With no AMA event being held in 2023, the next Aotearoa Music Awards 2024 are scheduled to take place May 30 next year, at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau – bringing NZ Music Month to a close in style.
Produced by Recorded Music NZ, the Aotearoa Music Awards are the annual showcase event for the music industry, recognising the biggest musical successes of the year and celebrating artists and music from Aotearoa. Along with the new mid-year scheduling, RMNZ have announced a considerably revised format for next year’s event with two connected ceremonies, the AMA 24 Opening Ceremony and AMA 24 Showcase, awarding about 30 Tūī and other awards in total.
The showcase is described as being a stylish in-room experience celebrating NZ’s leading artists. ‘It will be short and sharp, featuring musical performances and high production values. The showcase will be filmed to create quality short form content for media and artists to share across their online platforms, maximising promotional opportunities.’
The AMA 24 opening ceremony will take place prior to the AMA 24 showcase, at an as-yet unspecified Auckland venue. Previously separated as the Artisan Awards, this extended ceremony will include presentations of 15 genre and artisan Tūī, with each winner having the chance to accept their award and thank their whānau and teams in front of peers. The Tūī for best jazz, folk and country artists which in recent years have been announced at other genre-specific national events will be included in this ceremony.
Nominations are now open and will close on December 20. The eligibility period for AMA 2024 covers 17 months, from August 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.
RMNZ CEO Jo Oliver says the organisation is excited to bring AMA back at a new time of year, with the support of NZ On Air. “The Aotearoa Music Awards was paused in 2023, as we considered the outcomes of the review we undertook in 2022. It was important to us to engage with artists and the wider music community about the format, purpose and meaning of AMA. We interviewed and surveyed 350+ people who are actively working in music in Aotearoa, the majority of whom are artists and artist managers.
“There were… some calls to refresh our judging processes, and to communicate them more clearly and transparently. We have taken the time to do that work, and have taken steps to more actively promote diversity and inclusion across the judging process.”
In response to feedback from the review, a number of changes are being implemented for the nomination and judging process for AMA 2024. Click here for the full updated Terms & Conditions and a summary of the process updates and changes. To complete the nomination process, click here.
