Songlines Music Awards

[kk]

I just voted in the Songlines awards, and for me these are essentially album awards in all but name. In each of the categories, the drop downs refer to an album, and I think that’s the basis people will vote rather than consider the complete body of work of each of those many artists.

So there will be four (world) music winners, and I don’t see the need to diminish a win in any of those categories by introducing an overall best album category which undoubtedly would be “worth moreâ€

[Rod B.]

I just voted in the Songlines awards...

So have I, and excellent work Songlines on such a well organized voting system. Eligibility for the categories seem logical and consistent - and while choice is limited to those CDs that are reviewed in Songlines there's certainly more than enough choice within each category (my best group isn't there but I'll happily vote for my second best this year). Also the system seems well protected against vote rigging. But most importantly having voted I felt included, which obviously didn't happen with the fRoots poll.

Welcome kk and nice to see the membership being further internationalised.

[Songlines]

kk wrote
[quote]However, for more pointed marketing, each of the winning albums should be called something along the lines of “A Songlines Album of the Year Award Winnerâ€

[Nigel w]

I, too , extend a warm welcome to kk and he makes a very good point.

As he says, the Songlines awards are, in effect, all 'albums of the year' awards - so it strikes me there is a very simple answer which does not involve introducing a new category.

Of the four winners in their different categories, the one with the highest number of votes is then declared not only 'best artist' winner in that category but also overall winner of the 'world music album of the year'. More kudos and profile for the lucky double winner, without taking anything away from the other three winners in their respective categories.

Could be instituted in the awards on which voting is currently underway without any added bureaucracy, extra voting or additional counting needed. So easy, I don't how why we didn't think of it before! (And I think we can predict with 99.9 per cent certainty that the winner would not be Jim Moray's Low Culture...)

Incidentally, I had hoped this debate about the way forward for a truly representative set of post-BBC Radio 3 world music awards could be conducted in a spirit of tolerance. So I have to say it's disappointing to see in the thread about the fRoots award and its winning this year by Jim several inflamatory references to 'musical apartheid' and 'racism' . Someone has just sent me a private message saying that on the fRoots website, there is even a post claiming there is a ''campaign'' being waged on SOTW by ''a small core of bonehead World Music fans who want English folk to be excluded from any association with that term'' , and that we are apparently providing ''ammunition'' and ''glee'' to the BNP !

I presume along wth Charlie and Howard, that I am being fingered as one of the 'boneheads'. That sort of fruitcake talk is such a twisted and defamatory misrepresentation of the serious debate taking place here on SOTW that it doesn't merit a response. I think Charlie called such talk ''alarming''. I just find it depressing.

[howard male]

Nigel W wrote -

I think Charlie called such talk ''alarming''. I just find it depressing.

It is both these things, but above all it's simply childish. It's as if we have been forced back into the school playground again.

[howard male]

Rob B wrote -

So have I, and excellent work Songlines on such a well organized voting system.

Yes, job done and it took just a couple of minutes.