It’s the news the industry has been waiting for! After receiving a record number of entries, we are delighted to reveal the category shortlists for the Music Week Awards 2021.
After our 2020 ceremony was cancelled due to the pandemic – though trophies were still handed out to the winners! – the Music Week Awards is set to return in style on September 14 at Battersea Evolution in London and will, of course, follow all the latest government advice and regulations to ensure a safe event.
The biggest and best night in the music industry calendar, the Music Week Awards 2021 will see everyone from the major and independent labels and publishers to streaming giants like TikTok, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and Apple Music, plus the nation’s favourite broadcasters and radio stations, compete for glory.
A total of 26 trophies are up for grabs this year, including The Strat – the special Music Week Award in recognition of a pioneering exec, which has previously been won by Max Lousada, Darcus Beese and Sarah Stennett and many more legendary figures.
The nominations revealed today have set up some epic battles on the night.
Last year, the big news was a double win for Polydor Records with co-presidents Ben Mortimer and Tom March seeing the label retain its Record Company title and bag the A&R Award. The Universal label will be defending its crown in the Record Company category in a highly competitive field, with Atlantic, Black Butter, Columbia, Decca, EMI, Island, Ministry Of Sound, RCA and Warner Records all in the running.
The A&R category, meanwhile, will see them fend off challengers from Columbia, Island, Ministry Of Sound, Partisan, Transgressive, Universal Music Publishing Group, Virgin Music UK (formerly Caroline International), Warner Chappell Music UK and Warner Records.
BBC Radio 6 Music are also back to try and keep hold of Radio Station title, while EMI will see if they can once again secure the Promotions Team honour, with Atlantic, Columbia, Decca, Island, Listen Up, Plugged In PR, Polydor, RCA, Virgin Music UK, Warner Records and Your Army snapping at their heels.
This year’s Publisher Of The Year list sees Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group and Warner Chappell face off against Downtown Music UK and Kobalt Music Publishing. Last year’s inaugural winner of Independent Publisher Of The Year, Reservoir, is among the nominees once again, up against Concord, Sentric Music Group and more.
In recognition of the live industry hiatus caused by the pandemic, the 2021 Music Week Awards will not include Ticketing Company, Live Music Promoter, Live Music Agent and Festival Of The Year – all of which are slated to return in 2022. We are, however, marking the arrival of three brand new categories for 2021
Talent Agency Of The Year will recognise creative and commercial achievement over the course of last year and will see CAA, MBA Live, Primary Talent International, UTA and WME go head to head.
Due to the overwhelming response to the category, Music Week has decided to separate the previous, newly-announced Live Music Innovation Of The Year category into two to better reflect the scope and breadth of the entries. The new awards will be Live Music Innovation Of The Year (Platform) and Live Music Innovation Of The Year (Live event/series).
The Live Music Innovation Of The Year Platform Award will reflect the platforms and commercial innovations that have helped keep the live music sector running, from Driift and Dice, to LIVENow, Liverpool Sound City and more. The Live Music Innovation Of The Year Event/Series Award will reflect and celebrate the creative breakthroughs made in live event(s)/livestreams, with Tap Music, Defected Records, BBC Radio 1Xtra and more featuring on a star-studded shortlist.
The popular Grassroots Venue: Spirit Of The Scene award will be handed out in acknowledgement of the key community role many grassroots venues have played during the pandemic.
Confirmed sponsors for the Music Week Awards include association partners ERA and the Music Venue Trust, PPL (category sponsor) and social media sponsor MQA.
Tickets for this year's event are already selling fast – click here to make sure you don’t miss out on the best night out in the industry.
Click here to see last year’s winners.
The full list of finalists so far confirmed is below.
