AIM Independent Music Awards return for 2012

RECOGNISING INDEPENDENT TALENT FOR THEIR SECOND YEAR

HOSTED BY STEVE LAMACQ (BBC 6MUSIC) & HUW STEPHENS (BBC RADIO 1)
THE BREWERY, CLERKENWELL – 29TH OCTOBER 2012
www.musicindie.com/awards

Following the huge success of their inaugural awards, the Association of Independent Music (AIM) are very pleased to announced that the AIM Independent Music Awards will return once again in 2012, casting a spotlight on the plethora of talent in the independent sector. Doubling in size in direct response to the overwhelming interest in 2011’s event, the AIM Awards will be held on October 29th 2012 at their new venue, The Brewery in Clerkenwell.

Chairman and CEO of AIM, Alison Wenham commented: "The first AIM Awards (2011) was a fantastic event for the artists and companies whose hard work was finally recognised by their peers. We hope that as the awards show grows in size and stature, the wider industry will take note of the unique contribution the indie sector makes to the quality and diversity of the British Music Industry."   

Toasting the variety and creativity of the artists and labels that AIM has supported since its inception in 1999, the ceremony will see the return of renowned champions of credible music, BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq and BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens as hosts. 15 awards will be presented, including Independent Breakthrough of the Year, Best Small Label, Best Live Act and Outstanding Contribution to Music, previously bestowed on the mighty Bjork.

BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq commented: “I'm delighted to be co-hosting the awards again after its inception last year. It really was a bit special being in a room with so many influential independent label bosses, including people like Martin Mills and Geoff Travis who put out so many of the records I bought as a teenager. What last year proved is that the AIM Awards does a variety of things. It raises the profile of the indie sector - but it's also very valuable in bringing indie label heads together for a night to swap advice and discuss the future. And on top of that it's terrific to mark some of the achievements of the musicians and labels who've excelled in their field”.

BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens added: “The AIM Awards were a celebration of the thriving independent music scene, a huge and energetic group of people and music that deserve to get recognition for their hard work. Myself and Steve had a blast on the night and in the lead up to the event too, where the creativity really gets put under the spotlight.”

Recognising the accomplishments of a sector that is routinely overlooked by other major music awards, the AIM Awards celebrates a community of artists and entrepreneurs that will always do things their own way, making phenomenal music in every genre and pushing forward new business models and innovations.  Bucking the overall industry downturn, independent sales were up in 2011 (even without the phenomenal success of Adele), proving that public interest in great music is as strong as it’s ever been.

The awards are voted for by an expert panel of judges from across the music industry which this year will include DJ Ras Kwame, Rocksound’s Ben Patashnik, The Quietus’ Luke Turner and Glastonbury Dance Village’s Malcolm Haynes. These judges have been added to the panel to ensure more specialist music genres are well-represented in the nominees and winners - so that the AIM Awards fully represent the breadth and diversity of independent music in the UK. The full list of judges for the AIM Awards 2012 is:

Sean Adams, Founder, DrownedInSound 

Elisa Bray, Music Editor, The Independent 

Nick DeCosemo, Editor, Mixmag 

JJ Dunning, Editor, The Fly 

Arwa Haider, Music Editor, Metro 

Tim Jonze, Music Editor, Guardian.co.uk

John Kennedy, Presenter, XFM 

Ras Kwame, DJ

Steve Lamacq, DJ, BBC 6 Music

Laura Lukanz, Music Manager, 1Xtra

Matt Wilkinson, New Music Editor, NME

Pete Paphides, Music Journalist & Broadcaster 

Ben Patashnik, Editor, Rock Sound 

Katie Parsons, New Music Editor, Kerrang! 

Tom Robinson, Songwriter & Broadcaster, BBC 6Music 

Huw Stephens, DJ, BBC Radio 1 

Paul Stokes, Associate Editor (Digital), Q 

Luke Turner, Associate Editor, The Quietus

Malcolm Haynes, Senior Programmer, Glastonbury Dance Village

Winners at the inaugural AIM Awards included; Adele for Best 'Difficult' Second Album and the PPL Award for Most Played Independent Act, Bjork who received the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, SBTRKT for Independent Breakthrough of the Year, Stolen Recordings for Best Small Label and Domino’s Laurence Bell who received the Pioneer Award. A Full list of winners is available at www.musicindie.com/awards

Tickets and sponsorship packages for the awards are available now via the AIM website.