APRA Music Awards | |
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Current: APRA Music Awards of 2024 | |
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Country | Australia |
Presented by | Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) |
First awarded | 1982 |
Website | apraamcos |
The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters, and publishers who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performance.
Several award ceremonies are run in Australia by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). In addition to the APRA Music Awards, APRA AMCOS, in association with the Australian Music Centre, presents awards for classical music, jazz and improvised music, experimental music and sound art, known as the Art Music Awards. It also runs, in association with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the Screen Music Awards, to acknowledge excellence in the field of screen composition.
The APRA Music Awards were established in 1982 to honour songwriters and music composers for their efforts. The award categories are:
From 1982 to 1990, the best songs were given the Gold Award, which was also called the Special Award. In the mid-1980s Platinum Awards were given to significant works from previous years. [1]
Song of the Year is decided by the votes of APRA members. All eligible songs must be written by an APRA member and released in the preceding calendar year for consideration. The Song of the Year award is considered one of the most prestigious of the APRA Music Awards.
Songwriter of the Year is voted by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors rewarding the songwriter who has recorded the most impressive body of work in the previous year.
Year | Songwriter |
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1991 | Phil Buckle |
1992 | Neil Finn and Tim Finn |
1993 | Greg Arnold |
1994 | Neil Finn |
1995 | Daniel Johns and Benjamin Gillies |
1996 | Nick Cave |
1997 | No awards |
1998 | Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones |
1999 | Paul Kelly |
2000 | Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones |
2001 | Ella Hooper and Jesse Hooper |
2002 | Kasey Chambers |
2003 | Daniel Johns |
2004 | Powderfinger |
2005 | Jet |
2006 | Bernard Fanning |
2007 | Andrew Stockdale, Myles Heskett and Chris Ross |
2008 | Daniel Johns |
2009 | Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton |
2010 | Angus Young and Malcolm Young |
2011 | Angus Stone and Julia Stone |
2012 | Gotye |
2013 | Sia |
2014 | |
2015 | |
2016 | Courtney Barnett |
2017 | Harley Streten p.k.a. Flume |
2018 | Adam Briggs p.k.a. Briggs and Daniel Rankine p.k.a. Trials |
2019 | Sarah Aarons |
2020 | Barry Francis p.k.a. DJ Debris, Matthew Lambert p.k.a. Suffa, Daniel Smith p.k.a. MC Pressure (members of Hilltop Hoods) |
2021 | Kevin Parker |
2024 | The Teskey Brothers, Josh Teskey and Sam Teskey |
The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music' is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for a lifetime contribution. The Award is named after Ted Albert whose company Albert Productions put out records by The Easybeats, AC/DC and John Paul Young.
Year | Winner |
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1991 | Allan Hely |
1992 | John Sturman |
1993 | Peter Sculthorpe |
1994 | Ian Meldrum |
1995 | Harry Vanda and George Young |
1996 | Ron Tudor |
1997 | No awards |
1998 | Michael Gudinski |
1999 | Slim Dusty |
2000 | Triple J |
2001 | Charles Fischer |
2002 | Barry Chapman |
2003 | Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott |
2004 | Don Burrows |
2005 | Michael Chugg |
2006 | Bill Armstrong |
2007 | Michael McMartin |
2008 | Roger Davies |
2009 | Denis Handlin |
2010 | Jimmy Little |
2011 | Paul Kelly |
2012 | Mary Lopez |
2013 | The Seekers |
2014 | Lindy Morrison |
2015 | Fifa Riccobono |
2016 | Cold Chisel |
2017 | Archie Roach |
2018 | Midnight Oil |
2019 | Rob Potts |
2020 | No awards |
2021 | Helen Reddy, Joy McKean |
2022 | The Wiggles |
2023 | Colin Hay, Colleen Ironside |
2024 | Bart Willoughby |
Breakthrough Songwriter Award is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for an emerging songwriter or groups of writers. The award category was first introduced by APRA in 2002.
Year | Winner |
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2002 | Jennifer Waite and Grant Wallis (Aneiki) |
Sia | |
2003 | Craig Nicholls (The Vines) |
2004 | Delta Goodrem |
2005 | Missy Higgins |
2006 | Myles Heskett, Christopher Ross and Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother) |
2007 | Glenn Richards (Augie March) |
2008 | Sally Seltmann (New Buffalo) |
2009 | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu |
2010 | Nick Littlemore, Jonathan Sloan, Luke Steele (Empire of the Sun) |
2011 | Megan Washington |
2012 | Killian Gavin, Jonathon Hart, Timothy Hart, David Hosking, Jacob Tarasenko (Boy & Bear) |
2013 | Matthew Colwell (p.k.a. 360), Kaelyn Behr (p.k.a. Styalz) |
2014 | Louis Schoorl |
2015 | Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds of Summer) |
2016 | Alex Hope |
2017 | Troye Sivan a.k.a. Troye Sivan Mellet |
2018 | Sarah Aarons |
2019 | Dean Lewis |
2020 | Toni Watson p.k.a. Tones and I |
2021 | Charlton Howard p.k.a. the Kid Laroi |
2022 | Genesis Owusu |
2023 | Sampa Tembo p.k.a. Sampa The Great |
There are a number of awards given for most performed work based on a statistical analysis of APRA's database. These awards include "Most Performed Australian Work of the Year", "Most Performed Australian Work Overseas", "Most Performed Foreign Work", "Most Performed Jazz Work", "Most Performed Country Work" and "Most Performed Dance Work".
