EXCLUSIVE: Nominations for the 2018 Steamtown Music Awards now open, new categories added
From a press release:
Starting today, nominations for the 2018 Steamtown Music Awards are open from now until Thursday, June 17. The public can nominate their favorite acts for the fifth annual local music awards ceremony, which will be held on Thursday, Sept. 13 and serve as the opening ceremony for the Electric City Music Conference.
Nominations will close on Sunday, June 17, and online voting for the award categories that allow public voting will open shortly after that. “We believe we found the best public voting system possible last year, and we’ll continue to use that until Russia starts tampering with it. As of yet, they haven’t intervened,” joked co-organizer Ken Norton.
You can nominate your favorite acts by visiting electriccitymusicconference.com/awards.
Local music industry professionals will vote on all other awards in addition to the voting committee comprised of music industry professionals from across the country.
Nominations are being accepted for the following categories: Acoustic/Solo, Best New Artist, Blues/R&B, Country, DJ, Duo, Electronic, Folk/Americana, Hip Hop/Urban, Indie, Jam/Reggae, Jazz/Swing/Big Band, Metal, Pop/Top 40, Punk/Hardcore, Rock/Alt Rock, Tribute/Cover, Music Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year.
Nominations for individual awards are as follows: Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer, and Best Auxiliary Musician (Keyboard, Piano, Saxophone, etc.).
Local music industry professionals will again be honored in the following categories: Recording Studio, Music Publication, Music Journalist, Radio Station, Radio DJ/Personality, Podcast of the Year, and Music Photographer.
The Local Music Fan of the Year award will also return for 2018.
New in 2018, Virtual Performer of the Year and Live Performer of the Year awards have been added to this year’s ceremony.
“With the ever-changing state of live music, we’ve seen more and more performers taking to various streaming services to perform live. We thought it was fair to honor those musicians that are taking different routes. But we also believe that live performances are the bedrock of any local music scene, hence this year’s new awards,” explained co-organizer Joe Caviston.
Artist submissions for the 2018 conference opened on Feb. 19; local musicians who wish to perform can apply here. Artists outside the 570 area code can apply via Sonicbids.
See NEPA Scene’s photos from the 2017 Steamtown Music Awards here and the entire Electric City Music Conference here. Stream or download last year’s panel discussions as free podcasts here and listen to Caviston and Norton talk about the conference and the awards in depth in Episode 26 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
Photo by Keith Perks/1120 Studios
