews, essays and playlists. Greive says the focus will be on a wide range of genres, and that it will be “bold and opinionated and passionate.”

With many of the country’s legendary music magazines no longer running, the Spinoff’s new music section will help fill a story-telling gap for New Zealand music, providing somewhere central for its stories to be told, discussed and shared.

“For us this is about helping more New Zealand music thrive and using technology to provide amazing experiences that get people closer to the music they love,” said Ormerod, “We believe that having this dedicated space to celebrate New Zealand music will be a key to that happening.”

Ormerod noted that for Spark, the partnership was part of a broader ambition to bring New Zealanders the sounds they love. “We already collaborate with a wide range of music industry partners, including Spotify and Live Nation. Next April we’ll be launching the Spark Arena – an exciting eight year project with music at its heart. So for us, teaming up with the Spinoff to bring quality, entertaining and challenging writing about music is a no brainer.”