WAM Opens Nominations For 2017 Song Of The Year Prizes Worth $40k

The annual WAM Song Of The Year competition has opened again for 2016-17, providing a fresh batch of West Australian musicians a shot at sharing in $40,000 worth of prizes to be announced in May.

Following Beni Bjah's history-making grand-prize victory last year, this year's WAM SOTY program will once again comprise 16 categories — including Blues/Roots, Country, Electronic, Experimental, Folk, Jazz, Metal/Heavy, Punk/Hardcore, Pop, Rock, Urban/Hip Hop and World, as well as two Schools categories (14 and under, and 15-17) and the Outstanding Regional and Outstanding Indigenous brackets — with the winners of each being gifted $500 in cash, plus studio time up for grabs.

That's none too shabby a reward on its own, but the grand prize is truly where it's at: the award is worth $3000 cash to the victor, as well as a three-day recording and production session with renowned Australian prodcuer Anna Laverty, a shot at a publishing and sync deal with Perfect Pitch Publishing, a 12-month Spotify subscription, access to an online tutorial in publishing and licensing, ongoing industry mentoring, a national media servicing campaign delivered by Firestarter Distribution, a RØDE microphone package, publicity lessons from John Zucco (The Right Profile), $1100 to go towards CD pressing and digital distribution, via Diskbank, an Audiofly in-ear monitor package (worth $1200) and a guaranteed spot on the WAMFest line-up.

Yeesh. It'd almost be worth moving to Perth for some of the east coast's more talented musos. Almost.

Last year's batch of nominees also included the likes of Joni In The Moon, Usurper Of Modern Medicine, Riley Pearce, Scalphunter, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving, The Tommyhawks, Pat Chow, Rag'n'Bone, The High Learys and more.

Entries close for this year's competition at 5pm on Thursday 9 February.

See WAM's website for more information.