On The Record »

• Bang those drums! Blow those trumpets! It’s the Choice Music Prize shortlist!

  January 11, 2012 @ 3:15 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Here we go: the 10 albums on the Meteor Choice Music Prize shortlist for Irish Album of the Year 2011 are:

  And So I Watch You From Afar “Gangs” (Richter Collective)
  Bell X1 “Bloodless Coup” (Belly Up Records)
  Cashier No 9 “To The Death of Fun” (Bella Union)
  Lisa Hannigan “Passenger” (Hoop)
  The Japanese Popstars “Controlling Your Allegiance” (EMI)
  Jape “Ocean of Frequency” (Music Is For Losers)
  Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands “Golden Syrup” (Osaka Records)
  Pugwash “The Olympus Sounds” (EMI/1969 Records)
  Tieranniesaur “Tieranniesaur” (Popical Island)
  We Cut Corners “Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards” (Delphi)

  The shortlist has been selected by a panel of 11 Irish music media lads and lasses. The guilty parties on this occasion and the ones to blame are:

  Brian Adams (Today FM)
  John Barker (98FM)
  Stuart Clark (Hot Press)
  Siobhan Maguire (Sunday Times)
  Naomi McArdle (Harmless Noise)
  Lauren Murphy (The Irish Times)
  Nadine O’Regan (RTE/Phantom FM/Sunday Business Post)
  Colm O’Sullivan (Red FM)
  Ed Power (Irish Independent/Irish Examiner/Metro Herald)
  Rigsy (BBC 1 Northern Ireland)
  Penny Rose-Hart (RTE Radio 1)

  Tony Clayton-Lea is the chairman of the judging panel and the dude who keeps all those egos in check.

  The bits and pieces: the winning album will be selected by the judging panel at a live gig at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin on Thursday March 8 and tickets for the show go on sale on January 13 at €22.50 (plus TM fees) a pop. The winning act will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), and all the shortlisted acts will receive a specially-commissioned award, courtesy of the Recorded Artists Actors & Performers Ltd (RAAP). The live show will be broadcast live on Today FM in a special four hour extended programme during the Paul McLoone show.

  NB: yes, I’m the co-founder of this yoke, but I am no longer involved in the project so youse can’t blame me for anything to do with this. Na-na-na-na-na

  Now, on with the bunfight….

  Comments (75)

• Here’s the Choice Music Prize shortlist, folks

  January 12, 2011 @ 3:20 pm | by Jim Carroll

  The 10 albums on Choice Music Prize shortlist for Irish Album of the Year 2010 are:

  Adebesi Shank “This is the Second Album of a band called Adebisi Shank” (Richter Collective)
  The Cast of Cheers “Chariot” (Self release)
  Cathy Davey “The Nameless” (Hammer Toe Records)
  Fight Like Apes “The Body of Christ & The Legs of Tina Turner” (Model Citizen)
  Halves “It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever)” (Hate is The Enemy)
  Imelda May “Mayhem” (Universal)
  James Vincent McMorrow “Early in The Morning” (Universal)
  O Emperor “Hither Thither” (Universal)
  Two Door Cinema Club “Tourist History” (Kitsune)
  Villagers “Becoming a Jackal” (Domino)

  The shortlist has been selected by a panel of 11 Irish music media professionals. The guilty parties on this occasion are:

  Aidan Cuffe (Goldenplec.com)
  Ray Darcy (Today FM)
  Michelle Doherty (Phantom 105.2)
  Dave Fanning (2fm)
  Shane Hegarty (Irish Times)
  Chris Jones (Alternative Ulster)
  Danny McElhinney (Irish Mail on Sunday)
  John Meagher (Irish Independent)
  Jenny Mulligan (Entertainment.ie)
  Celina Murphy (HotPress)
  Phil Udell (State.ie)

  Tony Clayton-Lea is the chairman of the judging panel.

  The bits and pieces: the winning album will be selected by the judging panel at a live gig at Vicar Street, Dublin on Thursday March 3. The winning act will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), and all the shortlisted acts will receive a specially-commissioned award, courtesy of the Recorded Artists Actors & Performers Ltd (RAAP). The live show will be broadcast live on Today FM in a special four hour extended programme during the Paul McLoone show.

