Rebecca Caughey

Music Maestro On Her Way To The Top
Rebecca Caughey

At 26 years of age, Rebecca Caughey is the youngest recipient of the 2008 Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award. However, success at a young age is not a novelty for Rebecca, who founded Funktion Music, her music management company, at the youthful age of 19 while still completing her degree in Art History at the University of Auckland.

Funktion grew out of a love for New Zealand music and started from the humble beginnings of organised jazz gigs. It has grown to include handling the world-wide management of local musicians, Shapeshifter and Ladi6, both of whom have achieved substantial success at home and internationally.

Rebecca is also a leading music industry publicist, working with top New Zealand acts including Anika Moa, Elemeno P and Brooke Fraser, as well as international artists during their New Zealand tours.

As a member of the entrepreneurial Smith & Caughey family, business is in Rebecca’s blood.

“I was surrounded by business people and business ideas from a young age, so much so that I think I picked it up via osmosis.”

But Rebecca’s the first to admit that it hasn’t always been plain sailing. She recalls having to telephone her father, Tony Caughey, to ask him how to draft an invoice. However, she’s thankful that her family gave her the freedom to forge her own career and to learn how to run her business on the job.

“Mum and Dad have been supportive but they stopped short of doing everything for me. They printed me a set of business cards when I first started out, which was the best hand-up I could have asked for when first setting up the business.”

And like all young entrepreneurs, Rebecca has experienced her fair share of highs and lows.
“There have been so many highs and with that you have many lows. I define the highs as the shivers up my spine every time I’m at one of my artist’s gigs, or when I hear one of my artist’s new tracks. Often the highs are defined as achieving something that we’ve worked towards for a long time.

“The low points are necessary - they are when you spend time analysing what you’re doing and what steps you’re going to take to change things and move forward. At the time they are not enjoyable but on reflection these are the times that are most vital for me.”
“I learn lessons every day. You need to keep learning because you learn from your mistakes - I just try not to make the same mistake twice!”

Having a point of difference is an essential ingredient in any successful business. For Rebecca it’s about loving what she does.
“I love what I do. Music is a passion and an addiction, and combined with my love of strategy and organisation, I have found my niche. I have created my own style of management. And because I’ve never worked for a corporate or in a large company, I’ve had to forge my own systems and structures to work around.”
Rebecca has worked in various facets of the music industry. A talented saxophonist, she performed at the 2000 Monterey Jazz Festival in San Francisco, and conceived and produced the successful Triumph CD compilation for the Breast Cancer Research Trust. Rebecca was inducted into the New Zealand Young Enterprise Scheme Hall of Talent.

Rebecca actively contributes to the music industry through her membership of the Music Managers’ Forum and through music industry seminars she conducts around the country. She demonstrates leadership through her approach to her clients, who are often many years older, and her belief in the role that music plays in people’s lives.

Music management is a small field in New Zealand and Rebecca says her support circle has enabled her to achieve in an area where others may not have.

In terms of mentors, Rebecca says she’s been fortunate that the right people have entered her path at the right time.
“Friends and family support are the key parts of my success. Lorraine Barry (Dave Dobbyn’s manager and ex International Marketing Manager for Virgin UK) and Mike Chunn are two key mentors who have guided my career.”

Mike Chunn, Chief Executive Officer of the Play It Strange Trust, which implements music programmes for New Zealand schools, has known Rebecca since she entered the world of artist management in 2001, and describes her as having a truly balanced approach.

“Rebecca has conviction and strategies for her artists that belie her youthfulness. She understands that businesses rely on establishing relationships with people and organisations all over the world, and how these in turn benefit her artists. Rebecca’s energy, stability, humour and attention to detail drive her successful path.”
Winning a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award is proof that Rebecca is a young leader on the rise.

“Leadership to me is about loving what you do, having a great team and working hard.”

“Love it. Work hard. Have a great team. Work Hard. Be reliable. Work hard. Be honest. Work Hard. Be open to others’ ideas. Work Hard. And above all else, have fun.”

By Vicki Watson
Photo by Chris Coad