The New Zealand Music Awards, The Tuis, 2003

Media backgrounder
10 February 2003

The New Zealand Music Awards, The Tuis, 2003
AWARDS & CATEGORIES

There have been a number of changes to the Tuis in 2003.

The number of judges has been increased substantially from 30 to more than 100 to better reflect the diversity of New Zealand music being produced at the present time.

The judging details are:

Voting Academy
Eleven categories will be judged by the Voting Academy comprising 90 representatives from various sectors of the music industry. The Judging criteria have been changed and are much more in line with the way the Brit Awards in the UK are judged.

The Voting Academy will decide on:
Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group, Best Solo Artist, Best Male Vocalist, Best Female Artist, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Best Urban Album, Best Music Video and Best Dance Album.

Voting schools
Nine categories will be judged by Voting Schools comprising expert representatives from the relevant genre or sector of music.

Voting schools will judge:
Producer of the Year, Best Roots Album, Best Jazz Album, Best Classical Album, Best Gospel Album, Best Children’s Album, Best Mana Reo Album, Best Mana Maori Album and Best Pacific Island Album.

Sales audit
Two categories will be judged by company audit. These are Highest Selling NZ Album and Highest Selling NZ Single.

One category will be judged by the 2003 New Zealand Music Awards committee, the International Achievement Award.

All winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Auckland on the evening of April 30.

Changes to the judging criteria
The New Zealand music industry is not only as strong as it has ever been but also growing in diversity. The range of genres has increased substantially in recent years reflecting the changes in New Zealand society and a variety of musical influences now evident in this country. In addition, the judging criteria of all the major global music awards have undergone a number of changes in recent years. The changes to the New Zealand Music Awards reflect all these factors.

Changes to the awards
There are some changes to the actual awards being made at the 2003 Tuis. To reflect the ever-increasing diversity of music produced in this country, there are now 23 awards and a number of categories have been changed for this reason.

These are:
Best Urban Album
The category has been broadened to reflect an international trend that has also been evident in New Zealand. Last year the awards celebrated only R&B Hip Hop, but in 2003 this award encompasses the broader spectrum of the urban genre being produced in New Zealand.

Best Dance Album
Artists who work primarily within the dance genre are eligible. Examples are House, Techno, Jungle, Hardcore, Garage, Breakbeat, Drum and Bass, Tip Hop, Downbeat and Electronica. Remixes of non-dance artists are not eligible.

Best Roots Music Album
This category includes Country, Blues, Folk and Roots genres. As is the case with awards in other countries, a number of previous stand-alone genres have been grouped into a more meaningful category. It is globally acknowledged that Roots best encapsulates the many influences these genres now encompass, reflecting a broader global perspective.

Best Pacific Island Album
Albums can be in a native Pacific Island language, bi-lingual or English. The category includes artists working primarily in the Pacific Island genre. These include for example, music from Fiji, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands or Samoa.

Best sellers
To recognise commercial success, Highest Selling Album and Highest Selling Single are also new for 2003. These awards are judged by company audit and subject to the right of the committee to independently audit the figures.

ends

Issued for the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) by Pead PR

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