(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
Following last year's history making year for local artists in Australia, the ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association) No. 1 Chart Awards are this year set to be the biggest yet with the inclusion of awards for music DVDs.
The ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards have been a regular event on the Australian music industry's calendar for the past three years and is this year set to be the biggest yet with the inclusion of Awards for music DVDs. The Awards were established in 2002 as a means of acknowledging those Australian recording artists, and their record labels, who attained the coveted No. 1 position on the ARIA album and singles charts.
The event, traditionally held in July/August, will now be held towards the end of the year, so that the Awards are more reflective of the performance by Australian artists during the calendar year. The Awards are designed to not only raise the public's awareness of Australian music but also to recognize the individual artists, and their Australian record companies, in reaching the elusive No. 1 position.
The most recent Awards event, held in August 2004, was a history making year for local music artists with a record number of Australian performers being honored. Thirteen Australian performers, some with multiple entries at the No. 1 position, were recognized for their achievements in front of members of ARIA and the media.
The 2005 Awards are already set to exceed last year's with 16 Australian artists/releases having already achieved the coveted No. 1 position on either the ARIA Singles, Album or DVD chart. Some artists have achieved No.1 Chart success on both the ARIA album and singles charts. Missy Higgins (Scar and The Sound Of White), Delta Goodrem (Out Of The Blue, Almost Here, Mistaken Identity), The Cat Empire (Two Shoes) and Anthony Callea (The Prayer, Rain/Bridge Over Troubled Water and his self titled album) have all achieved this feat in the past 12 months while John Farnham (Together in Concert with Tom Jones), Cold Chisel (Ringside – The Movie) and AC/DC (Family Jewels) have all held the No. 1 spot on the DVD chart for multiple weeks.
Also set to receive Awards in this year's ceremony are debut releases from Cosima (When The War is Over/One Night Without You), Casey Donovan (Listen With Your Heart) and Joel Turner + The Modern Day Poets (These Kids). Stepping up to the podium for the second consecutive year will be Guy Sebastian (Out With My Baby) and Paulini (One Determined Heart).
On the DVD chart, Jet (Right! Right! Right!), Powderfinger (These Days: Powderfinger Live In Concert), Concert for Slim and Wave Aid DVDs have a total of 11 weeks at No. 1 between them. All together, the 16 Australian releases so far this year have racked up 53 entries at No. 1 on the ARIA Album, Singles or DVD charts in the period from 9 August, 2004, to date.
"Over the past three years, the ARIA No.1 Chart Awards have truly celebrated the achievements of local artists and record companies," comments John O'Donnell, EMI managing director and ARIA Chart & Marketing Committee chairman. "With a record number of eligible Awards so far this year, we hope to continue to promote the great pool of talent here in the Australian music industry and look forward to staging a great event later in the year."
