The BRIT Awards has confirmed that The BRIT Award for Best British Producer has been brought back into the Official BRITs Voting procedures for 2018.
In an usual step, The BRIT Awards and the MPG (Music Producers Guild) decided that the Award would be rested in 2017 so that the voting method could be reviewed, with the party line from both camps suggesting that the two could not arrive at a satisfactory way to judge the category.
Music Week sources, however, revealed that deeper underlying issues were responsible for its 2017 absence, citing that attempts from the BPI to exert greater influence over the judging of the award is ultimately what has driven a wedge between the two organisations.
Responding to our requests for clarification on the matter at the time, Platt said: “The MPG UK Producer of the Year Award is unchanged and will be presented to the winner chosen by our recent judging panel. That person will have been nominated, voted and judged using our usual fair, transparent and inclusive process, which will continue unaffected.”
A spokesperson for the BPI, however, had this to say on the matter: “Over the last eight years, we’ve been delighted to present a BRIT Award for Best Producer to the winner of the MPG Producer of the Year. Until now that selection has been based on the MPG’s voting and judging processes. The two awards are, however, entirely separate, even though the same person has previously received both. This year, as people may be aware, the BRITs has significantly changed the composition of its voting academy, and we also annually review our award categories and voting processes. The voting mechanic for the Best Producer Award differed substantially from our other votes and we have not had time to complete a review as to how this might best be structured. As a result, we have decided to rest the Best Producer Award for 2017. We fully recognise the important role producers play in the music industry and will be considering further how best to reflect this going forward.”
In 2018, the BRIT Award for Best British Producer will now be voted on by a panel of A&R executives drawn from across the recorded music sector. It was previously selected by a judging panel of members of the MPG and presented at their Awards evening.
BRITs chairman and CEO & chairman of Sony Music UK & Ireland, Jason Iley said: "I'm delighted the BRITs Committee's decided to bring this important Award back into the BRITs fold with the support of an expert voting panel made up of A&R representatives from across the recorded industry.”
The 2018 BRIT Award for Best British Producer will be announced in the New Year and awarded within the proceedings on February 21 at London’s 02 Arena. The 38th BRIT Awards will be broadcast live on ITV and take place for the eighth year in a row at The O2, London.
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