  NB: yes, I’m the co-founder of this yoke, but I am no longer involved in the project so youse can’t blame me for anything to do with this.

  Now, on with the fuming…

  Comments (82)

• Choice Music Prize time again

  November 17, 2010 @ 2:47 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Here are the dates for your diaries for the sixth Choice Music Prize event. The 10 albums on the shortlist for the Irish Album of the Year 2010 prize will be announced on Wednesday January 12 and the live event will take place at Vicar Street, Dublin on Thursday March 3.

  The winning act will be selected at that event and will go home with a cheque for €10,000, courtesy of the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO).

  The shortlist is selected by a panel of 11 men and women (yes, that’s one less than usual) who write about and/or talk about music for a living. These judges are currently figuring out which of the 200+ Irish albums released in 2010 (you’ll find a list here) will get on the shortlist and realising that you can’t get all of them on that list. As always, you’ll find out who the judges are when the shortlist is announced in January.

  NB: since last year’s event, I’ve stepped down from the project and Tony Clayton-Lea takes over as chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (34)

• Adrian Crowley wins Choice Music Prize

  March 4, 2010 @ 12:01 am | by Jim Carroll

  Congratulations to Adrian Crowley who won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009 for “Season of the Sparks”.

  Lovely quote from Adrian’s speech, as reported by Hot Press and from Nialler9’s video: “this award is such an inspired idea and I hope it encourages everyone who is making music to be proud to be making music in our little country”.

  

  Comments (50)

• Choice Music Prize – take five

  March 3, 2010 @ 12:37 pm | by Jim Carroll

  It’s Choice Music Prize Day for the fifth year in a row. Man, I never thought I’d still be doing this five years on – what happened to my plans to take up golf and ostrich farming?

  Anyway, you know the score. 8 of the 10 nominated acts playing live in Dublin’s Vicar Street tonight. 12 judges sitting around a table in a locked cellar deciding who wins the gong and €10,000 cheque for Irish Album of the Year 2009. The world and its missus getting ready for the post-event shouting and screaming and stomping of feet here and elsewhere. It’s all so beautiful.

  If you want to come along, there will be tickets on sale at the venue (€27), doors open at 7pm and the action gets underway at 7.30pm sharp with Codes opening the show. If you can’t make it, Today FM’s Paul McLoone will be broadcasting live from the venue from 7pm. The winner will be announced round about 10.30pm-10.35pm.

  So, with less than 12 hours to go before the winner is announced, who do you reckon is going to leave Dublin 8 tonight with a nice trophy and a chicken’s neck for 10k?

  * Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel. But you knew that.

  Comments (34)

• Talking about music is like dancing about architecture

  February 26, 2010 @ 1:36 pm | by Jim Carroll

  

  Comments (3)

• 8 out of 10 for Choice Music Prize live event

  January 27, 2010 @ 10:54 am | by Jim Carroll

  The full line-up for the Choice Music Prize live event in Vicar Street, Dublin on March 3 next is now confirmed.

  The following acts will play live on the night:

  And So I Watch You From Afar
  Codes
  Adrian Crowley
  Dark Room Notes
  The Duckworth Lewis Method
  Julie Feeney
  Valerie Francis
  The Swell Season

  Fellow nominees Bell X1 and Laura Izibor have US touring commitments and will be unable to play at the show.

  The live show will be MC’d by Today FM’s Alison Curtis and there will also be snazzy video inserts on the night courtesy of Old Hat. The show will also be broadcast live on the night by Paul McLoone on Today FM. Ticket details here.

  * Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (12)

• It’s the one you have been waiting for – the Choice Music Prize shortlist

  January 13, 2010 @ 4:14 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Here are the 10 albums which have made the Choice Music Prize shortlist for Irish Album of the Year 2009 (list in alphabetical order:

  And So I Watch You From Afar “And So I Watch You From Afar” (Smalltown America)
  Bell X1 “Blue Lights On The Runway” (BellyUp)
  Codes “Trees Dream in Algebra” (EMI)
  Adrian Crowley “Season of the Sparks” (Chemikal Underground)
  Dark Room Notes “We Love You Dark Matter” (Gonzo)
  The Duckworth Lewis Method “The Duckworth Lewis Method” (1969/Divine Comedy Records)
  Julie Feeney “Pages” (Mittens)
  Valerie Francis “Slow Dynamo” (VF)
  Laura Izibor “Let The Truth Be Told” (Atlantic)
  The Swell Season “Strict Joy” (Plateau)

  The live event will take place in Vicar Street, Dublin on Wednesday March 3 and will feature performances from as many of the acts who can play on the night as possible (we’ll be announcing the full details in the next few weeks). Tickets, priced €27 euro including booking fees, go on sale on Monday next.

  The winning act will receive a cheque for €10,000 (courtesy of the Irish Recorded Music Association and the Irish Music Rights Organisation) and a smashing piece of glassware (courtesy of industry body Recorded Artists & Performers). Without those three industry bodies, there would not be a Choice Music Prize.

  The shortlist is selected by a panel of 12 folks who write about and/or talk about and/or broadcast music for a living. They compile their individual Top 10 lists and we combine the results, giving 10 points to the album at number one in each list, 9 points to the album at number 2 and so on right down to one point for the album at number 10.

  As is customary, these judges have stayed schtum about their involvment in the project until now. A lot of people wonder why we keep their identities under wraps – it’s simply to ensure that there is no canvassing from PRs or labels and that the judges can come up with the shortlist without any third party pressure whatsoever. As simple as that.

  Anyway, the judges who came up with this shortlist and will have the final decision on March 3 are:

  Martin Burns (News of the World)
  Josh Clarke (i102-104, Galway)
  Roisin Dwyer (Hot Press)
  Tony Fenton (Today FM)
  Cathal Funge (Phantom 105.2, Dublin)
  Padraic Halpin (Ragged Words)
  Sophie Gorman (Irish Independent)
  John McMahon (2fm)
  Rob O’Connor (Beat 102-103, Waterford)
  Eva Staic (Spin 1038, Dublin)
  Chris Wasser (Evening Herald)
  Aoife Woodlock (Other Voices)

  Declaration of interest to keep everyone happy: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (249)

• Competition – predict the Choice Music Prize shortlist and win €100 of On The Record’s money!

  January 11, 2010 @ 10:52 am | by Jim Carroll

  On Wednesday afternoon, the Choice Music Prize shortlist for Irish Album of the Year 2009 will be revealed and fun and games will then ensue.

  In an attempt to outdo last year’s lavish launch (the one which was voted Launch of the Decade by readers of VIP Magazine), this year’s announcement will feature 10 celebrities each revealing one of the 10 acts on this year’s shortlist. Inbetween each announcement, a 10,000 strong children’s choir will sing selections from each nominated album, doves will be released from large boxes and there will also be fireworks left over from Hallowe’en. Celebrities who are currently thought to be freeing up their schedules for this year’s launch, which will be held on the building site in Dublin’s docklands where Anglo Irish Bank were supposed to have their HQ, include Tiger Woods, some of the kids from Fame, Jedward, Jon Bon Jovi, Nelson Mandela, Mariah Carey and Iris Robinson. This launch will take place regardless of what the weather is like. (*)

  But why wait until Wednesday? In a feat of generosity not seen since last year, On The Record will give €100 of his own cash to anyone who can predict the 10 albums on the shortlist. Yep, the prize which no-one won last year is back. Due to the recession, it has not increased. But hey, it’s still €100.

  Here is your chance to see if your own musical smarts match those of our 12 expert judges. Can you come up with the same Choice Music Prize shortlist as our 12 esteemed judges?

  The rules are simple. You can enter once and once only. Entries will be accepted up to 11am on Tuesday. Anyone who makes a smart remark which is not judged by me to be funny will be disqualified. Anyone who mentions the Hardy Bucks will also be disqualified. Members of the Green Party are not allowed enter because they should be out clearing the snow/slush/ice. I mean, they caused it.

  Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  (* Real announcement will be made on Wednesday at 3pm on Today FM and on the official Choice Music Prize website)

  Comments (59)

• Choice Music Prize turns five

  November 25, 2009 @ 2:56 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Bang those drums, blow those trumpets, air those pipes….. it’s the return of the Choice Music Prize!

