Summertimemusic.co.nz

Summertiemusic.co.nz is a website owned independently and operated in conjunction with three major recording studios in the South Pacific (Polynesia) – Sea Breeze Music, Studio Alphonse and Raro Records. The site provides information about digital music, songs, artists and events in the music community of Polynesia.

History

Summertimemusic.co.nz was funded in August 2006 by Lev K Veniaminov as a part of Summertimemsic Intl Ltd with the goal of promoting the music, dance and culture of Polynesia among the wider audience in the world and as a means of assisting people from the Pacific islands who have ventured farther away from the islands to keep connection with their cultural roots.

As a first stage of the project the website started off as a site offering a music catalogue on CD and functioning as an internet mail order shop. The site also featured the artists in accordance with their geographical location and provided brief information on bands and artists featured on the website. The vast majority of the artists represented on the website were affiliated with the oldest record labels in Polynesia such as Sea Breeze Music, Raro Records (Cook Islands), Studio Alphonse (French Polynesia). These studios are renowned for supporting indigenous languages and promoting the traditional music culture of Polynesia.

By the beginning of 2007 the site began working on the second stage of the project – providing the visitors with the ability to download the content directly from the site and access video material submitted by the artists featured on the website. The site also features updates on released albums and provides information on the most popular Polynesian albums and artists as well as RSS news-update.

Currently the site is working on the third stage of the project – delivering the content of the site in French for French only speaking population of French Polynesia, France, Canada and North Africa.

Philosophy

Summertimemusic.co.nz attracts and encourages artists representing independent music in Polynesia to feature their works on the website. To make the collaboration with the site more attractive, effective and convenient for the artists – the management of the site has developed a unique set of features and site structure, believed not to be implemented anywhere in the world at the time of publication, that allow artists to have almost unlimited control over the material that they publish on the web site at the same time the artists are able to obtain real time information on how popular their content is.

Currently the site provides access to difficult to find recordings of traditional drumming and songs of the Cook Islands as well as traditional songs of French Polynesia. A number of the recordings are over 20 years old and have been digitally remastered.

Some of the Polynesian artists currently hosted on summertimemusic.co.nz

Brother Love, Melissa Gosselin, Taokia Brothers, Kutia Tuteru, Chuck Upu, Barthelemy, Trio Kikiriri, The Neighbours String Band

External links

* [http://www.summertimemusic.co.nz Official website]