guidelines document - Gold Coast Music Awards

 About the awards Gold Coast Music Awards is an initiative of Blank GC – the Gold Coast’s independent cultural voice. The awards aim to stimulate interest in the Gold Coast as a live music destination and to celebrate the depth and diversity of talent found here. Nominations open Wednesday 15 April and close midnight Sunday 31 May and the awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday 22 July. How to nominate Nominations must be made via the online form available at www.gcmusicawards.com.au. Incomplete nominations may be considered ineligible and late nominations will not be accepted. We strongly recommend that you read all available information about the category prior to nominating as this will help you answer the questions appropriately. Most of this information is contained in the nomination form and this document. Artists may enter more than one category, however the winners of each category are ineligible to enter in the following year. For example, if an artist wins Song of the Year in 2015, they are ineligible to enter the Song of the Year category in 2016. There are no age or genre restrictions for any category, however under-­‐age finalists must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the awards ceremony and unfortunately will not be able to join us at the after-­‐party. Eligibility period The eligibility period for the 2015 Gold Coast Music Awards is 1 January 2014 – 31 December 2014. So, for example if you are nominating in the venue of the year award your venue must have been operating during the eligibility period. Judging process The awards will be judged by an independent panel chaired by Trevor Jackson (ABC Gold Coast). Judging panel members include Sean Flanagan (Hot Tomato), Julz Parker and Leesa Gentz (Hussy Hicks), Louise Bezzina (Bleach Festival) and Neil Beattie (Swingin’ Safari). Judges will meet during the period 15 – 20 June. A local industry advisory panel was engaged to help develop the categories, judging criteria and nomination information required for judging. Those advisory panel members are listed later in this document and are eligible to nominate for an award as they are not involved in the judging process. Connection to the Gold Coast Nominees must have a strong association with the Gold Coast and every entrant will need to articulate that connection and will be judged on it as a priority criteria. The weighting for this criteria is significant. That means that a band who has members who do not have a strong association with the GC (for example, living or working here) will be at a disadvantage compared to bands who do. GOLD COAST MUSIC AWARDS 2015 | GUIDELINES Categories There are six categories in the Gold Coast Music Awards for 2015. Those categories are: Song of the year For songs recorded or released during the eligibility period. Judges are looking for songs which are produced at a standard suitable for radio play and will judge this category purely based on the quality and the potential of the track submitted. Live Music Event of the Year Open to any live music event which occurred during the eligibility period. Judges will consider patronage, production and promotion of the event as well as accessibility, reach and any unexpected and community outcomes. Quality and innovation, as well as “the vibe” will also be taken into account. All entrants are assessed on their contribution to the Gold Coast’s live music scene as well as their connection to the Gold Coast. A live music event could be a stand-­‐alone gig, a festival or another event for which live music was the primary element. For this category, the event must have been held within the City of Gold Coast council boundaries. Emerging Artist of the Year Open to any artist or band, of any age and genre, that has been actively recording, releasing or performing music on the Gold Coast during the eligibility period. Judges will be looking for acts who have come to ‘prominence’ or ‘emerged’ during the eligibility period. Musical performance – both recorded and live – will be taken into consideration by judges, as will supporting information about the band or artist’s accomplishments and the quality of music produced to date. All entrants are assessed on their contribution to the Gold Coast’s live music scene as well as their connection to the Gold Coast. Band / artist of the year Open to any band or artist active during the eligibility period. By active we mean recording or releasing music or performing live. Judges will be looking for: track record, performance (live and recorded), audience interaction, technical ability and supporting infrastructure, presence and ability to create a “package” that includes their music. The band or artist’s level of success (whether local, national or international), their commitment to their craft, partnerships and quality of work will