The Aotearoa Music Awards were held last night and among all the great performances, one stood out in particular. Dame Lynda Topp took the microphone after a tribute performance to the twins by Country Musician of the Year Tami Neilson with nominee Southland singer-songwriter Jenny Mitchell, and she lambasted the lack of spending on music and the arts. It's not the first time funding, or lack of funding, for music and arts has been called out, so we wanted to talk to someone who knows the music industry inside out about what's going on. Carmel Bennett is the General Manager for MusicHelps, and the recent recipient of the Taite Prize Independent Spirit Award. MusicHelps is a charity organisation that funds and supports projects like music therapy sessions and programmes that help people experiencing hardship.