The Choice Music Prize was established to highlight those albums which deserve some extra time in the spotlight and, ultimately, to select the album which best sums up the year in Irish music.
A panel consisting of 12 media professionals, representing Irish print, radio and TV from the four corners of the island, select the Choice Music Prize shortlist containing 10 albums released by Irish acts for the very first time in any given calendar year.
Instead of using sales or airplay as criteria, the Choice Music Prize judges focus, simply and solely, on the music.
The shortlist is announced in January each year, with the judges meeting to select the winning act at the Choice Music Prize live event in late February.
The first Choice Music Prize was won by Julie Feeney for her “13 Songs†album.
In order to be considered for the Choice Music Prize – Irish Album of the Year 2006, a release must meet the following conditions
(1) All albums must have been released for the very first time in Ireland in 2006. This means that the album must have been made available for purchase by the general public (in shops, at gigs or on websites) for the very first time in Ireland (ie Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland) between January 01st 2006 and December 31st 2006
(2) Re-issues, multi-artist compilations, live albums and Best Of collections are not eligible
(3) The albums can be from any genre imaginable
(4) The artist(s) in question must have been born in Ireland (ie Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) and/or hold an Irish passport. Bands are eligible to be nominated if the majority of the band members were born in Ireland (ie Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) and/or hold an Irish passport.
(5) For the purposes of the Choice Music Prize, an album must contain six or more tracks and/or be over 33 1/3 minutes in length (33 mins, 20 seconds).Please note that there is NO formal application process for the Choice Music Prize. Once an album meets the above criteria, it is eligible to be considered by the judges for selection.The winner of the Choice Music Prize will receive €10,000, provided by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).
The act will also receive a specially-commissioned award, provided by the Recorded Artists And Performers Ltd (RAAP).
The Choice Music Prize organisers will to acknowledge the support and encouragement received for this project from Keith Johnson at IMRO, Willie Kavanagh and Dick Doyle at IRMA and Eanna Casey at RAAP. The Choice Music Prize would not be happening without these people.
