Acceptance of nominations for the Coca Cola Malta Music Awards 2008 will open today and will continue until 4 November, with this year’s event expected to be an even bigger party than last year.
Coca Cola MMA chairman Noel Magri said this event had been running annually since 1995 and has helped to raise the standards of locally produced music. He said that over the years, Maltese music quality has moved forward in leaps and bounds and that now, local artists were enjoying more airplay than ever before on local radio waves.
He said that by default, packaging of local music as well as recording quality had also improved. Mr Magri said that the winner of this year’s Best Band Award will pen the Coca Cola theme song for next year’s edition.
To be considered for an award, artists must have produced a single, album and/or video between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2008. Nominations can be submitted on the website www.themaltamusicawards.com.
Websites do not have a time constraint and may be submitted for nomination even if the artist has not released anything in the above mentioned time period. A panel of judges with experience in the music industry will then be presented with all the nominations received and they will come up with a final list of nominees as well as an eventual winner in each category, to be announced at the awards.
Awards will be distributed for best album, best artist image, best artist website, best band, best female artist, best male artist, best hip hop/RnB artist, best newcomer, best dance production, best songwriter, best video, lifetime achievement award, the international achievement award and the Malta Tourism Authority award for best local export.
This year’s event is being held at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre at 8.30pm. Following the success of last year’s decision to turn the sit down event into a party, the organizers have decided to go down the same route with performers on the night including Winter Moods, Ira Losco, Chasing Pandora, Scream Daisy, No Snow No Alps, Niki Gravino, Tenishia, Uncharted, Toby feat. Kristina Casolani, Indigo and Airport Impressions. The show will close with a performance by local legends Tribali, their last performance before the launch of their new CD in March next year. This year’s foreign guests will be Deepest Blue. The band is formed by Joel Edwards and Matt Schwartz from the UK. They have two Top 10 songs, a Top 20 album and five UK Club Chart number ones to their credit.
Popular DJ and organizer Carlo Borg Bonaci said 6,000 people attended last year’s event and hoped that this year would be bigger and better. Tickets are available from Springfield, South Street, Valletta and Vodafone branches for Vodafone customers. Tickets are priced at e12 and e35 for VIP. Vodafone clients will benefit from a buy one get one free offer.
Sponsors include General Soft Drinks, Excelsior, Vodafone, Springfield, MFCC, Jack Daniel’s, Heineken and the Malta Tourism Authority.