The Boston Music Awards have changed their tune. Previously, it has been almost impossible for interested music industry insiders to get involved with the BMA’s nominating committee. Attempts to get through to anyone at BMA through their website usually proved futile. Often, an inquirer would get a reply stating that it was too late to join the nominating committee but they could always be added for the next year’s awards nominating process, only to be disregarded altogether the following year.
After intense scrutiny from this music zine during last year’s dubious nominating and voting process, the BMA’s have made a special announcement. Yesterday, they opened up their nominating committee to all interested parties. In fact, they’ve invited everyone to a public event, at Sound Of The Town on September 24th, 2015. New nominators can register at the event and even pick up a copy of the ballot. The ballot would need to be sent back to the BMA on or before October 9th, 2015. They have also added an entirely new three dimensional view of their process, which is clearly a response to the criticism that it had previously lacked clarity and transparency.
It would seem, in the estimation of this zine, that the people behind the Boston Music Awards, owner Chip Rives and executive producer Jake Brennan, considered last Fall’s criticism of their process and worked hard to rectify it.
BillCopelandMusicNews.com would like to be the first to commend Mr. Rives and Mr. Brennan for their due diligence in make the Boston Music Awards something more comfortable and reasonable for everyone who participates, in one way or another, in the wonderful greater-Boston music scene.
The following is a copy of the BMA’s official announcement:
SOUND OF OUR TOWN KICKS OFF THE BOSTON MUSIC AWARDS VOTING AND CEREMONY SEASON
On Thursday, September 24, the Boston Music Awards returns with a free, all ages party at the Lawn On D, curated by digital music magazine Vanyaland. The purpose of this year’s Sound Of Our Town party is twofold: To showcase some of the best bands currently playing around Boston, and to invite everyone to join in on the process of determining the 2015 BMAs nominees.
The team behind the Boston Music Awards has revamped the Nomination Committee, the first step in determining this year’s ballot. All parties interested in joining the Nomination Committee are urged to attend Sound Of Our Town to register and become part of the process. Musicians, DJs, talent buyers, managers, journalists, radio personalities, and others across the industry are invited to meet the BMAs team, led by executive producer Jake Brennan, and pick up a blank ballot on site. Ballots will be due on October 9, with this year’s nominees announced on October 20.
The Boston Music Awards wants YOU to become part of the process in an overall effort to reestablish this event as an all-inclusive city-wide celebration. The aim of the Nomination Committee is to have the greatest and strongest reach across Boston’s various scenes, styles, and circles. Once the nominations are submitted, winners will be determined by the BMAs Voting Academy and a public online vote. But the process starts with you at Sound Of Our Town.
