APRA NZ have decided to cancel plans to hold their annual live event at the Auckland Town Hall on October 14, and will instead take the 2020 Silver Scroll Awards ceremony online.

‘After much discussion, contemplation, and reflection across the organisation, we feel the level of uncertainty in proceeding with a live event with an invited audience at the Auckland Town Hall, and the investment that requires is just too great at the moment.

‘We absolutely understand this will be very disappointing to many – particularly to our finalists. However, we are going to take the awards into the digital realm, and hopefully create something which really showcases the amazing work of Aotearoa’s songwriters, that everyone can enjoy in the online world. This will include the incredible (but top secret) live performances that our Music Director Julia Deans has been planning.’ 
 
The actual scheduling of the revised ‘digital ceremony/broadcast’ has yet to be announced.

Almost at the same time as APRA announced that the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions had thwarted planning for their annual party, organisers of the National Waiata Māori Music Awards announced their decision to move the 2020 event online. Both decisions come after the Government announced Auckland will stay in alert level 2.5 for now, while the rest of the country is likely to stay in alert level 2 until next week.

The Waiata Māori Awards, scheduled to be staged in Hawke’s Bay on October 2, will instead become an online version held at the later date of October 9. Executive Director Ellison Huata said the revised virtual event would be a mixture of pre-recorded material and live performances which will be streamed online via YouTube and the Waiata Māori Music Awards’ Facebook page.

“We’re about to announce the finalists for this year’s awards and we still want to have an event to let people know who the winners for 2020 are and to celebrate our Māori artists and music in what has been a very difficult year.”