also be considered. All entrants are assessed on their contribution to the Gold Coast’s live music scene as well as their connection to the Gold Coast. Live music venue of the year This award recognises a live music venue that goes above and beyond to support the Gold Coast’s music scene. Judges will consider customer service, venue management, facilities, services for in-­‐house artists and promoters, connection to audience, industry relationships, the “vibe” created, partnerships with bands and artists, consistency, programming, reputation, quality, hospitality, patron safety and care, booking policies, community involvement and contribution to driving diversity and growth of GC music. All entrants are assessed on their contribution to the Gold Coast’s live music scene as well as their connection to the Gold Coast. The venue being nominated must be located within City of Gold Coast council boundaries. GOLD COAST MUSIC AWARDS 2015 | GUIDELINES Local music champion of the year Awarded to an individual or organisation who dedicates immense time and effort to championing local music, regularly going above and beyond to support the local music scene and drive its growth. The nominee’s accomplishments, particularly the active promotion of local talent and overall support of artist(s) during the eligibility period will be taken into consideration by the judges. The champion in question may work in a paid or unpaid capacity and could be an individual, a collective or an organisation. All entrants are assessed on their contribution to the Gold Coast’s live music scene as well as their connection to the Gold Coast. This means that all other elements being equal, a person who lives and works on the Gold Coast will rank higher than someone who does not. People’s choice awards All artists / bands nominated for the categories of Song of the Year, Band / Artist of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year will be considered for inclusion in the People’s Choice Award category. This award will be chosen by popular vote and the mechanism for voting is still being confirmed. Prizes Prize packages are still being confirmed and will include unique sculpted trophies, marketing packages through local, independent media, headline slots at major Gold Coast events, recording packages, recording studio time, music career mentoring, and more. Packages will be announced around the end of April via social media and any nominees will be advised of those packages at that time. Entry fee There is no fee to enter the Gold Coast Music Awards, however there will be very limited free tickets to the awards ceremony and we are asking all nominees and finalists to purchase a ticket to support the event in its first year. You can buy tickets at gcmusicawards.eventbrite.com. Finalists Finalists will be notified around Wednesday 1 July and will be invited to participate in media activity around the awards and their success as finalists. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony. Awards ceremony and after party The awards ceremony will take place at Burleigh Brewing Co. on Wednesday 22 July and will run from 7.00 – 10.00pm. Doors open at 6.30pm. The official after party will be held at Elsewhere Surfers Paradise from 10.30pm until late. All awards ceremony ticketholders receive express entry into Elsewhere for the after party. Tickets to the awards ceremony are $50 plus booking fee and include a light supper and a complimentary beer on arrival. Advisory panel Members of the local Gold Coast music scene who supported the development of these awards through our Advisory Panel include: Ben Love, independent music worker Claire Oldfield, Burleigh Brewing Co. Cr Glenn Tozer, City of Gold Coast Cr William Owen-­‐Jones, City of Gold Coast GOLD COAST MUSIC AWARDS 2015 | GUIDELINES Dan Carroll, City of Gold Coast Dan Ceh, WHO Agencies Donna Weston, Griffith University Emily Holler, J Music Australia Emma Milikins, Miami Marketta Graham Ashton, Footstomp Guy Cooper, Seratonin Productions Luke Sorensen, Liquify magazine and music photographer Melanie Holloway, Hard Rock Café Mella Bunker, Rabbit Radio Natasha Edwards, Swell Sculpture Festival Neil Beattie, Swingin’ Safari Polly Snowden, Pollination Rose Sadlier, GC Bulletin Sharon Solyma, Bond University’s Live at Bond series Simone Jenkins, Elsewhere Trent Gardiner, Strange Yonder Trevor Jackson, ABC Gold Coast Organising team Samantha Morris, Chloe Popa, Amanda Gorman | Blank Gold Coast Presenting partner Category sponsors City of Gold Coast Media partners LiQUiFY
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Creative partners Elsewhere, Bond University’s Live at Bond Series, Summertime Sessions in the Village, Wintertime Sessions in the ‘Vale, Helensvale Cultural Centre, Pollination Music, Swell Sculpture Festival, Bleach* Festival, Seratonin Productions. GOLD COAST MUSIC AWARDS 2015 | GUIDELINES