  Here are the dates for your diaries for the fifth Choice Music Prize. The 10 albums on the shortlist for the Irish Album of the Year 2009 prize will be announced on Wednesday January 13 and the live event will take place at Vicar Street, Dublin on Wednesday March 3.

  The winning act will be selected at that event and will go home with a cheque for €10,000 (courtesy of the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)) and a smashing piece of glassware (courtesy of industry body, Recorded Artists & Performers (RAAP)).

  The shortlist is selected by a panel of 12 men and women who write about and/or talk about music for a living. These judges are currently figuring out which of the 200+ Irish albums released in 2009 will get on the shortlist and realising that you can’t get all 200 on that list. As always, you’ll find out who the judges are when the shortlist is announced in January.

  Interestingly, when we announced details last year, OTR readers plumped for Jape to win from the get-go. Wonder will your guesses be as on-the-money this year?

  Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (81)

• And the winner is…..

  March 5, 2009 @ 2:52 am | by Jim Carroll

  In what must rank as one of the most popular decisions since bank holidays were invented, Jape took home the Choice Music Prize bacon at Vicar Street last night for the “Ritual” album. Big congrats to Richie “dude looks like Springsteen on the back of the “Darkness On The Edge of Town” sleeve” Egan on the win – I’m sure he won’t spend the ten grand on a kitchen.

  

  Comments (73)

• D-day

  March 4, 2009 @ 9:06 am | by Jim Carroll

  This time tomorrow, the shouting will be in full swing here and elsewhere. As someone said to me yesterday, the blog post-mortem will probably be as entertaining as the actual event.

  Tonight, in Dublin’s Vicar Street, 12 colourful rogues, sorry, judges will decide who wins the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2008. There are 10 acts on the shortlist and six of them will be playing live tonight. It promises to be one hell of a do.

  By the way, if you can’t make the show at Vicar Street (where doors open at 7pm and the gig kicks off at 7.30pm with Jape opening the show), Today FM’s Paul McLoone will be broadcasting live from the venue from 7pm. The winner will be announced round about 10.30pm-10.35pm

  So, with about 13-and-a-half hours to go before the winner is announced, who do you reckon is going to leave Dublin 8 with a nice trophy and a cheque for ten grand?

  * Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel. Yep, I will be in that room.

  Comments (53)

• Is it safe to mention the Choice Music Prize here again?

  February 13, 2009 @ 10:41 am | by Jim Carroll

  The full line-up for the Choice Music Prize live event in Vicar Street, Dublin on March 4 is now confirmed.

  Jape, Fight Like Apes, Mick Flannery, Halfset, Messiah J & The Expert and R.S.A.G. will all play on the night.

  Fellow nominees Lisa Hannigan and Oppenheimer will be in the middle of US tours, The Script are playing in Lisbon and David Holmes does not play live.

  The live show will be MC’d by Today FM’s Alison Curtis and there will also be snazzy video inserts on the night courtesy of Muzu TV (a Choice Music Prize Muzu channel will go live in the next few days). The show will also be broadcast live on the night by Paul McLoone on Today FM. Ticket details here.

  Musical Rooms will be running pieces between now and March 4 featuring the acts nominated for this year’s taking about their favourite rooms to write and record music.

  * Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (14)

• Here’s the Choice Music Prize shortlist

  January 14, 2009 @ 3:15 pm | by Jim Carroll

  The following acts and albums have been nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2008 (acts in alphabetical order)

  Fight Like Apes “Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion” (Model Citizen)
  Mick Flannery “White Lies” (EMI)
  Halfset “Another Way of Being There” (Casino Gravity Records)
  Lisa Hannigan “Sea Sew” (Own label)
  David Holmes “The Holy Pictures” (Canderblinks)
  Jape “Ritual” (Co-Op)
  Messiah J & The Expert “From The Word Go” (Inaudible)
  Oppenheimer “Take The Whole Mid-Range And Boost It” (Fantastic Plastic)
  R.S.A.G. “Organic Sampler” (Psychonavigation)
  The Script “The Script” (Sony Music)

  The live event will take place in Vicar Street, Dublin on Wednesday March 4 and will feature performances from as many of the acts who can play on the night as possible (we’ll be announcing the full details in the next few weeks). Tickets, priced €27 euro including booking fees, go on sale on Monday next. This is the same ticket price as last year and the year before. Recession, what recession?

