The categories for 2018 are:
- Live Music Agent (Individual)
- Live Music Promoter (Company)
- Ticketing Company
- Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene
- Manager of the Year
- Radio Show
- Radio Station
- Sales Team
- Promotions Team
- Festival of the Year
- Accountancy Firm of the Year - NEW FOR 2018!
- Outstanding Contribution to Charity
- The Strat (not open for entries)
Criteria for each category can be found below:
Who is eligible for this award?
This Award is for an A&R team (defined as more than one person), rather than an A&R individual.
It recognises creative and commercial achievement in the field of A&R over the period of 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Number of staff employed within the team (split executive and support staff)
- A brief overview of the business / team strategy and goals
- Details of performance across three artists within the timeframe for entries, with reference to evidence of the strategy and goals as detailed above
- Your entry should include clear evidence of artists signing and development leading to commercial and creative success. This can include:
- Sales figures
- Critical acclaim
- Testimonials
Who is eligible for this award?
This Award is for an Artist Marketing Campaign that is focused upon a new album or single that has been released during the period of 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Details of the marketing campaign brief and objectives
- Rationale behind the campaign, including research and planning and audience
- Strategy and tactics, including evidence of creativity and innovation across multiple platforms
- Implementation of tactics; outline different stages of the campaign
- Measurement and evaluation of the above
- Budget and cost effectiveness
Judging Process: This Award will have a judging day, so please make sure that someone in your team will be able to attend to present your entry to the judges in person.
Who is eligible for this award?
This Award is for a Catalogue Marketing Campaign that is focused upon the rejuvenation of previously existing work of one artist, that has been re-released between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2017.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Details of the marketing campaign brief and objectives
- Rationale behind the campaign, including research and planning and audience
- Strategy and tactics, including evidence of creativity and innovation across multiple platforms
- Implementation of tactics; outline different stages of the campaign
- Measurement and evaluation of the above
- Budget and cost effectiveness
Judging Process: This Award will have a judging day, so please make sure that someone in your team will be able to attend to present your entry to the judges in person.
Who is eligible for this award?
This Award is for a PR campaign for a single artist that has released a substantial body of work with an accompanying PR campaign between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2017.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Details of the PR campaign brief and objectives
- Rationale behind the campaign, including research and planning and audience
- Strategy and tactics, including evidence of creativity and innovation across multiple platforms
- Implementation of tactics; outline different stages of the campaign
- Measurement and evaluation of the above including overall reach (in numbers and engagement)
- Budget and cost effectiveness
Judging Process: This Award will have a judging day, so please make sure that someone in your team will be able to attend to present your entry to the judges in person.
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any organisation that has been involved in the planning, development and execution of a partnership between a brand and an artist during the period 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Details of the partnership brief and objectives
- Rationale behind the campaign, including research and planning and audience
- Strategy and tactics, including evidence of creativity and innovation across the partnership
- Implementation of tactics; outline different stages of the partnership
- Measurement and evaluation of the above
- Budget and cost effectiveness
- Please list all parties that were involved in the partnership and their roles/functions (please note that we will only credit people and organisations listed in this part of the entry, so please make sure you are comprehensive)
Judging Process: This Award will have a judging day, so please make sure that someone in your team will be able to attend to present your entry to the judges in person.
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any record company that is majority owned independently and has staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the creative implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Financial success: Provide evidence of specific sales achievements during 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017 for up to 3 releases for different artists (single or album). This can include physical, streaming and online downloads in addition to revenue generated from artist partnerships or endorsements
- Creative success: Provide evidence of a clear range of signed artists and details of any expansion of the artist roster in the past 12 months
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any record company that is not majority owned independently and has staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the creative implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Financial success: Provide evidence of specific sales achievements during 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017 for up to 3 releases for different artists (single or album). This can include physical, streaming and online downloads in addition to revenue generated from artist partnerships or endorsements
- Creative success: Provide evidence of a clear range of signed artists and details of any expansion of the artist roster throughout 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any independently owned music retailer in the UK (physical, online or multichannel) that exclusively sells music, accessories, merchandise and hardware, with no other products or services for sale.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Financial success: provide evidence of specific sales achievements over the past year, this can include numbers product shipping figures, revenue growth, or expansion of the business in terms of staff or assets
- Release range: please supply details of the range of UK music releases you have supported between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2017, and the rationale behind choosing those releases your customers
- Innovation in customer service: provide evidence of customer support, customer-first reward strategies and the encouragement of repeat business
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any nationwide music retailer or online streaming platform with staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company during 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Financial success: provide evidence of specific sales or streaming achievements between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2017; this can include sales figures, streaming figures, revenue growth, or expansion of the business in terms of staff or assets
- Release range: please supply details of the range of UK music releases you have supported in the eligibility time period, and the rationale behind choosing those releases for your customers
- Innovation in customer service: provide evidence of customer support, customer-first reward strategies and the encouragement of repeat business
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any publisher with staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company during 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the creative implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Clear evidence of the creative and commercial impact of promotion of the company’s song catalogue across a variety of market sectors (recorded music, sync, live, etc.) – including both singles and albums and involving multiple writers from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any label or artist services company that has staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the creative implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Financial & creative success: Provide evidence of specific commercial & creative achievements throughout 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017 for up to 3 campaigns for different artists and/or labels (single or album)
- Please include 1-3 testimonials regarding those campaigns as to performance/customer service/success/innovation/commercial impact
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any law firm with clients in the B2B music industry, with staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Evidence of the positive and valuable contribution of legal services to the B2B music industry (anecdotal or redacted details will be accepted)
- Endorsements from clients pertaining to the quality of the legal support they have received
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any accountancy firm with clients in the B2B music industry, with staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Evidence of the positive and valuable contribution of services to the B2B music industry (anecdotal or redacted details will be accepted), with a focus on how the services have enabled clients to reach their business goals
- Endorsements from clients pertaining to the quality of support and service they have received
Who is eligible for this award?
