The official home of Australian Independent Music, a place for music industry professionals alike, featuring the cream of the crop of Australia’s diverse and thriving independent music sector.

After a magnificent evening at Revolt in Melbourne's inner west, The Jagermeister Independent Music Awards are done and dusted for another year. It was the indies' best awards ceremony yet.

The intimate setting hosted stunning performances from Illy (featuring Owl Eyes), Calling All Cars, Emma Louise and The Holidays between the awarding of accolades to some of Australia's brightest acts. The evening climaxed with an emotional speech by Adalita after winning Best Independent Album. Dedicating the award to Dean Turner, her collaborator, producer, friend and mentor, who sadly passed away last year. Adalita then performed a jaw-dropping version of "Fool Around" to a rapt audience.

The other big winners of the night included The Jezabels (Best Independent Artist and Best Independent EP for Dark Storm) and Emma Louise (Breakthrough Independent Artist of The Year).

The Australian Independent Record Labels Association is delighted to announce the winners of the 2011 Jagermeister Independent Music Awards.

 

BEST INDEPENDENT ARTIST - THE JEZABELS

 

BREAKTHROUGH INDEPENDENT ARTIST - EMMA LOUISE

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT ALBUM - ADALITA, ADALITA (Liberation Music)

 

BEST INDEPENDENT SINGLE/EP - THE JEZABELS, DARK STORM (Independent/MGM)

 

 

JAGERMEISTER MOST HUNTED AWARD (POPULAR VOTED AWARD BY FANS) - 360

 

BEST INDEPENDENT HARD ROCK OR PUNK ALBUM - MY DISCO, LITTLE JOY (Shock Entertainment)

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT BLUES AND ROOTS ALBUM - GURRUMUL - RRAKALA (Skinnyfish/MGM)

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY ALBUM - WAGONS, RUMBLE SHAKE AND TUMBLE (Spunk Records)

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT HIP HOP/URBAN ALBUM - DRAPHT, THE LIFE OF RILEY (The Ayems)

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM - PNAU, SOFT UNIVERSE (etc etc)

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE, ELECTRONICA OR CLUB SINGLE - *JOINT WINNERS

TOMMY TRASH AND TOM PIPER, ALL MY FRIENDS (Ministry Of Sound)

 

SEEKAE, BLOOD BANK (Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy)

 

 

BEST INDEPENDENT JAZZ ALBUM - SANDY EVANS, WHEN THE SKY CRIES RAINBOWS (Independent)

 

 

Last week we were delighted to announce the nominations for the 6th annual Jagermeister Independent Music Awards. Check out the article below for the full list of nominees...

...but now we have something new for you.

We're excited to let you all know that AIR has been working with Jagermeister to launch a brand new  award. We want Australian music fans to have a say in who wins the "JAGERMEISTER MOST HUNTED AWARD" and in doing so, give themselves a chance to attend the event, watch an incredible show and party with the cream of the crop of Australian artists!

If you vote, you'll get the the opportunity to appear on stage on the night to help present the trophy to the Jägermeister Most Hunted artist. All you have to do is go to the Jagermeister Australia facebook page and click on the "Most Hunted" link, then fill out your details and vote for your favourite artist!

The nominees for the Most Hunted Award are:

• Bliss N Eso
• Drapht
• 360
• Illy
• The Jezabels
• Dream On Dreamer
• Little Red
• Art Vs Science
• Pnau
• The Potbelleez

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Preparations for this years awards are in full swing, we've incredible performers booked (Adalita, Calling All Cars, Emma Louise, Illy featuring Owl Eyes and The Holidays), great media partners (Hi Channel V! Hi Nova!) and a sensational new venue.

The rather excellent Kane Hibberd is pulling together an independent music exhibition for all those in attendance.

You could also be one of the lucky people there on the night if you follow us on twitter or facebook, we'll be giving tickets away on facebook an twitter over the coming weeks.

We’re stoked to announce the 2011 nominees for the JAGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS!
 
More than any previous year, we've got a list of nominees which represents the vast array of world-class indie music being released in Australia.

Check out the country category for example...Where else could you have deservingly nominated artists like the incredible Halfway or Davidson Brothers next to commercial country music superstars like Kasey Chambers and Troy Cassar-Daley?

Or Dance/Electronica where Pnau are up against Collarbones, Seekae, Potbelleez, Tommy Trash and Tom Piper? Or Punk with Front End Loader, Cosmic Psychos, Dream On Dreamer and My Disco?

