The most important music biz awards are back with a host of new categories, with the deadline for entries Friday, December 16. Music Week offers a handy guide to ensure you don’t miss a beat.
Well established as the most prestigious awards night on the music industry calendar, the Music Week Awards return once again for 2017.
Celebrating the very finest achievements, companies and individuals from across all sectors of the biz, the event, as ever, will take place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Wednesday, April 5.
This year, the awards will feature a number of brand new categories - more of which later - alongside traditionally hotly-contested categories such as Record Company Of The Year, Manager Of The Year, the A&R Award and, of course, The Strat, plus many, many more.
Last year, industry veteran Max Hole scooped The Strat for his outstanding contribution to the industry throughout his distinguished career.
So, without further ado, here are the five key takeaways you need to know about the 2017 Music Week Awards...
1 NEW ENTRY DEADLINE
Perhaps the most important change to next year’s Music Week Awards is the new entry deadline. The nominations period opened earlier than usual this year and, as such, closes earlier than it has done in years gone by. This year, the strict deadline for submissions is Friday, December 16. That’s this week. Any entries received after this date will not be eligible for consideration. If you have yet to get your entries in order, be sure to do so ASAP to make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to take home one of the year’s most coveted prizes. To submit your entries, please visit www.musicweekawards.com.
2 CALLING ALL LAWYERS
To shake things up a bit, Music Week has decided to introduce a number of exciting new awards categories, including Law Firm Of The Year. This brand new award will highlight the contribution of a law firm to the music industry. All entries must include evidence (anecdotal is fine) of involvement in the music industry, as well as endorsements from clients.
3 GRASSROOTS HEROES
Another brand new award for 2017 is our Grassroots Venue gong. The award will recognise and celebrate the achievements of grassroots venues, as they battle to survive in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Venues must have a capacity of less than 500 to qualify. All entries in this category must provide evidence of performers playing across the year, support provided to grassroots musicians across all genres and the venue’s contribution to the local community and music scene.
4 LISTEN UP, PUBLISHERS
The all new Publisher Of The Year Award is open to any publisher of music globally. In a change from previous years, the award will no longer be based purely on market share, meaning majors and indies can battle it out for the title. Entries must include clear evidence of the promotion of the company’s song catalogue across a variety of market sectors (recorded music, sync, live, etc.). The company must also involve multiple writers and be relevant to both singles and albums.
5 FOR THE FESTIVALS
Another new category for 2017, the Festival Of The Year Award recognises the importance of the festival industry in the UK in breaking new artists and maintaining a vibrant live music scene, and is open to any UK festival that took place in 2016. All entries must provide evidence of quality and innovation of the festival line-up and content, delivery of an outstanding experience for artists, festival goers and the music industry, and clear evidence of enhancing the careers of participating artists.
6 LISTEN UP, RETAILERS
The brand new Music Retailer Award celebrates the finest work and innovations from the world of retail. The gong will be given to the most effective platform for music sales or streaming in the UK. To reflect the rise of streaming, it combines separate categories of years gone by to incorporate streaming, digital and physical retailers. Entries for this category must include sales/streaming figures, evidence of growth of market share and/or subscribers within the eligible year and clear evidence of support for a wide range of UK music releases.
7 THE REGULAR CATEGORIES
While the new categories are a key feature of next year’s awards, the tried and tested categories will be as fiercely contested as ever. They are as follows: A&R Award, Independent Record Company, Catalogue Marketing Campaign, Artist Marketing Campaign, Record Company, Independent Retailer, Label/Artist Services Company, Live Music Agent (Individual), Live Music Promoter (Company), Manager Of The Year, Music & Brand Partnership, Outstanding Contribution To Charity, PR Campaign, Promotions Team, Radio Show, Radio Station, Sales Team, Ticketing Company and The Strat (decided by the Music Week team).
8 BOOK YOUR PLACE
As ever, we have a wide range of packages available to ensure that you and your business have the best night possible at the Music Week Awards. For more information on prices, availability and to book your place, please visit www.musicweekawards.com.