  The winning act will receive a cheque for €10,000 (courtesy of the Irish Recorded Music Association and the Irish Music Rights Organisation) and a smashing piece of glassware (courtesy of industry body Recorded Artists & Performers).

  The shortlist is selected by a panel of 12 men and women, good and true, drawn from the ranks of those who write about and/or talk about music for a living. They compile their individual Top 10 lists and we combine the results, giving 10 points to the album at number one in each list, 9 points to the album at number 2 and so on right down to one point for the album at number 10.

  As has happened every year, these judges have stayed schtum about their involvment in the project until now. A lot of people wonder why we keep their identities under wraps and it’s simply to ensure that there is no canvassing from PRs or labels and that the judges can come up with the shortlist without any third party pressure whatsoever. As simple as that.

  Anyway, the judges who came up with this shortlist and will have the final decision on March 4 are:

  Niall Byrne (State/Nialler9 blog)
  Edel Coffey (Irish Independent)
  Ian Dempsey (Today FM)
  James Foley (Record of the Day)
  Andrew Hamilton (Clare People)
  Kieran Hurley (Cork Campus Radio)
  Paul Mallon (Irish Daily Star Sunday)
  Lauren Murphy (Entertainment.ie)
  Sinead Ni Mhorda (Phantom FM)
  Ed Power (Freelance)
  Rigsy (BBC Northern Ireland’s Across The Line/ATL TV)
  Ian Wilson (2FM)

  Declaration of interest to keep everyone happy: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (191)

• Competition – predict the Choice Music Prize shortlist and win €100 of On The Record’s money!

  January 12, 2009 @ 9:35 am | by Jim Carroll

  On Wednesday afternoon, the Choice Music Prize shortlist for Irish Album of the Year 2008 will be revealed.

  The announcement will be made during a lavish ceremony in central Dublin involving fireworks, speeches from assembled luminaries (including President Mary McAleese and the drummer from Radiohead), a couple of marching bands, a children’s choir featuring 2,000 kids all dressed in yellow, 16 Lovely Girls (one for each letter in “Choice Music Prize”), a hurling match between previous winners Super Extra Bonus Party and Divine Comedy and a spectacular “Thriller” video dance-off between Michael Flatley and Michael Jackson. The location for this recession-what-recession event will, of course, depend on the weather. (*)

  But why wait until Wednesday? In a feat of generosity not seen since everyone had a job and wasn’t looking for “value for money” when they went for a bit of grub in a restaurant, On The Record will give €100 of his own cash to anyone who can predict the 10 albums on the shortlist. This is almost as good a prize as that snazzy radio and those CDs we gave away before Christmas.

  Test your knowledge of Irish music! See if your own musical likes match those of our 12 expert judges who are currently in hiding in a Celebrity Big Brother-like gaff in deepest Cavan! Come up with your own Choice Music Prize shortlist! Fun for nearly all the family!

  The rules are simple. You can enter once and once only. Entries will be accepted up to midnight on Tuesday. Anyone who makes a smart remark which is not judged by me to be funny will be disqualified. The judge reserves the right to be really suspicious if someone gets all 10 albums right (because there are a few surprises on the list).

  Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this yoke and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  (* Real announcement will be made on Wednesday at 3pm on Today FM and on the official Choice Music Prize website)

  Comments (61)

• The return of the Choice Music Prize for the fourth year

  November 24, 2008 @ 2:30 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Yes, it is happening again so here are the relevant dates for your diary.

  The shortlist for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2008 will be announced on Wednesday January 14th and the live event will take place in Vicar Street, Dublin on Wednesday March 4th.

  The winning act will go home with a cheque for €10,000 (courtesy of the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)) and a smashing piece of glassware (courtesy of industry body, Recorded Artists & Performers (RAAP)).

