Nominations Unveiled For 2023 AAM Awards

Claire Collins, Andrew Stone, Heath Bradby, Jodie Regan and others will duke it out for management of the year at the 2023 AAM Awards, set for next Thursday (April 27) at Crowbar, on Gadigal land in Sydney.

Also up for the top manager prize is Alastair Burns, Catherine Haridy, Jess Keeley, Look Out Kid’s Nick O’Byrne and Katie Besgrove, Simone Ubaldi and Andrew Parisi of Sundowner Artists, and John Watson Management.

It’s one of four categories to be presented at the Association of Artist Managers’ annual awards ceremony, the shortlist for which is announced today.

Also, Jane Slingo (Young Strangers) and Nina Agzarian (NLV Records) are among the industry professionals nominated for the Community Engagement Award, while Ben Pierpont and Cara Williams are among the new wave of artist managers selected for the “breakthrough” category.

As previously reported, Michael McMartin, Hoodoo Gurus manager and co-founder of the AAM, is this year’s recipient of the Legacy Award. Last year’s Legacy Award winner was The Cat Empire manager Correne Wilkie.

At McMartin’s suggestion, the Patrons Gift will be awarded for the first time — a monetary prize given to an “emerging manager to assist them in building their career.”

The AAM Awards made their debut in 2022 as a celebration of the domestic and international achievements by Australian artist managers, “shining a light on the key figures behind the global success of Australian artists,” reads a statement from the trade body.

This year’s ceremony, like last, will be a gathering at lunchtime before the APRA Awards.

In a tweak to the program, the APRA AMCOS Lighthouse Award, established in memory of pioneering artist manager Linda Gebar, and which provides a $5,000 grant each year to a woman-identifying or non-binary artist manager, will be announced as part of the AAM Awards.

Formed in 2007, the AAM is the trade association for the Australian music industry’s managers, the unsung heroes of the music industry, representing almost 300 active managers, who in turn represent over 1,000 artists in contemporary music.

Visit the AAM website for more and see below for the full list of nominations.

Manager Of The Year
Presented by Oztix
Alastair Burns – Heartstop Music
Andrew Stone – Chugg Music
Catherine Haridy – Catherine Haridy Management
Claire Collins – Bossy Music
Heath Bradby – Fidelity Corporation
Jess Keeley – Music She Wrote
John Watson Management
Jodie Regan – Spinning Top Music
Nick O’Byrne & Katie Besgrove – Look Out Kid
Simone Ubaldi & Andrew Parisi – Sundowner Artists

Breakthrough Manager Of The Year
Presented by Select Music
Ben Pierpont – Maximillian Brown
Cara Williams – Slow Clap
Charlotte Ried – Powerhouse Management
Kieran Lama – Anybody Management
Vyvienne Abla – Vyva Entertainment

Community Engagement Award
Presented by Live Event Logistics
Greg Carey – Ripple Effect
Jane Slingo – Young Strangers
Nina Agzarian – NLV Records
Tom Larkin – Tiny Triumphs Management
Vyvienne Abla – Vyva Entertainment

Legacy Award – Winner
Presented by Frontier Touring
Michael McMartin OAM