APRA Announces Top 20 Songs Of The Year  
19th July 2007 - Press Release



The Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA)* is proud to announce the top 20 songs eligible for New Zealand’s most prestigious songwriting award - The APRA Silver Scroll. The 2007 finalists include Sean Cunningham, Ben Campbell and Beth Campbell from Atlas with their recent no.1 hit 'Crawl'. The Silver Scroll has been presented since 1965, and is the New Zealand music industry’s  favourite night out. It’s an unparalleled chance for musicians, to relax, confer and celebrate with  peers and industry alike.

Anthony Healey, APRA’s Director of NZ Operations. “This is yet another outstanding year  showcasing and celebrating a collection of exceptional talent. The entrants are all to be  congratulated and acknowledged for their contribution to the quality of the New Zealand music  landscape.  It’s really an amazing year not just for the songwriters, but it’s also the first time  APRA members have been able to cast a vote to determine the Scroll recipient. With the beauty  of online technology, we can now genuinely let the industry speak for itself!”   

Historically, a panel of anonymous writers and industry experts has judged the Silver Scroll. This year, a significant change has occurred in determining the winner. A panel of judges were  nominated by APRA to convene the below preliminary list, and now the rest is handed over to  APRA members who can listen to each song, read the lyrics and log on to vote. The 5 finalists  are performed on the night of the Awards and the winner of the Silver Scroll 2007 (as decided by  APRA members) will be announced.   

This highly anticipated evening on the music industry calendar, is guaranteed to yield nothing  short of a spectacular result. It’s a veritable who’s who of New Zealand’s most respected  songwriters. From old faces to new, the songwriters selected include; Boh Runga, Shayne  Carter, Miriam Clancy, Greg Johnson, and it’s also the first time father and son, Neil and Liam Finn both vie for this coveted award!  Sean Donnelly and Brooke Fraser prove their talent by being nominated with not one, but two songs each!     

Hall Of Fame
And is if that’s not enough to ensure a sublime evening of performance and celebration; it’s also  the inauguration of the first members into the newly established APRA New Zealand Music  Hall of Fame. Four inaugural inductees will be honoured in 2007 and presentations will be made at the annual  APRA Silver Scroll Award evening. Inductees may be songwriters, composers, performing artists  or industry champions. They will all however have shaped and influenced New Zealand culture in  a significant way.    

Healey points out “The APRA New Zealand Music Hall of Fame will ensure that we’re dedicated  to preserving and acknowledging the contribution, both musical and cultural, that our colleagues  make towards our industry. It’s appropriate and right to celebrate such significant people  alongside their musical counterparts at an event like the Silver Scroll; the award and the Hall of  Fame go hand in hand.”   

The Top 20 contenders for the 2007 APRA Silver Scroll are listed below. To listen to and read  each songs lyrics visit www.apra.co.nz.   

Song Title - Writer(s) - Performed by 
Albertine - Brooke Fraser - Brooke Fraser 
Anyone Can Say Goodbye - Greg Johnson & Ted Brown - Greg Johnson 
Beautiful Haze - Sean Donnelly - SJD 
Crawl - Sean Cunningham, Ben Campbell & Beth Campbell - Atlas 
Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! - Ruban Nielson - The Mint Chicks 
Deciphering Me - Brooke Fraser - Brooke Fraser 
Don't Stop Now - Neil Finn - Crowded House 
For A While - Boh Runga - stellar* 
Girl About Town - Miriam Clancy - Miriam Clancy 
I Will Do - Hollie Smith & Jeremy Toy - Hollie Smith 
I Will Not Let You Down - Sean Donnelly - Don McGlashan 
Light Surrounding You - Dann Hume & Jon Hume - Evermore 
Maybe - Jason Kerrison, Bobby Kennedy, Matt Treacy & Clinton Harris - Opshop 
One - Redford Grenell, Devin Abrams, Nick Robinson, Sam Trevethick & Paora Apera - Shapeshifter 
Rise Up (part 2) - Jeremy Toy, Julien Dyne, Lewis McCallum & Tyra Hammond - Opensouls 
Second Chance - Liam Finn - Liam Finn 
The Way To Breathe - Julia Deans, Andrew Bain & Simon Braxton - Fur Patrol 
This Soldier - Victoria Girling-Butcher - Lucid 3 
We're So Lost - Buzz Moller - Voom 
What's A Few Tears To the Ocean - Shayne Carter - Dimmer   

For further media information/requests:   
Jodie Molloy: MOLLOYMEDIA (09) 489 8020 or jodie.molloy@ihug.co.nz    

For APRA related enquiries: 
Anthony Healey: Director, NZ Operations APRA (09) 623 4710 ahealey@apra.com.au  
Abbie Rutledge: APRA Communications and Events (09) 623 4719 arutledge@apra.com.au    

*Established in 1926, APRA is a not for profit company that collects and distributes performing right royalties to composers,  songwriters and music publishers in New Zealand. We directly represent over 47,000 New Zealand and Australian songwriters  and publisher members. Through reciprocal agreements with similar organisations around the world, we represent over two  million writers and publishers internationally. We also manage the reproduction rights business of our sister collecting society, the  Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). This involves collecting royalties from record companies,  filmmakers, educational institutions and others who record or reproduce music in some form.   

www.apra.co.nz