  The shortlist is selected by a panel of 12 men and women, good and true, drawn from the ranks of those who write about and/or talk about music for a living. They are currently hard at work working out which of the 180+ Irish albums released in 2008 will get on the shortlist. You’ll find out who the judges are when the shortlist is announced in January.

  Interestingly, when we announced this here last year, most of comments had Jape as the winner from the get-go. Wonder will people be on the money again this year?

  Declaration of interest: I’m the co-founder of this and am also the non-voting chairman of the judging panel.

  Comments (50)

• About last night….

  February 28, 2008 @ 12:27 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Memo to the lovely lads and lasses in Vicar Street: if you find my voice, can you put it aside for me? Thanks.
  (more…)

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• Choice Music Prize – tenemus unum victorem

  @ 3:34 am | by Jim Carroll

  Congratulations to the mighty Super Extra Bonus Party who won the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2007 at Vicar Street, Dublin last night.

  

  Comments (60)

• Choice Music Prize – 10 out of 10

  February 18, 2008 @ 3:40 pm | by Jim Carroll

  Thanks to the grand fine weather we’re having at the moment and some interesting photos which the organisers have acquired, all 10 acts who have been nominated for this year’s Choice Music Prize will be performing at Vicar Street on February 27th.

  Is this the first time in the history of Irish awards and prizes that all those nominated have turned up on the night? We think so. Harry Crosbie is going to have to build an extension to the venue to make sure all the bands fit in.

  In other Choice Music Prize news, The Irish Independent’s Day & Night supplement ran a big roundtable interview/state of the nation piece last Friday around the awards. Some choice quotes in the piece, especially on radio, like this one from Paul from The Flaws on 2FM:

  We did the 2FM Tomorrow Tour. We had a single out when we did that tour and we couldn’t get it played on 2FM. They were saying that they couldn’t playlist it because it wasn’t suitable for daytime listening. It’s pathetic — it’s a f***ing radio station.

  More Choice stuff (that self-interest button is still on, right?), here’s a bunch of interviews which the folks at Cluas have conducted with 8 of the 10 nominees.

  Comments (24)

• Choice Music Prize – here’s the shortlist for y’all

  January 9, 2008 @ 8:58 pm | by Jim Carroll

  The following acts and albums have been nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2007 (acts in alphabetical order)

  Adrian Crowley “Long Distance Swimmer” (Tin Angel)
  Cathy Davey “Tales Of Silversleeve” (EMI)
  Delorentos “In Love With Detail” (Cottage)
  Dry County “Unexpected Falls” (Lazybird)
  The Flaws “Achieving Vagueness” (Arrivals)
  David Geraghty “Kill Your Darlings” (Decal)
  Kila “Gambler’s Ballet” (Kila Records)
  Roisin Murphy “Overpowered” (EMI)
  Stanley Super 800 “Louder & Clearer” (Sofa)
  Super Extra Bonus Party “Super Extra Bonus Party” (Alphabet Set)

  The live event will take place in Vicar Street, Dublin on Wednesday February 27th and will feature performances from as many of the acts who can play on the night (we’ll be announcing the full details in the next few weeks). Tickets, priced €27 euro including booking fees, go on sale on Monday next.

  The winning act will receive a cheque for €10,000 (courtesy of the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)) and a smashing piece of glassware (courtesy of industry body, Recorded Artists & Performers (RAAP)).

  The shortlist is selected by a panel of 12 men and women, good and true, drawn from the ranks of those who write about and/or talk about music for a living. And the judges this year are as follows:

  Brian Boyd (The Irish Times)
  Michael Carr (Cork 96FM and Cork Independent)
  Ronan Casey (Westmeath Examiner)
  Alan Corr (RTE Guide)
  Dan Hegarty (2FM)
  Anne Marie Kelly (Today FM)
  Sheena McGinley (Entertainment.ie)
  Una Mullally (Sunday Tribune and the Una Rocks blog)
  Paul McClean (BBC Northern Ireland)
  Nadine O’Regan (Sunday Business Post, Phantom FM and blogger)
  Leagues O’Toole (Foggy Notions)
  Jon Richards (Galway Bay FM)

  Comments (34)