The good folks over at Totally Dublin have been running a lovely feature exploring the origins of the album cover artwork for all 10 RTÉ Choice Music Prize nominated albums. Want to know how many shots We Cut Corners had to choose from to get the right one? Where the photo on James Vincent McMorrow’s “We Move” cover was taken? Or ever wondered who the headless dancer is on Bantum’s Move? You’ll find out all of that plus loads more interesting insights into the artworks’ origins over at Totally Dublin. Click on each of the covers below to find out more…
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The final line-up for this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize Live Event, in association with IMRO & IRMA, was announced today on RTÉ 2fm. The Divine Comedy and Lisa Hannigan have joined the line-up which will see nine out of the ten nominated acts performing on the night. (James Vincent McMorrow will be in Australia).

Acts performing at Vicar St on Thursday 9th March are:

All Tvvins | Bantum | Wallis Bird | The Divine Comedy | Lisa Hannigan | Katie Kim | Overhead, The Albatross | Rusangano Family and We Cut Corners.

Limited tickets for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize live event are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at http://www.ticketmaster.ie priced €26.50 including booking fee.

The Irish Album of the Year 2016 shortlist can be listened to in full on the RTÉ Choice Music Prize website www.choicemusicprize.ie and on http://2fm.rte.ie/2017/01/11/rtechoicemusic/. The winning album will be announced at the live event on Thursday 9th March. As part of the new partnership with RTÉ, the event will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm in a special four-hour extended programme from 7-11pmand on RTÉ2 as part of a special RTÉ Choice Music Prize TV programme, approximately one week later.

The winning act will receive €10,000, a prize fund which has been provided by The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). All of the shortlisted acts will receive a specially commissioned award.

RAAP, Culture Ireland, The BAI & Golden Discs are also official project partners.

Culture Ireland will fund the attendance of influential overseas Industry executives to attend the Choice Music Prize Live Event, while Golden Discs will feature special stands showcasing the RTÉ Choice Music Prize nominees across their stores nationwide from next month.

Shortlist:

All Tvvins – IIVV (Warner Music)
Bantum – Move (Self Released)
Wallis Bird – Home (Mount Silver / Caroline International)
The Divine Comedy – Foreverland (Divine Comedy Records)
Lisa Hannigan – At Swim (Play It Again Sam)
Katie Kim – Salt (Art For Blind Records)
James Vincent McMorrow – We Move (Faction Records)
Overhead, The Albatross – Learning to Growl (Self Released)
Rusangano Family – Let The Dead Bury The Dead (Self Released)
We Cut Corners – The Cadences Of Others (Delphi)

Stay up-to-date with the latest RTÉ Choice Music Prize news on RTÉ 2fm and by following @choiceprize, @rte2fm, @rte and @rte2 on Twitter and Facebook and @explorerte and @rte2fm on Instagram using #rtechoiceprize. For Snapchat updates, follow @rte2fm.

The line-up for this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize Live Event, in association with IMRO & IRMA, was announced today on RTÉ 2fm. Acts performing to date at Vicar St on Thursday 9th March include:

All Tvvins | Bantum | Wallis Bird | Katie Kim | Overhead, The Albatross | Rusangano Family and We Cut Corners.

Tickets for the Choice Music Prize live event are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at http://www.ticketmaster.ie priced €26.50 including booking fee.

The Irish Album of the Year 2016 shortlist can be listened to in full here. The winning album will be announced at the live event on Thursday 9th March. As part of the new partnership with RTÉ, the event will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm in a special four-hour extendedprogramme from 7-11pm and on RTÉ2 as part of a special RTÉ Choice Music Prize TV programme, approximately one week later. Read more

RTÉ has today announced a new partnership with the RTÉ Choice Music Prize. The partnership will see both RTÉ2 and RTÉ 2FM play a lead role in supporting what has become one of the highlights of the Irish musical calendar as part of a new agreement.

Commenting on the announcement, Dee Forbes, Director-General RTÉ, said,

“Supporting Irish music and Irish musicians is a core part of what RTÉ does and this partnership will allow us to take our support one step further. Through RTÉ2 and RTÉ2FM, two established brands with a long and rich history in supporting Irish music, and through our popular online and mobile platforms, RTÉ will put the RTÉ Choice Music Prize at the centre of a campaign that will bring the best Irish artists and songs from the past year to a wider audience.”

Read more

Each of the Choice Music Prize nominees received a beautiful memento on the night to take home with them. Here are some of the nominees collecting their awards.

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Photos by Graham Keogh