Leading a pack of multiple nominees is Seekae and Adalita who’re clearly darlings of our wide reaching independent judging pool with 4 nominations each.
 
Suffice to say that we’re delighted to see everyone from The Potbelleez to Big Scary, from Harmony to Oscar & Martin (they've already told us they'll be their wearing new suits), Sandy Evans to The Aston Shuffle and Trial Kennedy. Art vs Science, The Jezabels, Abbe May, Emma Louise, Gurrumul and Busby Marou.

The full list of nominees is below… For the record, all nominees are independent in that the master recordings are owned by the artists themselves or their Australian independent labels.

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2011 JAGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES:
 

BEST INDEPENDENT ARTIST

Abbe May (Source Music)
Adalita (Liberation Music)
Art Vs Science (Independent)
Seekae (Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy)
The Jezabels (Independent)


BREAKTHROUGH INDEPENDENT ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Adalita (Liberation Music)
Big Scary (Independent)
Busby Marou (Footstomp)
Emma Louise (Independent)
Oscar & Martin (Two Bright Lakes)
The Holidays (Liberation Music)

 
BEST INDEPENDENT ALBUM

Abbe May: Design Desire (Source Music)
Adalita: Adalita (Liberation Music)
Art vs Science: The Experiment (Independent)
Drapht: The Life Of Riley (The Ayems)
Seekae: +Dome (Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy)
 

BEST INDEPENDENT SINGLE OR EP

Adalita: Hot Air (Liberation Music)
Emma Louise: Full Hearts and Empty Rooms (Independent)
Illy: It Can Wait Featuring Owl Eyes (Obese)
Stonefield: Through The Clover (Shock Entertainment)
The Jezabels: Dark Storm (Independent)
 

BEST INDEPENDENT BLUES AND ROOTS ALBUM

Blue King Brown: Worldwize (Part 1, The North and South) (Lion House Records)
Bonjah: Go Go Chaos (Shock Entertainment)
Busby Marou: Busby Marou (Footstomp)
Gurrumul: Rrakala (Skinnyfish)
Jordie Lane: Blood Thinner (Vitamin)


BEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY ALBUM

Davidson Brothers: Here To Stay (Independent)
Halfway: An Outpost Of Promise (Plus One Records)
Kasey Chambers: Little Bird (Liberation)
Shane Nicholson: Bad Machines (Liberation)
Wagons: Rumble Shake and Tumble (Spunk)
Troy Cassar-Daly: Live (Liberation)

 
BEST INDEPENDENT HIP HOP ALBUM

Bliss N Eso: Walking On Air (Illusive Sounds)
Drapht: The Life Of Riley (The Ayems)
Illy: The Chase (Obese)
Joelistics: Voyager (Elefant Traks)
Sietta: The Seventh Passenger (Elefant Traks)
 

BEST INDEPENDENT HARD ROCK OR PUNK ALBUM

Cosmic Psychos: Florious Basterds (Missing Link/Fuse)
Front End Loader: Ritardando (Weeping Anus Records)
Harmony: Harmony (Casa Del Disco)
My Disco: Little Joy (Shock Entertainment)
Trial Kennedy: Living Undesigned (Independent)

 
BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM

Art Vs Science: The Experiment (Independent)
Pnau: Soft Universe (Etc Etc)
Seekae: +Dome (Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy)
The Aston Shuffle: Seventeen Past Midnight (Downright Music)
The Potbelleez: Destination Now (Vicious)
 

BEST INDEPENDENT DANCE/ELECTRONICA OR CLUB SINGLE

Collarbones: Don Juan (Two Bright Lakes)
Pnau: Solid Ground (etc etc)
Seekae: Blood Bank (Rice Is Nice/Popfrenzy)
Tommy Trash and Tom Piper:  All My Friends Featuring Mr. Wilson (Ministry Of Sound)
Tonite Only: We Run The Nite (Ministry Of Sound Records)


BEST INDEPENDENT JAZZ ALBUM

Allan Browne, Marc Hannaford, Sam Anning: Shreveport Stomp (Jazzhead)
Daniel Gassin Sextet: Daniel Gassin Sextet (Which Way Music)
Elixir featuring Katie Noonan: Fist Seed Ripening (ABC Music)
Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band:  Aurora (Gracemusic)
Sandy Evans: When The Sky Cries Rainbows (ABC Music)
Shannan Barnett Quartet: Country (Which Way Music)

Get ready for the 2011 Jagermeister Independent Music Awards!

