The National Live Music Awards have been postponed to 2022

In some sad news for the Aussie music industry, the sixth annual National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) have been postponed until 2022. 

The announcement comes after the fifth annual Awards went ahead in October 2020 with a combination of physical and digital events, with more than 50,000 people tuning in for the digital event internationally.

Founder and Director of the NLMAs, Larry Heath, explained that the decision to move this year’s Awards was based on the effect of COVID-19 restrictions on the national live music scene.

“Our 2020 event proceeded as more than half of the year of eligibility saw live music operating as normal in Australia,” Heath said in a statement.

He continued: “Sadly, while there are fantastic local scenes still in operation, and many artists who have defied the odds and managed to tour through much of the last year in one form or another, the landscape of touring has been one of uncertainty and the raw fact of the matter is – with a year of lockdowns and closed borders, there is no national live music scene to celebrate right now. And more to the viability of the awards themselves – there is no clear way for our judges to assess this year’s potential nominees.”

Although the Awards may have been postponed, organisers have revealed that they are already planning for 2022, with new members of the advisory board to be announced later this year.

On top of that, the next “Live Legend”, the award’s hall of fame equivalent, has also already been decided.

In a statement, founding board member Katie Noonan said: “This decision may reflect the state of the industry right now, but it should by no means reflect our fervent passion and belief in the transformative power of the Australian live music industry.”

“To all those who are keeping the live industry in Australia alive, we sincerely thank you for everything you do.  Your advocacy and passion is what keeps us all going in these difficult times. We can’t wait to celebrate you and your work again soon,” she concluded.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.