It’s that time again. The nominees for this year’s Mercury Prize have been announced and the inevitable backlash has begun. But amongst the grumblings about who has and has not been nominated for this, one of the most prestigious industry awards, is the argument that it ignores the fans’ wishes.
Now, I have never been one to see the Mercury shortlist as the be-all-and-end-all of good albums to buy. Rather they are an indication that there is still life in the British music industry. But I am incredibly sceptical of the Prodigy’s assertion that the nominations should be, at least in part, decided by the fans.
Confession time: Back in the day I was a huge 911 fan. I had their logo and posters all over my bedroom walls/ school books and pencil case. Now with the objectivity of age I can see that they weren’t the most talented, nor the most successful of the 90s boybands. And yetI would vote for them over and over again whenever they were nominated for any sort of music award.
The very nature of being a fan means that you are prejudiced against all other acts, regardless of their respective talents. And it is unlikely that you would vote for another over your preferred band. Consequently the whole affair descends into a popularity contest.
What I like about the Mercury prize is that it gives those lesser known nominees an equal footing – it recognises that being less widely known doesn’t mean you are any less talented or worthy of the award. But this also means it has to be awarded by those who are one removed from the fanbase. In other words, it has to remain a critics’ award.
This year’s nominees can be found here
But which track to leave you with today. Well here’s one of the nominees – Florence and the Machine – ‘Kiss with a fist’
But what about you? Should music awards be decided by fans or should some remain entirely industry-based? And what do you think of this year’s nominations?
Thanks x
Post by Mary Stokes - Meet Me
Located in the UK, music has been part of my life for a long time. I'm a classically trained violinist but have a wide range musical knowledge.
