The People's Music Awards
History
The People’s Music Awards is the first global unsigned music awards, it is also the only online music awards. It was founded on 15 September 2008 by Managing Director Dylan Satow. The purpose of the awards is to get unsigned artists to be heard by industry professionals and people through the awards website. The winners of the awards are chosen by people and guest judges who vote and judge on the website. The winners of the awards are announced at the ceremony based in London.
Website
The People’s Music Awards website is free to sign up to either as a fan or artist. If you sign up as a musician you can enter your chosen song into two of the following categories:
Indie/Rock/Metal/Punk
Hip-Hop/Trip-Hop/RnB
Funk/Soul/Blues
Best Male Solo Artist
Best Female Solo Artist
Folk/Jazz/Classical/World Music
Pop
Off the beaten track / Abstract and Experimental
Dance/Electronica
Each artist can upload one song, write a section about themselves, write a section on their influences and add video’s of other songs or the song that have uploaded.
Once you have signed up there are three rounds, two rounds where the people vote and one round where music industry professionals (guest judges) will judge the top 10 songs from the first round. Guest judges at the awards include Mick Glossop, Alex Baker, Haydn Bendall, Ben Lovett and Howard Marks.
Winners 2008
Winners of the 2008 awards were High School Crush, Papercutz, Pamela Martin, Michael Hyman, The Future Shape Of Sound and Lavondyss. Kevin Lucas Orchestra also won under the Pop category, and have recently been nominated for five Grammys. North Of Ping Pong were winners of the 2008 awards under the Hip Hop category who have recently been in talks with EMI.