Sheep, Dog & Wolf take out the Hallenstein Brothers Critics' Choice Prize

Sheep, Dog & Wolf is the winner of the Hallenstein Brothers Critics' Choice Prize in the 2013 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Finalists Janine and the Mixtape, Paquin and Sheep, Dog & Wolf each performed a live set at the King's Arms in Auckland last night (Wed. Nov. 6) in front of a packed crowd and a panel of 10 music critics.

The critics were tasked with selecting just one recipient, a musical prodigy they believe has the potential to become a future Tui winner.

Following an impressive set, Sheep, Dog & Wolf - the stage name of Auckland's Daniel McBride - took home the prize.  McBride said "I'm stunned. I'm just so happy. Paquin and Janine and the Mixtape were incredible tonight; I can't wait to see where they go next."

The Critics' Choice Prize, now in its fourth year, is designed to recognise and promote up-and-coming Kiwi music talent and potential future music awards winners.

Past finalists include The Naked and Famous and Homebrew while the likes of Kimbra and Watercolourshave taken out the laurels.

"The panel has shown remarkable skill in picking future Tui winners in the past and I have no doubt they've got it right again this year - all three finalists looked and sounded fantastic and have great potential for the future," says Recorded Music NZ chief executive officer Damian Vaughan.

In addition to recognition from top music industry experts, Sheep, Dog & Wolf is awarded a $10,000 recording and music video grant from NZ On Air. The artist also gains professional guidance and advice from several heavyweights in the music industry to help him ‘make it' in the competitive New Zealand music market. This includes meetings and mentoring sessions from Brent Eccles Entertainment Ltd,Entertainment Accounting Services and McLaughlin Law.

Sheep, Dog & Wolf also receives a 12-month membership to the Music Managers Forum where he can attend seminars free of charge and also make use of one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Finally, IPONZ is tailoring a package around Sheep, Dog & Wolf's intellectual property needs to ensure he can protect and manage the IP he creates.