The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to the best

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

from a band or solo musician who is born in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

or holds an Irish passport. For bands, the majority of members must have been born in the

island of Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

or hold an Irish passport. Since it first began in 2005, the main awards ceremony had been broadcast live on the Irish independent and national radio station,

Today FM Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a l ...

, every March with the exception of the 2014 ceremony which took place on 27 February 2014 and it is also held in

Vicar Street Vicar Street is a concert, performing arts centre and events venue in Dublin, Ireland. Located on Thomas Street, Dublin 8, Vicar Street has capacity for 1,050 people for seated performances and 1,500 people for standing gigs. The venue is own ...

, Dublin with the exception of the 2012 ceremony which was held in the

Olympia Theatre (Dublin) The Olympia Theatre, known for sponsorship and advertising purposes as the 3Olympia Theatre, is a concert hall and theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located on Dame Street. In addition to Irish acts, the venue has played host to many well-known ...

. After being broadcast on Today FM for nearly eleven years, in November 2016, it was announced that the Choice Music Prize would broadcast on RTÉ 2FM starting in 2017. Previous presenters of the main awards ceremony have been

Michelle Doherty Michelle Doherty is an Irish radio/television presenter, model, actress, and DJ. She has presented various television shows including '' Xposé'', a daily entertainment/celebrity gossip TV show on ''TV3'' in Ireland, Arthur's Day, RTÉ Two televi ...

Rigsy Rigsy (born 6 December 1978), real name David O'Reilly, is a presenter from Newcastle, Northern Ireland, currently living in East Belfast. He attended St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast. Broadcas ...

and Today FM radio presenters

Alison Curtis Alison "Ally" Curtis (born 1 November 1977 in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a presenter of radio on Irish radio station Today FM She currently presents her own show, "Saturday Breakfast with Alison Curtis" on Today FM which airs every Saturday ...

and Paul McLoone. The program has been sponsored since 2011 by Meteor and it was also broadcast live on Today FM since it first began in 2005, airing as a four-part special, beginning at 7pm and usually concluding at 11pm.

Establishment

The Choice Music Prize was established by journalist

Jim Carroll James Dennis Carroll (August 1, 1949 – September 11, 2009) was an American author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work '' The Basketball Diaries'', which inspired a 1995 film of ...

and manager Dave Reid in 2005.

Aim of the awards

According to organisers, the aim of the Choice Music Prize, is to get more airplay for Irish acts both domestically and overseas. "It was a strange thing" remembers Cormac Brady of Super Extra Bonus Party. "It's not something we ever expected to happen to us. Winning awards certainly wasn't what we got into music for, but it brought us a hell of a lot more recognition overnight and opened a lot of doors". Julie Feeney concurs. "It was probably the biggest achievement of my life" she says. "It meant a phenomenal amount to me. It was an enormous validation" as an alternative to the industry-dominated

Meteor Music Awards A Meteor Ireland Music Award was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield. They had been bestowed each year since 2001, replacing the IRMA Ireland Music Awards held in the 1990s. Promoted by ...

. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the ...

which is awarded each year to the best album from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

or Ireland. It is a music award voted for by a panel of twelve judges based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The price includes a €10,000 cheque jointly funded by the

Irish Music Rights Organisation The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members (who are songwriters, composers and music publishers) and on behalf of the songwrite ...

(IMRO) and the

Irish Recorded Music Association The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is a non-profit association set up in 1999 to promote certain interests of the music industry in Ireland. It is particularly active in addressing copyright issues, and it compiles the official music ...

(IRMA). There is no sponsorship. Initially considered by co-founder Carroll as a "titchy little maverick event", the Choice Music Prize has gained a reputation for producing "unpredictable" winners. Winners thus far consist of one solo female performer, four bands and one solo male performer.

Julie Feeney Julie Feeney is a singer-songwriter, composer, actress, and record producer from Galway, Ireland. She produces and orchestrates her own work, composing both instrumental and electronic music, with full orchestrations. She is a three-time nom ...

won the inaugural prize for Irish Album of the Year 2005. She was followed by

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...

Super Extra Bonus Party Super Extra Bonus Party are a Choice Music Prize winning indie-electronica band, formed in November 2005 and based in Kildare, Ireland. Their music spanned various genres such as electronica, indie and hip hop. Their debut album '' Super Extr ...

and

Jape Jape is a synonym for a practical joke. Jape or JAPE may also refer to: * Jape (band), an Irish electronic/rock band * JAPE (linguistics), a transformation language widely used in natural language processing * JAPE, an automated pun generator * J ...

, winners of Irish Album of the Year 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Adrian Crowley Adrian Crowley is a singer, composer, songwriter, lyricist from Galway, based in Dublin and was born in Sliema, Malta. Crowley has released eight albums to date, with his debut ''A Strange Kind'' arriving in 1999. He followed this with ''When ...

won Irish Album of the Year 2009, while

Two Door Cinema Club Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor, Northern Ireland. The band formed in 2007 and is composed of three members: Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths), Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Kevin Baird (bass, syn ...

won Irish Album of the Year 2010. The ceremony to announce the winner takes place at

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

in February or March each year. Originally presented by

and

, and also by

., Today FM radio presenter Paul McLoone presented the awards since 2012, having made his debut presiding over the 2011 Choice Music Prize ceremony and was the current host or M.C.- master of ceremonies for the prize giving ceremony with the show being broadcast live since its inception on the national and independent radio station

as part of a four-hour special, airing between 7pm to 10pm. In November 2016, the Choice Music Prize announced that they had partnered with RTÉ and as such, the live ceremony will be broadcast on RTÉ 2FM from 2017 onwards. The nominated acts are invited to perform in front of a live audience at the ceremony. However, some nominated acts, such as

The Chalets ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Fionn Regan Fionn Regan (born 1981) is an Irish folk musician and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Bray, Regan came to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, '' The End of History'' in 2006. He had been releasing extended plays for six ...

