Nominations open for Niagara Music Awards
The run-up to the biggest annual celebration of Niagara music is underway, and interest is already booming.
On Thursday, May 24, the Niagara Music Awards opened online submissions for its 11th season, following a launch party at the Stone Mill Inn in St. Catharines on Wednesday. It only took just over two hours for more than 150 submissions to come pouring in for categories ranging from EDM to music production to country to heavy metal.
“We’re just kicking it off,” said awards producer Todd Brown, adding, “We’ve advanced again this year.”
He said the awards are continuing to roll forward with social media engagement, reaching over 300,000 people online, while streamlining the submission process. No longer, he said, will bands have to upload their audio files to enter; this year they can simply direct the judges to a URL to stream or download the music. The awards will remain free to enter.
“I think we’ve got something now,” said Brown, speaking from the launch event that featured performances from past NMA winners Jessica Wilson, The Cabaret Quicksand and Danny Lamb. Brown explained the awards will once again be upping the ante in its ongoing efforts to promote and support Niagara musicians.
With new sponsors on board, he said, the awards will be beefing up its number of venues and performers for Niagara Music Week this year, between Sept. 22 and 30. While venues and performers are still being finalized, the week will once again kick off with an NMA at Welland’s downtown food festival Feast Street on Sept. 22 and 23.
Sept. 24 will see a series of seminars for emerging artists, and on Sept. 24 Niagara blues will be celebrated, followed by funk on Sept. 25, solo songwriters on Sept. 26, country on Sept. 27, rock on Sept. 28, and EDM, rap and DJ artists on Sept. 29. The week will round out with the red-carpet awards gala on Sept. 30 although a venue for the main event remains to be finalized.
Brown explained for himself, and other organizers, that pairing their business expertise with the awards is a way to promote Niagara’s diverse musical scene that, at times, has trouble promoting itself due to the artistic nature of its participants.
“They need a voice,” said Brown, explaining promoting music in Niagara is, in return, good for tourism and business, as performers draw crowds to bar patios and concert halls alike.
“Together we accomplish more,” said Brown.
Last year’s winner for both country artist and songwriter of the year awards, Brad Battle, was in attendance for the launch, saying it is great to see the awards moving forward. The Niagara Falls father of three recently returned to music after a six-year hiatus and said he has found a void of sorts in local music appreciation.
“I don’t think there’s enough events like this focused on local music,” he said.
For more information, visit www.niagaramusicawards.ca. Nominations are open until the end of July.