Exclusive: CMC Music Awards adds industry awards

TMN can exclusively reveal that next month’s fan-voted CMC Music Awards will see the debut of two industry awards.

The Foxtel operated and presented Awards on March 10 will see the presentation of the ARIA Highest Selling International Album Award and ARIA Highest Selling Australian Album Award.

Speaking to TMN at the Chugg Entertainment offices in Sydney yesterday, Rebecca Batties GM, Foxtel Music Channels & Head of Digital said Foxtel has partnered with ARIA for the industry award.

“We want to drive to make it not only the biggest music awards show but also the biggest country music awards show in Australia,” Batties told TMN.

“You’ll see in the show this year some things that we’ll be doing differently to make it bigger and better,” Batties added.

Foxtel’s Rebecca Batties

Promoter, manager and Country Music Association (CMA) board member Rob Potts was also speaking to TMN yesterday from his office at Chugg Entertainment.

“At the end of the day album sales are the purest form of who are the most popular artists in the world, they’re the ones that should win awards so often,” Potts said. “The fact that we’ve got the fan-voted Awards, but there is now acknowledgement of sales – which ultimately can affect the Awards anyway – it’s really a fantastic step.”

Rob Potts and Foxtel have been working together for over nine years to produce the CMC Rocks festival, and now the six-year-old CMC Music Awards also. The 2016 CMC Music Awards in Brisbane marks the second year of Foxtel and CMC’s partnership withTourism and Events Queensland.

For the first time, the Awards are ticketed and will be broadcast live on Foxtel’s CMC from the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and encored on FOX8, with Morgan Evans back again to host.

2015 winners Amber Lawrence and Morgan Evans

Both the Awards and the festival are close to selling out with just a handful of tickets left for CMC Rocks.

Rob Potts said with the festival held just half an hour away from the Awards in Ipswich, it’s a triumph for country music fans, and a sign of the genre’s growing popularity.

“I don’t think you can underestimate the impact of the fans seeing their own music showcased in a capital city environment, rather than [seeing it] out in a paddock somewhere in the countryside.”

The international guests set to perform at the Awards and CMC Rocks include Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Kelsea Ballerini. Nashville star Sam Palladio has this week been announced to perform at CMC Rocks.

The eight fan-voted CMC Awards are:CMC International Artist Of The Year, CMC Male Oz Artist Of The Year, CMC Female Oz Artist Of The Year, CMC New Oz Artist Of The Year, CMC Group or Duo Of The Year, CMC Oz Video Of The Year, CMC International Video Of The Yearand the major award,CMC Oz Artist Of The Year.

Tickets are on sale now for CMC Music Awards- visit www.qpac.com.au or 136 246.