APRA Awards Move To Melbourne, Add Pop Category

The 2013 APRA Music Awards will take place at Melbourne's Convention & Exhibition Centre, moving from Sydney where it has been held in recent years.

The Australasian Performing Rights Association's key event will be hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Clare Bowditch in what will be its 31st year. THe last time the event was held in Melbourne was in 2009, with the last three years taking place in Sydney venues.

Today organisers have also indicated the addition of an award category for Pop Work Of The Year.

“Almost 65 percent of APRA members categorise themselves as songwriters in the pop/rock genre,” APRA CEO Brett Cottle said today, “and songs that fit this category feature significantly in our own statistics and in recognised industry albums and singles charts.

"It's timely for our Music Awards to formally recognise and accommodate pop music as a genre in its own right and it will be an important milestone when we announce the first-ever winner in this category.”

The list of 30 nominated tracks in the APRA Song Of The Year category were announced in April, featuring an embarrassment of riches.

The full list of categories is below. Song Of The Year is voted by peers, while the rest are determined by statistical analysis.

Song Of The Year
Most Played Australian Work
Most Played Australian Work Overseas
International Work Of The Year
Pop Work Of The Year
Country Work Of The Year
Blues & Roots Work Of The Year
Urban Work Of The Year
Dance Work of the Year
Rock Work of the Year

The APRA Board of Writer & Publisher Directors decide the following awards:

Breakthrough Songwriter Of The Year
Songwriter Of The Year
Ted Albert Award For Outstanding Services To Australian Music

The Awards ceremony will take place Monday 17 June at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre