Answers submitted by Conor Lochrie, Rolling Stone AU / NZ Online Music Editor. 

What inspired Rolling Stone's expansion into New Zealand?
We expanded into Aotearoa last year, launching our magazine in stores across the country and hosting the inaugural Rolling Stone NZ Awards in August, but it's been a long time coming. The music scene here has always produced as many talented musicians as Australia throughout the decades, a particularly resonant fact given the relative size of the two countries.

We had, of course, already been covering excellent New Zealand artists on Rolling Stone Australia, but it felt only right to give the country its own masthead. New Zealand music has been seriously punching above its weight on the world stage for decades now, from Flying Nun to Lorde, and it richly deserves to have the world’s best music publication permanently covering its music scene.

What kind of content appears in the publication?
The main focus is, understandably, music, but we never limit ourselves in terms of subject matter at Rolling Stone. Pop culture, human rights issues, travel pieces - it’s all welcome. We want to strike a strong balance between covering the biggest Kiwi artists and covering the local music scene. For every story about Six60 or Lorde, we want to have another about a rising star from, say, the Ōtautahi community (see our recent up-and-coming Aotearoa artists series). In a country like New Zealand, with such a historically excellent DIY music community, it feels very important to cover music at the grassroots level.

We’d also love to hear from Māori and Pasifika artists in need of greater exposure; there are so many talented musicians from those communities that probably don’t get the coverage they deserve.

Who makes up the editorial team?
Poppy Reid is our Editor-in-Chief and is a New Zealander of Ngāi Takoto and Ngāpuhi descent. She grew up in Northland and moved to Australia as a teenager, and has kept a close eye on both countries’ music scenes since.

I’m the Online Music Editor, and I’m currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau, while our Print Editor is Jake Challenor, who oversees the publication of four magazine issues each year (see the wonderfully constructed "Most Iconic Australia / New Zealand Music Moments of All Time" special edition from last December).

The three of us have New Zealand-based freelancers working with us, and our writing team is set to grow this year.

What stories and trends are you keeping an eye on in the year ahead?
While the pandemic is far from over, 2023 really feels like the year that live music truly takes off again. Venues and festivals are falling over themselves to book the best international artists, who have sorely missed touring.This is mostly a positive thing, but we have to be careful not to neglect local artists who thrived so much when New Zealand was closed off to the rest of the world over the past few years.

New Zealand also feels very well-placed to have a seriously strong contingent of breakout international artists this year. The Beths’ touring mates Hans Pucket, Wellington singer-songwriter Vera Ellen, future popstar Will Swinton, and bedroom pop producer Pickle Darling are just some of the artists that come to mind who could do big things globally in 2023 and beyond.

How can PRs stand out in their pitch?
Be clear and concise. It’s as simple as that. When a PR sends a convoluted pitch with an unclear request, it’s likely to be missed; there’s just not enough time in the day to respond to each pitch that arrives in the inbox. Emphasise exactly what makes your artist stand out from the crowded field and why they deserve to be on Rolling Stone NZ. 

Is there anything else you want readers to know about Rolling Stone New Zealand?
The relative dearth of full-time music publications covering the wonderful Kiwi music scene over the past decade was understandable - it’s been a tough time for the industry - but it was something we wanted to contribute to. We have now joined the incredible local music and arts blogs in shouting from the rooftops about Kiwi music - an honour we don’t take for granted.