Aussies Recognised With Pollstar Award Nominations

Veteran promoter Michael Chugg, rising pop-punks 5 Seconds Of Summer and stalwart event Byron Bay Bluesfest are among a handful of Australians to be nominated in the 2015 Pollstar Awards, curated annually by the eponymous tour-industry trade publication in conjunction with a 216-member-strong industry-based nominations committee.

Chugg has earned himself a nod for the title of International Promoter Of The Year for his work with Chugg Entertainment. Fellow Aussies Michael Coppel, of Live Nation Australasia, and Frontier Touring's Michael Harrison also pick up nominations.

As far as making a splash on the performance side of the international touring industry, it's hard to deny the swiftly growing clout behind the 5 Seconds Of Summer hype train, even more so with their newfound recognition as being in the running for the Best New Touring Artist prize. They face off in that category against a gamut of esteemed up-and-comers, including Bastille, Brantley Gilbert, Hozier, Kacey Musgraves, British troubadour Sam Smith and ubiquitous chanteuse Lorde.

Finally, Byron Bay Bluesfest is being recognised as the world-class event that it is, picking up a nomination in the field of International Music Festival of the year, where it will face off against globally renowned events such as Glastonbury Festival, Isle Of Wight Festival, Lollapalooza Brazil, and Belgium's Tomorrowland.

The 26th annual Pollstar Awards — which will also determine the Major Tour Of The Year, Comedy Tour Of The Year, Most Creative Stage Production, Nightclub Of The Year, Talent Buyer Of The Year and all manner of other awards for industry experts in lighting, transport, sound, booking, road work, management and the like — will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 21, 2015. Voting remains open for Pollstar subscribers until Thursday, December 18.