Since 2004 The Audio Foundation has been an icon providing vital services and entertainment to Aotearoa’s music and arts community, propagating its message of sonic curiousity, openness and adventure. It has been critical in the growth of artists and musicians who have played crucial parts in our cultural history, and many who will in the future. Over the tumultuous last few years, one of our goals has been to build the resilience of the organisation to survive and thrive as a community space. On Thursday 25 May we’re launching a membership scheme so that the artists and audiences who adore us have the chance to play their part too in helping us run louder and louder into the future. At the launch we’ll have a limited re-run of Stefan Neville’s Audio Foundation shirts for sale, our new listening library opening to the public, and a chance to chat to the staff with any questions and curiosities you’ve had about The Audio Foundation – Our history, our kaupapa and our mahi. We’ll also be announcing our honorary members, these are people we would like to acknowledge for their significant and indelible contributions to The Audio Foundation over the last 19 years – shaping it into the organisation and community that it is today. This launch will be an evening of celebration of everything that The Audio Foundation is and all our dreams for the future.
HOW WILL OUR MEMBERSHIP WORK?
To become a member subscribe to pay a monthly fee of $20 or a yearly donation of $240, you’re welcome to add a little extra, but these are the minimums to sign up. Members will get free entry into a couple shows from our Performance programme series each month, a welcome pack with a few AF goodies, discounted tickets to international acts and festivals, and more. You’ll be able to sign up on the spot at the launch, but if you can’t make it along, simply head on over to our website: www.audiofoundation.org.nz/donate and we’ll mail our your welcome pack.
WHATS THIS LISTENING LIBRARY ABOUT?
Audio Foundation’s new listening library co-exists with our workshop in a room next to our office. The library is a place for artists, students, academics and audience members to listen, research and study. It’s stocked with Audio Foundation’s extensive physical and digital audio archive. It also includes shelves of books on Sound Art and Music, plus zines and books by NZ artists. The collection includes 1000’s of physical CDs, tapes and records, some of which can be publicly accessed nowhere else in the world. We also have tens of thousands of songs from NZ musicians and sound artists dating back to the 1960s, much of it never released online, in our digital archive. For listening pleasures the library is equipped with cassette and CD players, speakers, subwoofer, graphic equalizer, a big table to work at and a cosy couch.
WHAT IF I WANT TO HELP MORE?
We welcome all donations financial or material. We are also seeking philanthropic and corporate sponsorship. We currently have several events series that need financial sponsorship to be sustained. Flick us an email if you want to chat about larger donation amounts or sponsorship opportunities with The Audio Foundation.