Accountancy Firm Of The Year
BigStar
CC Young & Co
Gelfand Rennert And Feldman
Harris & Trotter LLP
Hentons
MSE Business Management LLP
Thomas St John
A&R
Columbia Records
Island Records
Ministry Of Sound
Partisan Records
Polydor Records
Transgressive Records
Universal Music Publishing Group
Virgin Music UK (formerly Caroline International)
Warner Chappell Music UK
Warner Records
Artist Marketing Campaign
AC/DC, Columbia Records
Michael Ball & Alfie Boe, Decca Records
Dua Lipa, Warner Records
Headie One, Relentless Records
Gorillaz, Parlophone
Joel Corry, Atlantic
Kylie Minogue, BMG
Little Mix, RCA
Rina Sawayama, Dirty Hit
Shygirl, Because Music
Yungblud, Polydor
Young T & Bugsey, Black Butter
Catalogue Marketing Campaign
Bob Marley, UMC
Donna Summer, Demon Music Group
George Michael, Sony Music Commercial Group
Mariah Carey, Sony Music Commercial Group
Neil Diamond, EMI
Oasis, Big Brother/Ignition
Prince, Rhino
The Rolling Stones, Polydor Records
Shakin’ Stevens, BMG
Grassroots Venue: Spirit Of The Scene
Broadcast, Glasgow
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Clapham Grand, London
The Globe, Newcastle
The Mill, Bradford
The Sugarmill, Stoke
Trinity Centre, Bristol
Windmill Brixton, London
Independent Publisher Of The Year
Concord Music Publishing
Peermusic
Reservoir
Sentric Music Group
Warp Publishing
Wise Music Group
Young Songs
Independent Record Company
Because Music
Chess Club Records
Dead Oceans
Defected Records
Dirty Hit
Earache Records
Modern Sky UK
Partisan Records
Stones Throw Records
Transgressive Records
Independent Retailer
Banquet Records, Kingston
Crash Records, Leeds
Drift, Totnes
Eel Pie Records, Twickenham
Resident Music, Brighton
Wax And Beans, Bury
Label/Artist Services Company
Absolute Label Services
ADA
Believe
Cooking Vinyl
FUGA
Ingrooves Music Group
Integral UK
The Orchard
Virgin Music Label & Artist Services (formerly Caroline International)
Law Firm Of The Year
Hamlins LLP
Harbottle & Lewis LLP
Irwin Mitchell LLP
Reed Smith LLP
Simons Muirhead & Burton
Van Straten Solicitors
Live Music Innovation Of The Year (Event/Series) - Special Award For 2021
1Xtra Live 2020, BBC Radio 1Xtra
Back To Mine, Sony Music – 4th Floor Creative Group
Defected Virtual Festival, Defected Records
Independent Venue Love Series, Frank Turner/Xtra Mile Recordings
Notting Hill Carnival, Notting Hill Carnival
Homegrown, DHP Family
Prime Day Live, Amazon
Radio 2 Live At Home, BBC Radio 2
Tap Music livestreams (Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Dermot Kennedy), Tap Music
The Legacy Series: Fashion x Music, YouTube Music
The Streets – None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Live Alive, Island Records/Mercury Studios/Magus Entertainment
United We Stream, Live Nation
Live Music Innovation Of The Year (Platform) - Special Award For 2021
Barclaycard Share The Stage
Dice
Driift
Ents24
LiveNow
Liverpool Sound City
Music Glue
Manager Of The Year
Moe Bah & Kilo Jalloh, 2K Management
Allison Main & Polly Bhowmik, A&P Artist Management
Peter Loraine, Fascination Management
Michael Adex, Northern Quarterz Limited
David Furnish & Rachael Paley, Rocket Entertainment
Jada Pollock, Starboy Entertainment
Amy Morgan, September Management
Ben Mawson & Ed Millett, Tap Music
Music & Brand Partnership
Ashnikko x Beats By Dre – Parlophone / WMX / Various Artist Management / Beats By Dre
Koffee x H&M Holiday 2020 – Columbia Records UK / 4th Floor Creative / Levels
Leigh-Anne Pinnock/ASOS – RCA / 4th Floor Creative / Modest! Management
Lewis Capaldi x Samsung Galaxy S20 – Paradigm Agency / Universal Music / BMG / Samsung / Taylor Herring
Loyle Carner x Eric Cantona x FIFA 21 – Universal Music Globe / Spindle/ 160Over90 / EA Sports
Mabel x Kangol & H&M – Universal Music Globe / Metallic Management
Samm Henshaw x Samsung – BMG / Leland Music / Mother London / Kobalt / Warner Chappell / Jackie Davidson Management / AWAL
Take That x Compare The Market – YM&U Group / / IE Management / Compare The Market / Attachment London / VCCP / Exposure / Nordoff Robbins / Wavemaker
Music Consumer Innovation
Amazon Music, Mindshower.ai x The 1975
Deezer, Country Selector
PIAS, Love Record Stores
Spotify, Notting Hill Carnival Sounds
TikTok, TikTok Music
Vampr Inc., Vampr
PR Campaign
Arlo Parks, All Stripes
Biffy Clyro, Warner Records UK (now APPR & MoKho PR)
Bring Me The Horizon, We Care A Lot PR
Dua Lipa, Satellite414
