It’s one of the biggest local music industry events in the nation, and in 2010 will celebrate ten years of support for the thousands of independent artists across Australia. Now, the top nominations for the annual Musicoz Awards – an awards night put on by the national organisation dedicated to celebrating our best indie acts – have been revealed.
With over 14,000 musos playing more than 75,000 gigs each year (not to mention recording over 85,000 songs), unsigned/independent artists make up a huge part of Australia’s musical landscape. Previous MusicOz Award winners have gone on to develop successful careers, with names including Bliss ‘N Eso, Bluejuice, Porcelain, and Sick Puppies.
The top five nominees in each category have been announced, showcasing a stellar line-up of both emerging and established names. First time nominees include rockers Dappled Cities and Mojada, who’ll go up against Art Vs Science and “Australian Idol” winner Natalie Gauci for Best Live Performance. Also battling it out is former “Idol” contestant Ricki-Lee, who’s nominated for Best Video for her track “Don’t Miss You”, alongside Casual Projects, Mirrah, and Space Radio Ink. The Alternative category will see the Jezabels, the Seabellies, Blackchords, Grand Atlantic and Made In Japan go head to head, while the night will also include a special live showcase titled ‘The Next Generation of Australian Music Legends’, featuring the progeny of John Farnham (son Rob is nominated in the Metal/Hardcore category), Phil Emmanuel (son Jesse, up for Best Country Artist) and Lee Kernaghan (sister Tanya also vying for the same gong).
The 2010 MusicOz Awards will be filmed by MTV and takes place on Friday 26 March at the Sydney Town Hall, NSW. Tickets for the event are on sale now. For a full list of nominations, see musicoz.org.