Nine finalists have been shortlisted for this year’s Australian Music Prize (AMP) following the official announcement at Federation Square in Melbourne last night.
Flume, Tame Impala, The Presets, Grand Salvo, Jess Riberirio and the Bone Collectors, Liz Stringer, Daily Meds, Hermitude, and Urthboy are all in the running for the prestigious award, which is now in its eighth year and carries a tidy $30,000 in prize money.
AMP Founder and Prize Director Scott Murphy said that the judges had sifted through an initial longlist of more than 70 different Australian releases from 2012 before arriving at their decision.
“Hats off to the judges – for the past 6 months they have been giving up their free time to listen, listen and listen,” he said.
“They chose a whopping 71 albums to form the longlist – clearly showing that the judges thought 2012 was a great year for great Australian music.
“Although it was a big commitment of their time and passion, the feedback from the judges favours the new entry/judging system that we put into place in 2012.
“The judges all fully support all 9 titles making this shortlist and have stressed to me that there were in fact many more titles that they were individually passionate about but that obviously couldn’t be squeezed in…”
The winner of the 8th Australian Music Prize will be announced on March 7. Previous winners of The AMP include The Jezabels, The Nation Blue, The Drones, Augie March and The Mess Hall.
The 8th Australian Music Prize – Shortlist:
Flume – Flume
Tame Impala – Lonerism
The Presets – Pacifica
Grand Salvo – Slay Me In My Sleep
Jess Ribeirio & The Bone Collectors – My Little River
Liz Stringer – Warm In The Darkness
Daily Meds – Happy Daze
Hermitude – Hyper-Paradise
Urthboy – Smokey’s Haunt