Gary Barlow, DawBell
Haim, Polydor
Hayley Williams, Atlantic Records
Headie One, Outside
KSI, Carver PR
Kylie Minogue, Murray Chalmers PR (MCPR)
Pa Salieu, August
Unknown T, Imran Malik Publicity
Promotions Team Of The Year
Atlantic Records
Columbia Records
Decca Records
EMI Records
Island Records
Listen Up
Plugged In PR
Polydor Records
RCA Records
Virgin Music UK (formerly Caroline International)
Warner Records
Your Army
Publisher Of The Year
Downtown Music UK
Kobalt Music Publishing
Sony Music Publishing
Universal Music Publishing Group
Warner Chappell Music
Radio Show
Capital Xtra Breakfast with Yinka and Shayna Marie, Capital Xtra
Capital Xtra - Homegrown with Robert Bruce, Capital Xtra
Clara Amfo, BBC Radio 1
Danny Howard, BBC Radio 1
Future Sounds With Annie Mac, BBC Radio 1
Introducing In Kent With Abbie McCarthy, BBC Radio Kent
Kerrang! Radio Breakfast Sophie K, Kerrang! Radio
Lauren Laverne, BBC Radio 6 Music
Steve Lamacq Show, BBC 6 Music
The Matt Wilkinson Show, Apple Music Radio
The Skin Show, Absolute Radio
Radio Station
Absolute Radio
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 6 Music
Capital Xtra
Kerrang! Radio
KISS FM
Planet Rock
Record Company
Atlantic Records
Black Butter
Columbia Records
Decca Records
EMI Records
Island Records
Ministry Of Sound
Polydor Records
RCA Records
Warner Records
Sales Team
[Integral] UK
Lasgo Chrysalis Ltd
Proper Music Group
Republic Of Music
Sony Music UK
The Orchard
Virgin Music UK (formerly Caroline International)
Warner Music UK
Sync Of The Year
Celeste – A Little Love
Featured In: John Lewis Christmas Campaign
(Label: Polydor/Universal Music Globe / Publisher: Warner Chappell Music UK/Reservoir / Agency: Adam&Eve DDB / Music Supervisor: Leland Music)
Dreya Mac – Singin' In The Rain
Featured In: Burberry Festive
(Label: Dreya Mac / Twenty Below Music Ltd / Publisher: Sony Music Publishing / Agency: Burberry / Music Supervisor: Twenty Below Music)
Griff – Love Is A Compass
Featured In: Disney Christmas Advert 2020
(Label: Warner Music Group / Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group / Agency: Disney)
Kojey Radical – Time For A New Season
Featured In: Time For A New Season/BT Sport
(Label: Warner Music Group / Publisher: BMG / Agency: BT Sport / Music Supervisor: Pete Kelly)
Michael Kiwanuka – Light
Featured In: O2, You're Our Headline Act
(Label: Polydor/Universal Music Globe / Publisher: Kobalt Publishing/Warner Chappell Music UK / Agency: VCCP / Music Supervisor: Mr Pape)
Ray BLK – Warrior
Featured In: Rocks
(Label: Island/Universal Music Globe / Publisher: BMG / Director: Sarah Gavron / Music Supervisor: Thinksync)
Roots Manuva – Witness (1 Hope)
Featured In: Ikea, The Hare
(Label: Ninja Tune / Publisher: BMG / Agency: Mother / Music Supervisor: Theodore Music)
Ry X – Berlin
Featured In: Normal People
(Label: Magnus Bohman Holding AB under exclusive license to Infectious Music Ltd / Publisher: BMG / Agency: Silverstream)
Stevie Nicks – Edge Of Seventeen
Featured In: The Crown
(Label: Warner Records/ Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing / Agency: Netflix / Music Supervisor: Sarah Bridge)
Stormzy – Rainfall
Featured In: Ubisoft Partnership - Watch Dogs: Legion, Official Music Video
(Label: Atlantic Records / Publisher: Warner Chappell Music UK / Agency: Ubisoft )
The Who – Baba O’Riley
Featured In: PlayStation The Edge
(Label: Universal / Publisher: Fabulous Music Ltd / Agency: Adam&Eve DDB / Music Supervisor: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe)
Tom Odell – Another Love
Featured In: Marie Curie
(Label: Sony Music/Columbia / Publisher: Warner Chappell Music UK / Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi)
Sync Team Of The Year
Beggars Group Media
BMG
BT Sport Music
Kobalt Music Publishing
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Publishing
Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Records (Globe)
Warner Chappell Music UK
Warner Music UK
Talent Agency Of The Year – Special Award For 2021
CAA
MBA Live
Primary Talent International, an ICM Partners Company
UTA
WME
The Strat
The Strat is bestowed upon a deserving winner by the Music Week team.
For table or seat bookings, please contact Kate Smith, customer relations manager: kate.smith@futurenet.com.
For information about sponsorship opportunities at the Music Week Awards 2021, please contact advertising manager Helen Hughes: helen.hughes@futurenet.com.