The JIMAs, (as we'll call them) were started in 2006 by AIR, The Australian Independent Record Labels Association, they were originally called the AIR Awards. AIR wanted to find a way to celebrate the incredible Australian music released by independent artists who deserve wider recognition. Sure, there's the ARIAs (god bless 'em) but they're dominated by commercial favourites, international artists bought in to boost TV ratings and major record labels. Meanwhile, Australian owned record labels are investing in, and releasing the music of artists who might never have otherwise got a start in the industry. That's what we love.

Indie labels find the coolest, hippest, newest, most challenging, craziest, most beautiful music in Australia and give it a home. They're not interested in releasing the latest reality TV pop-diva with guaranteed short term success, they're interested in creativity, authenticity and artistic achievement... that's why we have these awards.

We love how some indie artists have crossed over into the mainstream (previous winners include Gotye, Gurrumul, John Butler, Little Red, Parkway Drive, Cloud Control, Dan Sultan and The HIlltop Hoods) but we also love the artists who slave away passionately in bars, pubs, studios, venues garages and loungerooms (previous winners also include Eddy Current Supression Ring, The Drones, The Nation Blue, CW Stoneking, Stu Hunter, Ben Winkelman and dozens more).

Check out a full list of winners from 2006 to 20010 here.

We'll announce the date, time, performers and place of this years Jagermeister Independent Music Awards soon... real soon. Stay tuned!

Cloud Control collect their awards for Best Independent Album in 2010

 

The Jagermeister Independent Music Awards are presented and prduced by AIR, The Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 

 

ABOUT AIR

AIR is the Australian industry body that represents the interests of Independent Labels and Self Released Artists. AIR's 120 members share almost 30% of the Australian music market and release many of the country's most popular acts. They also release hundreds of the country's barely known, but world class, niche and underground artists. AIR's membership spans some of the largest  music businesses through to the smallest, they release music of every conceivable genre. At the core of each of AIR's record label members is a passion for great music, this passion is reflected in the organisation and it is this passion that drives the Jagermeister Independent Music Awards. 

 

AWARD CATEGORIES
In 2011 AIR and Jagermeister will present awards in the following categories.

Best Independent Artist
Best Independent Album
Breakthrough Independent Artist Of The Year
Best Independent EP or SIngle
Best Independent Hip Hop or Urban Album
Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album
Best Independent Country Album
Best Independent Blues and Roots Album
Best Independent Jazz Album
Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album

This year, for the first time we'll be adding a new category for the Best Independent Club Release 

 

AWARDS CRITERIA
To be in contention for the awards then the release or artist must fit the following criteria:

• The master recording of all nominated Singles, EPs or Albums must 100% owned by an Australian individual or company, regardless of distribution partners.
• All nominated Singles, EPs or Albums must have been released between August 1st 2010 and July 31st 2011
• To be eligible for "Best Independent Artist" the nominee must have released an album between August 1st 2010 and July 31st 2011
• To be eligible for "Breakthrough Independent Artist" the nominee must have entered the Jagermeister Independent Music Charts for the first time between August 1st 2010 or July 31st 2011 or, if they didn't appear in the charts, this must be the first year they have been nominated for a Jagermeister Independent Music Award.

 

HOW ARE NOMINEES SELECTED

• All releases that debut in the Jagermeister Independent Music Charts between August 1st 2010 and July 31st 2011 are collated by AIR and automatically make the 'long list'
• AIR sends out the collated list of chart entries to member independent labels who are then asked to add other releases that they feel should be in contention for the awards. The combined label nominations and chart entries make the final 'long list' from which nominees and winners are chosen.
• AIR asks all labels to upload their nominated artist to a voting website from which the judges can sample, listen and be taken to the website of artists in contention before casting their vote.
• This year there was approximately 250 releases added to the 'long list'.
• AIR then invites approximately 450 representatives of the independent music community to cast votes on their favorite releases. This judging pool includes independent label representatives, representatives from the wider music industry, radio broadcasters and music directors from Community, ABC and Commercial stations, online music media, street press, magazine publications, newspapers and a select group of retailers.
• Outside of this main group of 450 judges, AIR has separate judging pools for Dance/Electronica, Club Release and Jazz Categories.
• The top 5 releases/artists from each category are announced a month before the awards ceremony.
• The winners will be announced on October 12th 2011.

 

Some of the winners  last year include, clockwise from top left, Cloud Control, Dan Sultan, Midnight Juggernauts, John Butler Trio, Urthboy, Parkway Drive, Kasey Chambers, Poopa Bill and the Little Hillbillies and Little Red.