The winning album will be announced at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize event, held in Vicar Street, Dublin on 9 March 2017. It will be aired live on RTÉ 2FM in a special four hour extended programme from 7-11pm and then shown on RTÉ2 as part of a special RTÉ Choice Music Prize programme, approximately one week later.
The shortlist itself for the ‘Irish Album of The Year 2016’ – in association with IMRO and IRMA – will be announced on 11 January 2017 and the shortlist for the ‘Irish Song of the Year 2016’ will be announced on 1 February 2017.
Commenting on the announcement, Dee Forbes, Director-General RTÉ, said, “Supporting Irish music and Irish musicians is a core part of what RTÉ does and this partnership will allow us to take our support one step further.
“Through RTÉ2 and RTÉ2FM, two established brands with a long and rich history in supporting Irish music, and through our popular online and mobile platforms, RTÉ will put the RTÉ Choice Music Prize at the centre of a campaign that will bring the best Irish artists and songs from the past year to a wider audience.”
The 12th annual RTÉ Choice Music Prize will once again celebrate and acknowledge the best in Irish recorded music. The prize has become one of the highlights of the Irish musical calendar since its inception in 2005 and is awarded to the Irish Album of the Year, as chosen from a shortlist of ten releases by a panel of twelve Irish music media professionals and industry experts.
The winning act will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). All of the shortlisted acts will receive a specially commissioned award.
Past recipients of the ‘Album of The Year’ award include Julie Feeney; The Divine Comedy; Super Extra Bonus Party; Jape; Adrian Crowley; Two Door Cinema Club; Delorentos; Villagers; The Gloaming; and Soak.
Past recipients of Song of the Year include: Royseven with ‘We Should Be Lovers’ in 2011; Gavin James with ‘Say Hello’ in 2012; The Original Rudeboys with ‘Never Gonna Walk Away’ in 2013; The Script with ‘Superheroes’ in 2014; and Gavin James with ‘Bitter Pill’ in 2015.
Dan Healy, Head of RTÉ 2FM, said, “The RTÉ Choice Music Prize is a great partnership for RTÉ and for RTE 2FM. As proud supporters of Irish music we’re looking forward to fully unleashing the power of the station to get right behind the best albums and songs recorded by Irish artists over the past year and what a great year it has been.”
Adrian Lynch, Acting Channel Controller, RTÉ2, said, “RTÉ2 is no stranger to broadcasting the RTÉ Choice Music Prize event, but as part of this new partnership which also includes radio, online and mobile support, RTÉ2 can play a greater role in helping all nominees make a bigger impact.”
RAAP, Culture Ireland and Golden Discs are also official project partners. Culture Ireland will fund the attendance of influential overseas Industry executives to attend the Choice Music Prize Live Event on 9 March 2007, while Golden Discs will feature special stands showcasing the RTÉ Choice Music Prize nominees across their stores nationwide.
Commenting on the announcement, Victor Finn, Chief Executive IMRO said, “We are delighted to continue our longstanding association with this important music prize. Irish music continues to push new boundaries and this prize shines a light on the music creators and songs that resonate so strongly with audiences at home and abroad.”
And Willie Kavanagh, IRMA Chairman added, “We at IRMA are happy to continue our support of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize. The ongoing search for new artists and new music, which is the focus of the RTÉ Choice Music Prize, represents the life blood of the music industry in Ireland.”
The Choice Music Prize website has published a list of Irish albums released to date in 2016. This list – along with the full list of judges – can be viewed by logging onto http://www.choicemusicprize.ie
Tickets for the Choice Music Prize live event will go on sale from all Ticketmaster outlets and from http://www.ticketmaster.ie on 2 December, priced €26.50, including booking fee.