AIR Awards relocating to Adelaide for three years

The AIR Awards and conference, staged by the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) in Melbourne for the last ten years, will move to Adelaide for the next three years.

The event organisers have struck a deal with the South Australian Government through its Live Music Events Fund run by Events SA in partnership with Arts SA through the Music Development Office.

The fund will distribute $1.35 million over three years to build up live festivals and music events to become major draw cards, bring music tourism dollars, provide local jobs and gig opportunities.

It is also intended to elevate Adelaide’s status as a UNESCO City of Music through staging events during the traditionally quieter winter and spring periods.

The AIR Awards and conference will be held in July as part of Music SA’s Umbrella: Winter City Sounds, held July 14 to 30. Launched last year, Umbrella drew 40,000 to 260 music shows across 60 venues.

The AIR awards have been drawing 700 guests in recent years, with patrons travelling to Melbourne from all over Australia.

SA Arts Minister Jack Snelling said that aside from its importance in the national music industry and ability to draw 700 guests, “It also complements Adelaide’s designation as a UNESCO City of Music, part of the Creative Cities Network, which has opened doors to further collaborations and celebration of music as an important part of our economy and of our state’s heartbeat.”

This is the first time that the AIR Awards are being held in South Australia.

AIR Chairman David Vodicka stated, “We are especially grateful for the support we have received from the South Australian Government and look forward to working with Music SA and being part of the Umbrella: Winter City Sounds.”

In December, AIR announced that the 2017 awards would move the eligibility dates to align with the calendar year. This year they will be open to members’ records that were released between August 1 2015 and December 31 2016.

In 2006, the AIR Awards were held at the Blackett Hotel in Sydney. That year, Hilltop Hoods won the artist and album categories.

The 2007 event shifted to Toff In Town in Melbourne where Sneaky Sounds System took the independent artist gong and John Butler Trio’s Grand National was awarded the best independent album.

The year after it was hosted by the Corner Hotel, with The Herd taking on the artist trophy, and Gurrumul Yunupingu’s Gurrumul was awarded best independent album.

At the Forum Theatre in 2009, The Drones took the two major wins. A year later, also at the Forum, it was Dan Sultan who was lauded as artist and Cloud Control’s Bliss Release as album.

In 2011, 2012 and 2013, the awards were staged at the Revolt Arts Space in Kensington before being shifted to the Meat Market for the last two ceremonies.

The 2015 event saw Courtney Barnett dominate, taking on artist, album and single, while Milk! Records, the company that she co-founded, took out the label category.