As revealed last week, the biggest and best awards show in the music business is officially back for 2018, with nominations for next year’s Music Week Awards now open.
And what better way to follow-up this year’s record-breaking ceremony than to make 2018’s even bigger? Music Week is proud to announce the addition of one brand new category for 2018, with the addition by popular demand of the Accountancy Firm Of The Year award.
Speaking about the addition, Music Week editor Mark Sutherland said: “Accountancy is one of the most important and growing areas of the music business. These are the firms that literally keep the biz in the black so it’s only right and proper that they should take their place in the Music Week Awards line-up. Plus, we know they’ll have the funds to get their round in…”
The centrality of accountancy to the biz was a topic explored recently in a guest column in Music Week by NWN Blue Squared director Ed Niman. In the piece, he stressed the importance of artists and music companies having the right advisors around them – and the need for some serious financial planning…
“What does success look like? Most good business advisors or specialist accountants will focus on a strategy that’s going to help you maximise your success by making the most of your individual and business income,” Niman told Music Week. “They should also be working with you to minimise the tax owed on it. But, it’s important that you know what ‘success’ means to you, where you’re trying to get to and which questions you should ask while you’re on the journey.”
The new issue of Music Week also includes a special report in which we catch up with the sector's key players to look at how specialist music accountants do much more than comb through invoices and file tax returns.
The Accountancy Firm Of The Year award is open to any firm with clients in the B2B music industry, so now is the time to make sure the money men and women in your lives get their dues.
The Law Firm Of the Year award, introduced in 2017, also returns while all the regular awards are back, making for a total of 25. They include the coveted A&R Award, Label/Artist Services Company, Festival Of The Year, Ticketing Company, Live Music Agent, Live Music Promoter, Music Retailer/Streaming Company, Grassroots Venue, Manager Of The Year, Radio Show, Radio Station, Independent Music Retailer and PR Campaign.
Labels will be competing in some big categories, including Artist Marketing Campaign, Catalogue Marketing Campaign, Music & Brand Partnership, Sales Team Of The Year, Promotions Team Of the Year, Record Company and Independent Record Company, while independent and major publishers will be up against each other for Publisher Of The Year.
And then there’s the big one: The Strat is bestowed upon a winner for a lifetime of achievement across the industry. Last year it went to First Access Entertainment founder and CEO Sarah Stennett, whose inspirational speech on the night will live long in the memories of all who attended.
Nominations must be made via the Music Week Awards website, musicweekawards.com, and the deadline closes at midnight on Friday, January 12, so please don’t delay in getting your applications together.
Bookings are also now open for the event, which takes place on April 26 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. As always, the awards are peer-voted and judged by panels of specialist judges, with the presentations to be made at the ceremony in front of more than 1,000 of the industry’s leading figures.
Full details, including category criteria and an entry guide, are available at musicweekawards.com. For sponsorship enquiries, please contact Ryan O’Donnell on rodonnell@nbmedia.com
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