Any UK based live music agent
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Detail regarding artists represented and the live dates they have booked from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the impact of the agent on the career development and/or commercial and creative success of the artist or artists they represent
- Up to 5 endorsements from key contacts across the live business e.g. venues, promoters and managers
Who is eligible for this award?
Any live music company promoting UK gigs, tours and festivals.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Details of up to 3 events that must have happened in the time period specified for eligibility, including:
- Event popularity – ticket sales
- Event profile – details and examples of coverage received and reach of that coverage (please include evidence of coverage over multiple platforms)
- Profitability of event – revenue and GP
Who is eligible for this award?
Any ticketing company that operates in the live music space and has staff based in the UK.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff in the company, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the company from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017, focusing in particular on the user experience
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Financial success: provide evidence of sales achievements over the past year. This can include ticket sales figures, revenue growth, or expansion of the business in terms of staff, assets or technology
- Event range: please supply details of the range of UK events you have supported in the eligibility time period, with testimonials from clients about the service you provided
- Innovation in customer service: provide evidence of customer support, customer-first reward strategies and the encouragement of repeat business
Who is eligible for this award?
The Grassroots Venue of the Year award aims to recognise the vital contribution that grassroots venues make to the music industry as a collective, focusing on inspirational and collaborative efforts in the industry. We want you to nominate venues that inspire, and innovate; highlighting their activity over the year and the heroes that work behind the scenes to make them great.
Venues must be located in the UK and have a capacity of under 500 to qualify for this award.
Nominations should address the following criteria, to the best of your knowledge:
- What inspires you about the venue you are nominating?
- How has this venue contributed to the music industry in the last year (1st January 2017 - 31st December 2017)?
- Innovation - please describe any innovative activity or events that this venue has undertaken in the last year
- Community contribution: how has this venue contributed to it's local community over the course of the last year?
Who is eligible for this award?
Any primarily UK based artist manager
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- An overview of artist or artists managed during the eligibility time period
- A brief overview of the strategy and objectives for the career of one particular client in the time period 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Evidence of the successful implementation of the strategy and objectives for that particular client during the eligibility time period
- Evidence of commercial success across multiple industry sectors (recorded music, publishing, live etc.)
- Up to 3 testimonials from clients and partners
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to all UK based individual radio shows on local and national radio stations where music is a key part of the offering.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff working on the radio show, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the show from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017, focusing in particular on the quality of the output
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Details of involvement in breaking new artists during the eligibility time period
- Demonstration of the contribution of the show to the work of the UK music industry
Who is eligible for this award?
This is open to all UK based radio stations, local or national, where music is a key part of the offering.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- The number of staff working on the radio station, including executive/support staff and remote working staff
- A brief overview of the objectives and strategy of the station from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017, focusing in particular on:
- The quality of the output
- The role of the station as a platform for the promotion of the UK music industry
- Target number of listeners/engagement
- Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives, and measurement and evaluation of the latter
- Details of involvement in breaking new artists during the eligibility time period
- Demonstration of the contribution of the station to the work of the UK music industry
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any UK-based sales team within a label or services company.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Number of staff employed within the team (split executive and support staff)
- A brief overview of the business / team strategy and goals from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Figures and associated budgets/targets that illustrate strong sales performance across the team
- A summary of outstanding achievements relating to the fulfilment of the strategy and goals
- Evidence of outstanding customer care, strong trade relations and demonstration of excellent product knowledge
- Please include one testimonial regarding the work of the team from a client or partner
Who is eligible for this award?
This award is open to any UK-based promotions team.
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Number of staff employed within the team (split executive and support staff)
- A brief overview of the business / team strategy and goals from 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
- Strategy and tactics, focusing on evidence of creativity and innovation in coverage
- Implementation of tactics
- Measurement and evaluation; including evidence of significant and quality coverage across different forms of media
- Evidence of breaking an artist in a new demographic
Who is eligible for this award?
Any UK festival that took place during 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2017
Entry submissions must address the following criteria:
- Number of staff employed by the festival (split executive and support staff)
- A brief overview of the strategy and objectives of the festival, focusing on:
- Festival line up
- Festival content
- Artist, festival goer and music industry experience
- Evidence of the successful implementation of the above
- Measurement and evaluation; including evidence of significant enhancement of the careers of featured artists
- Up to 3 testimonials from partners, artists or music industry executives as to the contribution of the festival to the music industry
The winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Charity Award is chosen by the Music Week team, and bestowed upon a charity that we feel has made a significant impact within the eligibility period, and has worked with the music industry to facilitate this.
The Strat is bestowed upon a deserving winner by the Music Week team.
Previous winners include:
2017: Sarah Stennett, CEO & Co-Founder, First Access Entertainment
2016: Max Hole, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group
2015: Neil Warnock, Founder, The Agency Group
2014: Rob Stringer, Chairman & CEO, Columbia Records, Sony Music
2013: Richard Griffiths and Harry Magee, Founders, Modest! Management
2012: Richard Russell, Owner, XL Recordings
2011: Fran Nevrkla, Chairman, PPL
2010: Lucian Grange, Chief Executive Officer, Universal Music Group
2009: Robert Partridge
2008: Tony Wadsworth, Chairman & CEO, EMI Music UK & Ireland
2007: Jazz Summers
2006: Daniel Miller, Founder, Mute Records
