AAM Awards Reveal 2025 Shortlist Nominees

With just a few weeks to go until the AAM Awards (that is, the Association of Artist Managers Awards) take place in Naarm/Melbourne, organisers have announced their shortlist nominees.

Returning for its fourth annual outing, the AAM Awards this year will take place in Naarm/Melbourne on Wednesday, April 30th at the Northcote Social Club. Hosting duties will be handled by journalist, radio and television aficionado, and Date With Tait host Tait McGregor, who will also be accompanied by musical performances throughout the event.

This year will see six awards presented, including Manager of the Year, Breakthrough Manager of the Year, Community Engagement Award, Legacy Award, and the Patrons Gift, as curated by AAM Patrons. A new award will also be handed out, with the Emerging Manager of the Year Award being distributed for the first time.

Already, one major award has already been announced, with John Watson, one of Australia’s leading artist managers who’s represented the likes of Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, and Missy Higgins, set to receive the Legacy Award.

“2024 was a special year for our artists and ourselves, so thank you to the AAM for this award, which I obviously share with our whole team, particularly our GM, Melissa Chenery, and our CFO, Skye Nevin,” Watson explained.

“We’ve been managing artists for 30 years now, and it’s never been more critical to keep advocating for more Australian songs on our stages, on our airwaves, and on the multinational platforms through which most people discover music. The AAM is a key voice in this advocacy, and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

Now, the AAM Awards have unveiled the shortlist nominees for their categories. It’s a versatile mix of names and organisations, with the likes of UNIFIED Music Group being nominated three times (once for Daniel Nascimento as Manager Of The Year, and twice in Breakthrough Manager Of The Year for both Ash Hills and Steve de Wilde), and Lemon Tree Music being nominated twice (both Elise Naismith and Kristie McCarthy are up for Emerging Manager Of The Year).

The full list of winners will be announced on April 30th, with details about this year’s event available via the AAM Awards website.

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AAM Awards 2025 – Shortlist Nominees

Manager Of The Year
Presented By White Sky

Andrew Klippel, Ourness
Daniel Nascimento, UNIFIED Music Group
Jacqueline Thomas-Piccardi, Cinque Artist Management
Leigh Treweek, Handshake MGMT
Simone Ubaldi & Andrew Parisi, Sundowner Artists

Breakthrough Manager Of The Year
Presented by DMT Law Firm

Ash Hills, UNIFIED Music Group
James Fava, Intergalactic Fantastic Worldwide
Luke Giannoukas, Teamwrk Management
Sarah McMillan, BootsDarling Music
Steve de Wilde, UNIFIED Music Group

Emerging Manager Of The Year
Presented by Live Event Logistics

Damien Platt, Palms Management
Elise Naismith, Lemon Tree Music
Kristie McCarthy, Lemon Tree Music
Rachel Whitford, 27 Music
Zac Abroms, Viceroyalty

Community Engagement Award
Presented by Oztix

Fiona Duncan, Loog Management
Louise Sawilejskij, Nala Music
Nick Finch, Low and Tight
Skinny O’Leary, Sidequest
Stu McCullough, Amplifire Music