Canadian Indie Music Lovers Choose Industry's Best: XM Canada Opens Fan
Voting for The Verge Music Awards
New 2011 award category grows total prize purse to $55,000
TORONTO, Nov. 30 /CNW/ - XM Canada, the country's premier digital audio entertainment and content provider, will hand the reins to Canadian fans on December 1st as voting officially opens for the third annual The Verge Music Awards. If you are an Indie music enthusiast this is your chance to get online and have your say by choosing which one of Canada's hottest VMA nominees deserves to win.
This year's event will celebrate musical talent with $55,000 in prize money for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and for the first time, XM Canada has joined forces with FACTOR to honour up-and-coming artists in a new category: Emerging Artist of the Year. FACTOR, a private, non-profit organization, is dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry. This unique award valued at $5,000 will acknowledge new emerging artists that have been aired for the first time this year on XM's Canadian Indie channel, The Verge.
"It's great to be part of Canada's emerging music scene," says Jeff Leake, Director of Music Programming, XM Canada. "In our five years we've seen great development in Canadian artists, many of which are now performing on the world's stage. We're especially excited to partner with FACTOR this year to expand the awards and present the Emerging Artist of the Year."
After a hugely successful event last year, Dan Mangan rose to the top as the fan favourite for Artist of the Year. Since winning the award Mangan's exceptional talent secured performances in venues across the country and signed him on with new management.
"The award really helped expose my music to an entirely new audience," said Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan, winner of the Verge Music Award for Artist of the Year in 2009. "I used the prize money to purchase my touring van, which I aptly named Verge-inia," laughs Mangan, who went on to sign management and recording deals with Toronto-based Arts & Crafts soon after receiving his award.
Online voting for The Verge Music Awards closes January 31st. Canadians who vote can enter to win a trip for two to The Verge Music Awards in Toronto. This year's event will be hosted at The Mod Club in downtown Toronto on March 1st, 2011 and air live on The Verge XM87.
The Verge XM87 and namesake of the award show, broadcasts new, emerging and independent Canadian talent. XM Canada and The Verge are dedicated to providing Canadian musicians with a platform to expose their music to a growing national audience. Stay tuned for more details on The Verge Music Awards in the coming months via Twitter @XMCanada, Facebook and TheVergeOnline.com/VMA where you can also cast your vote!
The nominees for the 2011 Verge Awards are:
Verge Music Awards Artist of the Year - Artists who reached #1s on The Verge XM87: $25,000
| Arcade Fire Black Mountain Broken Social Scene Flash Lightnin Forest City Lovers Hawksley Workman Jason Collett Luke Doucet |
Michou Stars Tegan & Sara The Acorn The New Pornographers Tokyo Police Club Zeus |
Verge Music Awards Album of the Year - Multiple songs from the same album on the The Verge XM87: $25,000
| Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record Flash Lightnin - Flash Lightnin Forest City Lovers - Carriage Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles - The Grand Bounce Hot Hot Heat - Future Breeds Luke Doucet - Steel City Trawler Michou - Cardona |
Paper Lions - Trophies Plants and Animals - La La Land Stars - The Five Ghosts Tegan & Sara - Sainthood The Acorn - No Ghost The New Pornographers - Together The Zolas - Tic Toc Tic Tokyo Police Club - Champ Wintersleep - New Inheritors Zeus - Say Us |
Verge Music Awards Emerging Artist of the Year brought to you by FACTOR - New artists to The Verge XM87: $5,000
The Coppertone
The Rural Alberta Advantage
PS I Love You
Jay Malinowski
Hannah Georgas
Elias
Daniel Wesley
XM is a proud supporter of emerging Canadian talent and reaches out across the country to develop and support Canadian musicians, performers, songwriters and comedians through festivals, live performances, awards shows, financial support, promotions and exposure. From Laugh Attack, Air Musique, Radio Parallèle, and Sur La Route to The Verge, Canada's only 24-hour platform for Canadian independent music, XM Canada is committed to delivering high quality, original Canadian programming to its listeners.
About FACTOR
The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR) is a non - profit organization, dedicated to providing financial assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry. Funding comes from two sources, The Department of Heritage's Canada Music Fund and Canada's private radio broadcasters.
About Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc.
Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (TSX: XSR) operates as XM Canada and is Canada's premium digital audio entertainment and information company with the best signal coverage across the country. With 130 digital channels of choice, XM Canada offers Canadian listeners the most unique and original Canadian and international programming, including commercial-free music channels, exclusive live concerts and sports coverage, and the best in talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming.
XM Canada is the satellite entertainment leader in the Canadian automotive market with long-term factory installation agreements with manufacturers that own close to 50 per cent share of the domestic vehicle market. XM's industry-leading products are available at shop.xmradio.ca, and at retailers nationwide.
XM programming is available by subscribing directly through XM Canada and is also available as streams of commercial-free XM music channels on TELUS Mobile Radio and Rogers Wireless Radio on Demand. XM Canada is the exclusive music channel provider on Air Canada's flights.
To find out more about Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (TSX: XSR), visit: www.xmradio.ca/about/.
For further information:
Jill Yetman
Environics Communications, Inc.
416-969-2722
[email protected]
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