Art Music Awards [2] |
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In 2001, APRA joined forces with the Australian Music Centre (AMC) to present awards for Australian classical music, known as Classical Music Awards. The AMC had been presenting annual awards for classical music since 1988, apart from a 1993–1995 hiatus due to funding cuts. The participation of APRA helped to secure the future of the awards, which are the only Australian awards for contemporary Australian classical music. This award has been won by well-known composers including Brenton Broadstock, Brett Dean, Ross Edwards, Georges Lentz, Liza Lim, Richard Mills, and Peter Sculthorpe. After another hiatus in 2010, the event returned as the Art Music Awards the following year, restructured and with two new categories. [3]
The awards now cover classical, jazz and improvised music, experimental music and sound art, recognising achievement in composition, performance, education and presentation. As of 2020 [update] , [4] the current award structure recognises eleven annual awards and Luminary Awards for sustained contribution (nationally and for each state and territory) in Australian art music. There is also a discretionary award, The Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. [5]
Originally named The Distinguished Services to Australian Music Award, [6] from 2019 it was renamed in honour of Australian conductor and educator Richard Gill (1941 –2018). [7] It is determined by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors and the Australian Music Centre Board for a lifetime contribution to the art music community.
Year | Winner |
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2002 | Richard Meale |
2003 | Robert Hughes |
2004 | Miriam Hyde |
2005 | Anne Boyd |
2006 | Musica Viva Australia |
2007 | Belinda Webster |
2008 | Judy Bailey |
2009 | Michael Kieran Harvey |
2010 | No Awards |
2011 | John Hopkins |
2012 | Peter Sculthorpe |
2013 | George Dreyfus |
2014 | Richard Gill |
2015 | Larry Sitsky |
2016 | Helen Gifford |
2017 | John Pochée |
2018 | Robyn Holmes |
2019 | The Necks |
2020 | Ros Bandt |
2021 | Penny Lomax Maureen Cooney |
2022 | Nigel Butterley |
Screen Music Awards |
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The annual Screen Music Awards were first presented in 2002 by APRA and AMCOS in conjunction with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). The ceremony, held in November, acknowledges excellence and innovation in the field of screen composition, and as of 2019 [update] covers 13 categories. [8]
The Emily Burrows Award was instituted in 2001 in memory of Emily Burrows, a former APRA AMCOS membership representative and compliance officer. It is awarded to a South Australian artist or band annually with a $5,000 prize, to further their development and career. Electric Fields won it in 2016, with previous winners including Hilltop Hoods and The Beards, [10] Dead Roo, and Ollie English [11]
In 2019 the prize was awarded at the South Australian Music Awards (SAM Awards) for the first time, with Dead Roo winning the Award. [12] Seabass were presented with the award at the SAM Awards in 2020, [13] and Tilly Tjala Thomas won it in 2021. [14] Thomas sings in both Nukunu language and English, with her single "Ngana Nyunyi" sung in both. She won triple j Unearthed's NIMAs competition, giving her the opportunity to play at the National Indigenous Music Awards in 2021. [11]
In 2023, Indigenous hip hop band from the APY lands, DEM MOB, won the award. [15]
As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations in 2001, APRA created a list of the top 30 Australian songs. [16] A panel of 100 music personalities were asked to list the ten best Australian songs, the data was compiled and the Top Ten in numerical order, was announced at the 2001 APRA Music Awards ceremony. [16] At the ceremony You Am I performed the #1 listed song "Friday on My Mind" with Ross Wilson performing the #2 listed song "Eagle Rock". [16] The next 20 songs in the Top 30 had been announced four weeks earlier. [17]
Cezary Jan Skubiszewski is a Polish-born Australian film and television composer. He composed film scores for Red Dog, Two Hands, The Sapphires and TV series Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Benjamin Peter Speed is an Australian musician who composes scores for film and television. He previously performed and recorded as Mister Speed or Mr Speed, and was vocalist and songwriter in the Australian alternative, electronic, and hip hop band The New Pollutants.
Michael Yezerski is an Australian composer known for his scores for feature films such as The Waiting City, The Black Balloon, Newcastle, and Thursday's Fictions, as well as collaborations with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Gondwana Voices Children's Choir, the National Museum of Canberra, Synergy Percussion and The Physical TV Company.