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

Lisa Hannigan Lisa Margaret Hannigan (born 12 February 1981) is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: '' S ...

, Oppenheimer, Bell X1 and

Laura Izibor Laura Elizabeth Arabosa Izibor (born 13 May 1987) is an Irish recording artist, musician and producer. She won the 2FM Song Contest while still in secondary school. She went on to win an award at the 2006 Meteor Music Awards. She also performed ...

, have not performed in the past due to other commitments.

David Holmes (musician) David Holmes (born 25 February 1969) is a Northern Irish musician and composer. He worked as a DJ before releasing several solo albums that have incorporated elements of trip hop, big beat, electronic and rock. In the late 1990s, he also began ...

and

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprin ...

also did not perform when nominated, though Holmes and

Danny O'Donoghue Daniel John Mark Luke O'Donoghue (born 3 October 1980) is an Irish singer-songwriter best known for being the frontman of the Irish rock band The Script and as a coach on the first two series of the television singing talent show ''The Voice ...

attended the ceremony. The judging panel which is composed of various members of Irish media as such as music and broadcasting are all locked in an enclosed room during the performances on the night to debate over which act ought to win with Irish journalist Tony Clayton Lea who works for the Irish Times the Chairman of the Judging Panel with Clayton Lea also tasked with helping the panel come to a decision where they all select the one musician or band who will be announced as the winner of the Prize. A secret ballot was used to decide the winner of Irish Album of the Year 2008, ''

Ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

''. Past winners and nominees have credited the Choice Music Prize with boosting their careers. Julie Feeney described winning Irish Album of the Year 2005 as "probably the biggest achievement of my life", adding "it meant a phenomenal amount to me. It was an enormous validation".

Duke Special Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...

, nominated for the first two awards, said his nomination for the inaugural award had helped raise his profile in the Irish media. Cormac Brady stated Super Extra Bonus Party's Irish Album of the Year 2007 win "brought us a hell of a lot more recognition overnight and opened a lot of doors". Nominees have doubled or trebled sales after the award has been announced. Steve Jordan was influenced by the Choice Music Prize when he set up

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

's Polaris Music Prize.

Culture Ireland Culture Ireland ( ga, Cultúr Éireann) is the Irish State Agency established to promote and advance Irish Arts internationally. It was set up in 2005 and is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Its ...

invited figures from the international music industry to the event that decided the Irish Album of the Year 2010.

Broadcast

From its inception, the awards show was broadcast live on

and a live streamed on

entertainment.ie ''Entertainment.ie'' is an Irish web company based in Dublin. The company provides news and reviews of programs and films for TV and the cinema. It also provides information on upcoming comedies, festivals, theater shows and music in Ireland, a ...

. In 2017, the awards show moved to a live broadcast on

RTÉ 2FM (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, whil ...

, and highlights will continue to be shown on

RTÉ2 RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel. History In the 1970s, the Iri ...

. The event was aired live each year on

in a special awards ceremony that takes place at Vicar Street which was presented by Paul McLoone and a pre-recorded show is aired on

television since 2015 on hosted by Bláthnaid Treacy. The event used to be streamed live on

and

Muzu.tv MUZU was an independent online music video site with the largest legal catalogue of online music videos. The video catalogue was licensed by all major record labels Universal Music, Warner Music, Sony Music, independent music labels and niche mu ...

until 2015.

Sponsorship

It was announced on Monday 10 October 2011 that

Meteor A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as mi ...

had become the official sponsor of the award, having previously sponsored the

Ireland Music Awards Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second ...

. In the run-up to the nominees (to be announced on 11 January 2012), both the award organisers and Meteor promised to present a number of live performances showcasing what they considered some of the best albums from 2011. ''Meteor Choice Music Prize Presents...'' began on 1 November 2011 with a live performance by

at Dublin's Button Factory, and was followed by a live performance from

and

James Vincent McMorrow James Vincent McMorrow is an Irish singer and songwriter. Career McMorrow's debut album, ''Early in the Morning'', was released in Ireland in February 2010, and in the United States and Europe in 2011, to widespread acclaim. He made his UK te ...

on 8 December 2011, also in Dublin's Button Factory. In 2016, Samsung came on board to be the official partner of the awards show. However, from 2017 the awards show will be supported by RTÉ online, on radio and on television.

Winners and shortlisted nominees

Eligibility

In order to be considered for the Choice Music Prize a release must meet all of the following conditions: # All albums must have been released for the very first time in Ireland in the previous calendar year. This means that the album must have been made available for purchase by the general public (in shops, at gigs or on websites) for the very first time in Ireland (i.e.

and/or

) between 1 January and 31 December of that year. # Re-issues, multi-artist compilations, live albums and Best of collections are not eligible # The artist(s) in question must have been born in Ireland (i.e. Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) and/or hold an Irish passport. Bands are eligible to be nominated if the majority of the band members were born in Ireland (i.e. Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) and/or hold an Irish passport. # For the purposes of the Choice Music Prize, an album must contain six or more tracks and/or be over 33 minutes and 20 seconds in length. There is no formal application process for the Choice Music Prize. Once an album meets the above criteria, it is eligible to be considered by the judges for selection.

References

;General * * ;Specific

External links

Choice Music Prize official site
{{Music awards 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music Awards established in 2005