DETROIT — December 5, 2005 — In the fall of 1982, Metro Times presented the first-ever Detroit Music Awards. This reader-driven event brought many different factions of the Detroit music scene — artists, promoters, radio stations, venue owners — together into one cohesive group. Metro Times enjoyed a 10-year run as the exclusive awards event. In 1992, The Motor City Music Awards Foundation launched a second awards show. After five turbulent years, Metro Times and the MCMF joined forces to produce a joint showcase in 1997. After a seven year run co-producing The Detroit Music Awards, Metro Times announces their departure from that event and decision to, once again, produce their own reader-driven, grassroots event — The Metro Times Music Awards.
The Metro Times Music Awards campaign begins in early January 2005 with the formation of a nomination committee made up of Metro Times music contributors and co-chaired by Metro Times’ Brian Smith and Anthony Morrow. This nomination committee will select the top five nominees in each category. Much like the format of Best of Detroit, Metro Times readers will select the winners in each category. Voting will take place from late February through the first week of May. During this time readers will visit metrotimes.com to register and vote. The winners will be announced for the first time publicly during the Awards Show at St. Andrew’s Hall on Saturday, May 14, 2005.
The mission and structure of the current Metro Times Music Awards mirrors the original concept — to celebrate the efforts of the metro Detroit music scene while recognizing the past and current achievements of Detroit’s musicians. The Metro Times Music Awards is an opportunity for the newspaper to give something back to the music community by recognizing and rewarding those Detroit artists who influence, entertain and excel.
The Metro Times Music Awards will coincide with The Metro Times Music Issue featuring The Decade of Sound, a look back on the past 10 years of Detroit music with profiles on the innovators, their achievements and which artists they think will be most influential in the years to come.
The move back to a Metro Times-produced awards show officially ends the paper’s alliance with The Motor City Music Foundation and The Detroit Music Awards. Metro Times’ publisher Lisa Rudy says that the timing is just right: “Metro Times has a 25-year involvement with the Detroit local music scene. Some of it glorious. Some of it tumultuous. Our partnership with the MCMF worked for a short period of time, but it’s at the point now where we need to move on. The local music scene is very important to us. We’ve decided to move forward by reaching back, delving into the MT history books to uncover mission statements long forgotten over the past seven years. Nothing wrong with a little history lesson.”
Read Brian Smith’s article here.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
1982 — Metro Times presents first-ever Detroit Music Awards
1992 — Motor City Music Awards Foundation launches Motor City Music Awards
1997 — Metro Times and M.C.M.A.F. form The Motor City Music Foundation and present a joint awards show.
2005 — Metro Times severs its ties with The M.C.M.F. and announces the return of a Metro Times reader-driven awards show.
CONTACT: ANTHONY MORROW
PHONE: (313) 202-8029
EMAIL: AMORROW@METROTIMES.COM
