If there is one thing that has been consistent about the music industry it is that change is inevitable. Artists reinvent themselves, genres merge, technology advances, and the way that audiences interact with all of them is in a perpetual state of evolution. So after 10 years of handing out awards, Music/Musique NB has reconsidered how their award categories get sorted and who is eligible for them.
According to MNB, the biggest change being made is that the number of genre categories are being reduced while making way for new “MVP” categories. Since genres are not always easy to pinpoint, certain categories would not even have the chance to open in a given year due to lack of applicants who fit nicely into the genre. The remedy: recognizing aspects of the industry outside of sound alone.
The new categories will include Breakthrough Artist of the Year/Révélation de l’année, Champion of the Year/Champion de l’année, Innovator of the Year/Innovateur de l’année, Visual Identity of the Year/Identité visuelle de l’année, Hardest Working of the Year/Vaillant de l’année, Live Act of the Year/Artiste de scène de l’année, Artist in Rotation of the Year/Artiste en rotation de l’année.
“We found it more and more difficult to pinpoint genres,” says Music/Musique NB Executive Director Jean Surette. “Everyone seems to be a hybrid these days and comparing them was a challenge for the juries. Plus, there were some categories that were not or rarely opening for lack of applications. So we found eliminating them opened up a whole world of possibility.”
These new MVP categories allow for more than just musicians and music groups to become eligible to win the annual prizes. Other people and professionals involved in the industry will have their chance to be recognized for all of the hard but important work they do behind the scenes.
Other changes coming to the Music/Musique NB Awards for 2019 are that the Recording of the Year/Enregistrement de l’année category will be open to non-members, and that the Recording of the Year/Enregistrement de l’année category will be naming ten nominees instead of five.
The eligibility period for the 2019 MNB Awards is coming to a close on April 30.
To get more information on how to apply and what categories are open for nomination this year, visit the MNB website HERE.