The 2017 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards are five months away, but nominations officially open today (21 June).

This year also sees the implementation of some changes to the categories presented.

Replacing Best Male Solo Artist and Best Female Solo Artist will be the new category of ‘Best Solo Artist’. The award for Best Urban/Hip Hop Album has been split into two new categories – ‘Best Hip Hop Artist’ and ‘Best Soul/RnB Artist’.

Also, in recognising the many ways artists are now recording and releasing their music, all genre album categories (Best Rock, Best Pop, Best Alternative, Best Roots, Best Electronic, Best Worship, Best Classical, Best Hip Hop, Best Soul/RnB) plus Best Maori Album will be renamed ‘Best Artist’. 

This means all nominees can now be put forward if they have released an album OR a minimum of five single tracks, as long as they have not previously appeared on an album, and were released within the eligibility period (1 August 2016 - 31 July 2017)

Recorded Music NZ CEO Damian Vaughan says these changes were made after consultation with our artists, labels and managers   and aim to reflect our ever-changing and dynamic industry.

“We represent the recorded music industry, from artists and record companies through to every day listeners. It’s important to be responsive to feedback from all corners of New Zealand, listen to those who make and release music, to constantly evolve the Music Awards, and to embrace the way people are consuming music today.

“As we open the nominations for the 52nd annual Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, we strive to identify and celebrate all the powerful work coming from Kiwi artists and the people who support them.” 

Scheduled for November, our musicians, the industry, and music fans will all come together in Auckland for one night to celebrate and congratulate our local artists on their successes.  

Nomination details can be found at www.nzmusicawards.co.nz. Unless otherwise specified, awards are open to New Zealand artists who have had recordings commercially released between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2017 (12 months). Nominations stay open until 5pm on Wednesday 2 August 2017.

Categories in 2017 are Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group, Best Solo Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Best Maori Artist, Best Rock Artist, Best Hip Hop Artist, Best Soul/RnB Artist, Best Electronic Artist, Best Roots Artist, Best Pop Artist, Best Alternative Artist, Best Worship Artist and Best Classical Artist.

No finalists are announced for the Highest Selling NZ Single, Highest Selling NZ Album or Radio Airplay Record of the Year Awards.

There are also the Artisan Awards for Best Producer, Best Engineer, Best Album Cover, and Best Music Video, which are celebrated at a standalone event prior to the Vodafone NZ Music Awards and specifically acknowledge the producers and engineers who craft the artists’ work, as well as the talented visual artists translating the musicians’ visions into album artwork and music videos.  

The announcement of the 2017 Legacy Award recipient and New Zealand Music Hall of Fame inductee – presented last year to Bic Runga – is made in October when the finalists are announced. 

Other Tuis presented during the year include those for best albums in Country, Folk, Children’s, Jazz and Pacific music. The winners of those categories will also be acknowledged at the 2017 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards ceremony. 

NOTES:

For details and instructions on entry, as well as the terms and conditions, please go HERE.  

For any questions regarding the nominations process please contact Sarah Leota mail to: sarah@recordedmusic.co.nz.

To be eligible for judging, all nominations including any accompanying material must be with Recorded Music by 5pm on Wednesday 2 August 2017.

About Recorded Music New Zealand: Recorded Music NZ is a non-profit industry representation and licensing organisation for recording artists and their labels. It divides its services into three main areas. The Member Services team delivers projects including the Vodafone NZ Music Awards, the weekly Official NZ Top40 Charts and the Music Grants programme. Recorded Music NZ’s licensing division administers broadcast and public performance licensing either directly or through its joint initiative with APRA called OneMusic. The Pro-Music team is dedicated to protecting and promoting the interests of artists and labels across the New Zealand recording industry.

About the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards: The Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards is owned and hosted by Recorded Music NZ and produced for Recorded Music NZ by J&A Productions Limited.