OneMusic is a joint initiative of the Australasian Performing Right Association (Apra), the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society and Recorded Music NZ to simplify the music licensing process for businesses and to help songwriters, composers, publishers, recording artists and record labels to get paid for the use of their music, as required under the Copyright Act 1994. Greer Davies has been with Apra for nearly 22 years and director of OneMusic since it was formed in 2013. 

I was born in the 70s but grew up in the 80s. As a child, the soundtrack of my life was the 45rpm records my dad had from parties when he was younger, so there was always a lot of music. 

We didn't really listen to the radio apart from in the car when mum would play some kind of middle-of-the-road radio station – a lot of Rick Astley and Wham! There were no streaming services, and you never thought you might have a choice over what you consumed.

We moved from Whitford to Howick when I was about 14. I didn’t want to move, because I loved the house in Whitford that we grew up in. Even up to the week before we were due to move, I hadn't packed my room. I was in absolute denial that we were moving and had every intention of staying there with whoever the new owners were.

Greer Davies with her brothers Milton and Lane Donovan. (Image: Supplied) 

I really enjoyed school but my mother would say I went only for the social aspect. I probably wasn't the most diligent student in terms of applying myself academically, but some of my dearest friends now are the crew I went to school with, and that was a long time ago. In fact, our 30-year school reunion is in a couple of weeks. 

After school, I didn't really know what to do with my life. Loads of people were going to study commerce at university and my parents were very much of the opinion that wasn't for me, and they were right. They instilled a work ethic in me and a belief that if you want it, you need to go and achieve it – or earn the dollars to enable that to happen.

Greer (centre) flanked by her cousins (from left) Greig Brebner, Oliver Baillie and Keren Blakey and brother Milton. (Image: Supplied)  

I ended up going to London and mucking around there for a few years. I worked in hospitality, temped a bit, made some good friends, and just had the best time. And I also met my now-husband, Gareth, there as well. 

When I was in London, mum would make sure I was putting money into a savings account back home. When I was working in hospitality, for example, I got a little bit of profit share, and each quarter, Mum would ring and say, "Now, how much was the profit share?" I'd tell her and she'd go, "Right, can you please write a cheque and send that home?" And I would do that. It meant when I came home, there was some money in the bank, which was fabulous because I hadn't saved anything in London.

I overstayed my visa in London by about nine months. I didn't really want to be back in New Zealand but wasn't sure where I wanted to be – apart from back in London.

Then a friend called me one day and said, "Right, I've had enough of you sitting around your parents’ place. You need to get a job." And that’s when I started at Apra as a receptionist, before I picked up other roles in the company. 

We launched OneMusic 10 years ago, and I’ve managed it since the beginning. The hardest part of the job is getting people to understand the impact music has on their business. Music is around us all the time but a lot of business owners don't understand that they require permission to play it. 

Music is just as important as the tables and the chairs and how your space looks and the team that you work with. It's just part of the envelope of a business and I think, get it right and it aids your business. But because it's all around us, it's taken for granted. 

I think music is the soundtrack to our lives. Everyone has songs that remind them of something, that take them somewhere. I notice music wherever I go. Often it's the first thing I notice – and even more so when somewhere doesn’t have music. I go to the supermarket and see people are singing out loud. They don't know they're singing out loud!

The discovery of new music and the arts in general is just such an important part of our lives. And the very small piece that I play in it aids the creation of more music. It's not just about really high-profile artists, it's about the new music that's being created right now.

With Jeremy Hanna of the University of Canterbury Students Association, which won the OneMusic award for best live entertainment venue (the association's Haere-roa) at the 2022 Hospitality NZ awards for excellence. (Image: Supplied)  

Today, there are a lot of suppliers who curate background music for businesses, so I think there's a greater understanding of the impact music has.

There are not enough listening hours in the day. It’s really hard to find the time, and there are so many sources we can get our music from: the streamers, audiobooks, the likes of Netflix and Disney, and that's not even counting everything else on our devices. I admire people who are disciplined and can watch things bit by bit – I don't have that ability; it's too hard. 

What will be the top song on my Spotify Wrapped this year? My kids use my Spotify, so it's quite varied – but probably a bit of Britney. My music taste verges on the mainstream, but recently I’ve been listening to an Aboriginal chap called Fred Leone. And then I find Spotify just leads me down the rabbit hole, where I just select the radio option, and that just takes me off into a different world.

Auckland's always been home for me. Why Auckland? I've actually been thinking about that recently. I’m really close to family, so I've never even really thought about not living here. And my husband loves rugby. He's Welsh, so he's all about Wales, and I'm all about the All Blacks. When we were looking for somewhere to live in Auckland, he mapped areas that were around Eden Park. 
As told to Ella Somers.
My Net Worth profiles may be edited for clarity.