Roger Ashley Mason is an Australian keyboardist who has been a member of new wave groups Models, Absent Friends and Icehouse. He was a session and backing musician for United Kingdom's Gary Numan and for various Australian artists. From the early 1990s he has composed music for television and feature films.
Caitlin Yeo is an Australian musician and film composer, whose credits include the feature film Jucy, All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, and The Rocket. Yeo is a graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School and Sydney University. Her work has won a number of awards including 2007 APRA AGSC Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Documentary and 2011 APRA Professional Development Award and received nominations in 2008, 2010 and 2012. She also teaches composition and film music theory at The Australian Institute of Music.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2011 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2011 was the 29th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 21 June 2011 at CarriageWorks in Sydney, Australia. The Art Music Awards were introduced in 2011 to replace the Classical Music Awards and were distributed on 3 May. They are sponsored by APRA and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) to "recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian music". The Screen Music Awards were issued on 14 November by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) at the City Recital Hall, Sydney which "acknowledges excellence and innovation in the genre of screen composition".
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2012 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2012 was the 30th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 28 May 2012 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Art Music Awards were introduced in 2011 to replace the Classical Music Awards and were distributed on 3 April at the Sydney Opera House. They are sponsored by APRA and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) to "recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian music". The Screen Music Awards were issued on 19 November by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), which "acknowledges excellence and innovation in the genre of screen composition".
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2013 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2013 was the 31st annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 17 June 2013 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Australian Performing Right Association Awards of 2014 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2014 was the 32nd annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 23 June 2014 at the Brisbane City Hall, for the first time. The host for the ceremony was Brian Nankervis, adjudicator on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2015 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2015 was the 33rd annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 24 March 2015 at the Carriageworks, Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Brian Nankervis, adjudicator on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2016 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2016 was the 34th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 5 April 2016 at the Carriageworks, Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Brian Nankervis, adjudicator on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2000 are a series of awards held in May 2000. The APRA Music Awards were presented by APRA and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Only one classical music award was available in 2000: Most Performed Contemporary Classical Composition. APRA provided awards for "Best Television Theme", and "Best Film Score" in 2000. APRA and AMCOS also sponsored the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), which provided their own awards ceremony, from 1996 to 2000, with categories for film and TV composers.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2017 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2017 was the 35th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 3 April 2017 at the International Convention Centre Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Julia Zemiro, presenter on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 1999 are a series of awards held in May 1999. The APRA Music Awards were presented by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Only one classical music award was available in 1999: Most Performed Contemporary Classical Composition. APRA provided awards for "Best Television Theme", and "Best Film Score" in 1999. APRA and AMCOS also sponsored the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), which provided their own awards ceremony, from 1996 to 2000, with categories for film and TV composers.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2018 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2018 was the 36th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 10 April 2018 at the International Convention Centre Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Julia Zemiro.
Daniel Francis Luscombe is an Australian guitarist, producer and composer. He has been a member of The Blackeyed Susans, The Drones, Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males, Stardust Five, Spencer P. Jones & the Last Gasp and Paul Kelly and the Boon Companions, as well as playing alongside Courtney Barnett, Mick Harvey, Ariel Pink, Damo Suzuki, James Chance and Marlon Williams as a touring member of their bands. He has also produced albums for artists including Ben Salter, Fraser Gorman, Jaala, Bad Dreems, Martin Frawley, Courtney Barnett and Amyl and the Sniffers. He has composed for film with credits including Jindabyne, Hounds of Love and I Am Mother (2019).
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 1998 are a series of awards held in May 1998. The APRA Music Awards were presented by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). The awards resumed in 1998 after a hiatus in 1997.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 1996 are a series of awards held in May 1996. The APRA Music Awards were presented by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). APRA and AMCOS did not provide any awards in 1997, after the hiatus they resumed the annual ceremony in APRA Music Awards of 1998.
The Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) is a not for profit organisation, which was established in 1981, "to represent the interests of Australian screen composers by developing and promoting employment opportunities, undertaking educational initiatives and increasing their profile amongst the industry." It was established by Bruce Smeaton and Bruce Rowland. The Guild's head offices are in Sydney, with successive presidents from 1987 being Bob Young (1987–91), Martin Armiger (1992–98), Chris Neal (1999–2000), Art Phillips (2001–08), Clive Harrison (2008–11), Guy Gross (2012–17), Caitlin Yeo (2018–20), Antony Partos (2020–22) and Dale Cornelius (2022–present). Since 1991 it has been sponsored by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).
The APRA Music Awards of 2019 are the 37th annual awards given in the series of awards together known as APRA Awards, given in 2019. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the year: the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards and Screen Music Awards. They are given by the Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society, known jointly as APRA AMCOS.