Songlines Music Awards 2012: Voting Open

Now in their fourth year, the Songlines Music Awards endeavour to celebrate and acknowledge the myriad of musical talent across the world that has been featured in Songlines magazine.

Voting for the 2012 Awards is now open in four categories:

• Best Artist: single artists who work with - or without - a band. Artists must be living, so sadly no Israel Iz Kamakawiwo’ole or Mercedes Sosa. Re-issued albums are not eligible.
• Best Group: any group who had an album reviewed in Songlines in 2011, issues 74-81 inclusive. Note a duo that isn’tcross-cultural counts as a Group rather than a Collaboration - for instance Asha Bhosle & Shujaat Khan, or Vinicius Cantuaria & Bill Frisell.
• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: implies a meeting of different cultures so could include Kimmo Pohjonen & Kronos Quartet or Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook.
• Newcomer: not necessarily restricted to debut albums, but it must be their first major international release, available in the UK.

The Best Artist and Best Group ategories are mutually exclusive, but a Newcomer and Cross-Cultural Collaboration could both fall into one of the other classifications.

Eligible artists for all categories are those who had albums reviewed in Songlines during 2011 (from issues #74 - #81 inclusive). The top four in each category from the public vote gives the final nominations, which will be published in Songlines #83 (April/May 2012). The Songlines editorial team will then select the winners which will be announced in June 2012, and a compilation album featuring all sixteen nominated artists will be released on 19 March 2012.

All voters will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win one of three pairs of tickets to WOMAD Charlton Park (July 26-29 2012), plus there are ten runner’s up prizes of the 'Songlines Music Awards 2011' CD up for grabs.

Click here to vote (the deadline for voting is midnight (GMT) on Tuesday 31 January, 2012).

2011's winners included: Femi Kuti(Best Artist), Bellowhead(Best Group), Afrocubism(Cross-Cultural Collaboration), Raghu Dixit(Newcomer).