Steve Jordan, Founder and Executive Director of the Polaris Music Prize, today announced that MROC, The Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada, will sponsor the Long List. The 40 titles that comprise The Long List will be revealed at an invite only event at Vancouver’s Waldorf Hotel on June 14th. Tune in to hear the announcement live on SiriusXM Channel 152 and CBC Radio3, beginning at 11am PT / 2pm ET.
“The Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) has always realized the importance and value of music, also the determination and commitment of our Canadian Artists,” commented Julia Train, Communications and Administrations Director of MROC. “As the proud supporter of The Polaris Music Prize and this year’s Long List, we are excited to participate in this celebration and acknowledgement of the creativity, diversity and pure talent found within our Canadian Landscape. This is what The Polaris Music Prize brilliantly promotes and we are honoured to be a part of it.”
Past nominees and Vancouver-based artists Veda Hille, Dan Mangan, and Hannah Georgas as well as the Vancouver Sun’s Francois Marchand are scheduled to participate in the announcement.
“This year is shaping up to be quite competitive,” commented Steve Jordan, Executive Director of the Polaris Music Prize. “We’re eagerly anticipating our first event outside of Toronto. That we’re celebrating with Vancouver’s industry, artists and media for the announcement just adds to an already exciting launch to the Polaris season.”
Later that night there will be a new edition of increasingly popular Polaris salons at The Waldorf Hotel. At 8pm, a panel of jurists moderated by Steve Jordan will discuss the recently announced Long List, which titles they believe will move on to the Short List, and even records they voted for that didn’t make the Long List.
The Short List of 10 nominees will be announced July 17th at the Drake Hotel in Toronto. The winner will be revealed Monday, September 24th at the Polaris gala. The event will be held at CTV’s Concert Hall studios at Toronto’s Masonic Temple and will feature live performances by this year’s short list nominees. It will be broadcast on MuchMusic and CBC Radio 3.
The Long List and Short List are determined by an independent jury of over 200 music journalists, broadcasters and music bloggers from across Canada. Eleven people are selected from the larger jury pool to serve on the Grand Jury. The grand jury will convene the night of the gala to select the Polaris Music Prize winner.
The Polaris Music Prize awards $30,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year. It is judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration of genre or record sales. Past winners have been Arcade Fire, Karkwa, Fucked Up, Patrick Watson, Caribou and Final Fantasy.
The eligibility period for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize runs from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012.
June 14th – Long List announcement (Vancouver)
July 17th – Short List announcement (Toronto)
September 24 – Gala and winner announcement (Toronto)
About the Polaris Music Prize
The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit organization that annually honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected music critics.
www.polarismusicprize.ca.
