From prestigious international honours to commercial sales rankings, the music awards industry is a massively diverse space. And while the biggest accolades such as the Grammy’s are widely considered to be the music industry’s most prestigious, there are many different types of awards that recognise musicians, songs and albums. This article explores the most renowned, mainstream music awards and examines their legacy – whether that’s the credit they give artists or the most infamous snubs and controversies.
The BRITs is a music awards show that honours British and Irish songwriters and composers. The BRITs is the oldest and most prestigious award in this category and was established in 1955. The award itself is a bronze sculpture of Euterpe, the musical muse from Greek mythology.
In contrast to the songwriter/composer categories, the AMAs honour the most popular artists in the United States. The awards are based on fan votes and have become a showcase for some of the most famous stars in the world. The event has become notorious for its extravagant red carpet and electrifying performances from some of the most popular artists in the country.
Billboard’s prestigious music awards celebrate the year’s most commercially successful artists, albums and songs. The categories include Top Artist, Billboard 200 Album and Top Billboard Hot 100 Song. In the past few years Canadian rapper Drake and American singer Taylor Swift have claimed the most wins at the prestigious event, with 34 and 26 Billboard Music Awards respectively.
The IFPI European Music Prize was founded by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in 1990 in order to honour international achievement in the field of music. The award is given to musicians, groups and producers in a wide variety of genres and was the first international award to acknowledge achievements in digital music.
Unlike most other music awards the IFPI has always awarded both singers and songwriters for their achievements. This has been a major point of contention in the past as it’s impossible to determine which is more important when creating an album – the songwriters or the performers.
Named after journalist and newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the Pulitzer Prize was founded in 1917 to honour works of literary merit. The prize has several categories, including Music and the Arts. Annually nominations are taken from the general public and a special committee, The Special Honours Advisory Committee, which consists of previous honorees, distinguished artists and two members of the Board of Trustees, decide on a shortlist of possible candidates.
The Polar Prize is a yearly award given in Sweden to a contemporary musician and one to a classical music composer. The prize was established in 1989 by Stig Anderson, the former manager of Swedish super group ABBA. The award is a highly coveted prize and is often compared to the Nobel prize in literature. The winner of the award receives US$120,000 and is handed over by King Carl XVI Gustaf. The judging process is very thorough and only two musicians have ever won the prize twice – the Norwegian band A-ha and Swedish pop group ABBA.