Music Week is delighted to announce details of the Music Week Awards 2021, as the biggest and best night out in the music business prepares to return with a bang.
Entries are now open for the event, which is set to gather the great and the good of the UK music industry at Battersea Evolution in London on June 17, 2021. To enter yourself or your company simply click here to submit your application. And don’t delay – entries must be submitted before 6pm on January 27.
The shortlists will be revealed in February 2021.
The 2020 ceremony had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, although the awards were still handed out in a special edition of Music Week magazine. But with events back on the agenda once lockdown ends on December 2, and with a vaccine on its way, the signs look good for 2021. The ceremony will, of course, follow all the latest government advice and regulations to ensure a safe event.
In acknowledgement of a unique year for the industry, there will be two brand new categories for 2021; Live Music Innovation Of The Year and Talent Agency Of The Year. Both awards will recognise the outstanding innovation in the live sector, as the business met the challenges and restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic head on.
And, in recognition of the live industry hiatus caused by the crisis, the 2021 Music Week Awards will not include the following four live categories: Ticketing Company, Live Music Promoter, Live Music Agent and Festival Of The Year. These will return in 2022. The Grassroots Venue: Spirit Of The Scene award will still be handed out, in acknowledgement of the key community role many grassroots venues have played during the pandemic.
Of the new awards, the Live Music Innovation category celebrates creative and commercial innovations that have helped keep the live music sector running in 2020 and is open to any individual or company with staff based in the UK. The award for Talent Agency is for a company (defined as more than one person) and celebrates creative and commercial achievement in 2020.
Despite the challenges, the music business has delivered a customarily stellar performance in 2020, and the Music Week Awards is set to recognise those achievements in style. The entry period is January 1, 2020-December 31, 2020
The full list of categories is below, full entry criteria is here.
Accountancy Firm of the Year
A&R Award
Artist Marketing Campaign
Catalogue Marketing Campaign
Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene
Independent Publisher of the Year
Independent Record Company
Independent Retailer
Label/Artist Services Company
Law Firm of the Year
Live Music Innovation of the Year - SPECIAL AWARD FOR 2021
Manager of the Year
Music & Brand Partnership
Music Consumer Innovation
PR Campaign
Promotions Team
Publisher Of The Year
Record Company
Radio Show
Radio Station
Sales Team
Sync of the Year
Sync Team of the Year
Talent Agency of the Year - SPECIAL AWARD FOR 2021
The Strat
This year’s Music Week Awards saw Polydor complete a clean sweep, taking home the Record Company and A&R awards. Revisit the full list of winners here.
If you have any questions about the entry process, please contact Kate Smith on kate.smith@futurenet.com.
For information about sponsorship opportunities at the Music Week Awards 2020, please contact Helen Hughes on helen.hughes@futurenet.com.
* To make sure you can access Music Week wherever you are, sign up to our digital edition here.
