The JUNO Awards rename award category to Indigenous Music Album of the Year

TORONTO, Jan. 11, 2017 /CNW/ - The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) today announced its JUNO Award category Aboriginal Album of the Year will be proudly renamed Indigenous Music Album of the Year, in support of acknowledging all First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities in Canada.

Presented annually at the JUNO Awards, the Indigenous Music Album of the Year recognizes the music that echoes the Indigenous experience in Canada through words and/or music. The category accepts all traditional Indigenous music including: traditional Aboriginal music: Iroquois, Social Pow Wow Drum (i.e: Sioux, Assiniboine, Cree, Ojibway & Blackfoot, etc.); all Hand Drums (e.g. Inuit, Dene, Cree, Micmac, West Coast, etc.), Inuit Throat Singing; Traditional Flutes; Métis, Cree & Micmac Fiddling. In addition, fusions of all genres of contemporary music that incorporate the above and/or reflect the unique Indigenous experience in Canada, by virtue of words or music.

The Indigenous Music Album of the Year award will be presented at the JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SOCAN on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

JUNO Week 2017 will be hosted in Ottawa from March 27 through April 2, 2017.

Full press release available here.

Premier Partners of The 2017 JUNO Awards: CARAS acknowledges the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and of Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters, Radio Starmaker Fund, Ottawa 2017, the Province of Ontario, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Tourism Ottawa, Google Play Music and TD Bank Group.

About CARAS

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L'académie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l'enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music and industry and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of ongoing opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards, MusiCounts, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and other year-round initiatives. For more information on the 46th Annual JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit www.junoawards.ca

SOURCE 2017 JUNO Awards

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