Johnny Marr to Headline Inaugural AIM Awards Live Show & Receive Pioneer Award 20 Jun 2019
BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne to host Roundhouse-based ceremony
Award submissions extended until 24th June
Iconic guitarist and former Smiths member Johnny Marr is set to showcase his legendary talents as the headliner for AIM Independent Music Awards’ first ever live show.
Before tuning his guitar ahead of the industry gig, Marr will also take to the stage to receive AIM’s Pioneer Award in recognition of his prodigious career spanning nearly 40 years.
Making his name as the co-songwriter and guitarist for The Smiths, Marr left the band in1987 and went on to collaborate with some of the greatest musicians of a generation including Talking Heads, Modest Mouse and New Order’s Bernard Sumner, as well as developing his solo career. Marr achieved considerable success with 2014’s Playland and 2018’s Call the Comet charting in the UK at #9 and #7 respectively. The Pioneer Award honours trailblazers in the independent sector with previous winners including Goldie and Warp’s Steve Beckett.
Meanwhile, radio royalty Lauren Laverne will be hosting the awards ceremony. A champion of independent music both on and off air, the BBC Radio 6 Music DJ will be unveiling winners across the 16 categories throughout the night. Recently named Radio Broadcaster of the Year, Laverne is a well-known voice across the BBC as the host of 6 Music’s breakfast show and BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. She has enjoyed a storied career spanning writing, radio, and television, covering major music events like Glastonbury Festival for the BBC, as well as chart success as the lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist for pop-punk band Kenickie.
On performing at the industry awards, Johnny Marr said “Independent music is one of the things the UK does best, and it is great to see it celebrated. It’s a privilege to be awarded the Pioneer Award and I’m looking forward to taking part in this year’s show not only as a recipient but as a performer too.”
Commenting on the awards, Lauren Laverne said “Independent music continues to produce some of the most innovative and exciting artists in the world. It has been my pleasure to support them over the years and I’m thrilled to be leading this celebration of independence as the host of the AIM Independent Music Awards 2019.”
CEO of AIM Paul Pacifico said “In the year of AIM’s 20th anniversary, it is absolutely appropriate that the AIM Awards steps up a gear and transitions to the legendary Roundhouse. Our first ever live show will feature some of the world’s greatest independent legends and rising stars - a suitable celebration, in size and spectacle, of the creativity, hard work, talent and diversity in the UK’s independent music community.”
For this year’s ceremony, AIM has introduced ‘One to Watch’, a free to enter category that champions fast-rising, grassroots independent artists. Prospective applicants will be pleased to hear that the deadline for submissions has been extended until 12pm midday on Monday 24 June. Submissions can be made on the AIM Awards website.
The AIM Awards comprises 16 categories including Independent Track and Album, Pioneer, Indie Champion, Small Label and Independent Label. The award for Best Live Act is decided by a public vote, while a judging panel of music journalists and tastemakers will decide the remaining categories.
2019 Award Categories
Independent Label
International Breakthrough
Innovator Award
Outstanding Contribution to Music sponsored by Merlin
PPL Award for Most Played Independent Act
Independent Video sponsored by VEVO
UK Independent Breakthrough
Best Creative Packaging sponsored by MCPS
Best Live Act sponsored by Songkick
Independent Album
Indie Champion
One to Watch
Independent Track
Pioneer Award sponsored by Bucks Music Group
Best Small Label
Best [Difficult] Second Album
Event Details
The event will now run until 02:00am (with DJs to be announced). Due to high member demand, the post-awards live show will now be an industry-only live gig.
Tickets
Awards show tickets are available from £130. The price includes dinner, drinks receptions, access to the exclusive live gig and after-party. You can purchase these here: http://bit.ly/2KVqlON
Tickets just for the live gig and after-party are available here from 09:00am today: http://bit.ly/2Fh1vFF
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THE HEADLINES
BPI’s new Yearbook highlights an independent sector growing for a sixth consecutive year (see Reports)
Can’t cross the moat? Walk around it. (see Comment)
The conversation around Fandom needs to change (see Opinion)
Viagogo: Carrying on ticketing, despite the controversy (see News)
Taylor Swift songs return to TikTok (see Digital)
Spotify plans new remixing tools for the TikTok generation (see Digital)
Is Spotify plotting a largescale push into short-form video? (see Digital)
AIM CEO Silvia Montello resigns for personal reasons (see News)
The techification of entertainment (and why it needs to reverse) (see Comment)
AI music startup Udio launches backed by artists and Instagram’s co-founder (see Digital)
Artists are seeing their music removed from DSPs for streaming fraud they didn’t commit (see Features)
Is there any room for fantasy in pop music these days? (see Features)
Warner Music declines to bid for Believe (see Business)
Napster dispute with photographer puts the spotlight on industry’s artwork deals (see News)
TikTok reports small businesses drove $600m in revenue for the music and entertainment industry in 2023 (see Reports)
Impala calls out 'value gap' with TikTok, TikTok responds (see News)
Fan economy: expanded rights are worth $3.5bn, now what? (see Analysis)
Did piracy inspire the current boom in music? (see Opinion)
Songwriter successfully releases thousands of songs - producing a result to match nearly anything (see Features)