Comprised of 52 different albums – with more to be announced in the coming months – this year’s AMP marks the 16th edition of the lauded awards, with a number of noted personalities in the Australian music industry listening to over 300 records to trim the fat down to today’s longlist.
Offering a healthy mix of independent talent and global heavyweights, this year’s prize sees the likes of Tame Impala, Violent Soho and 5 Seconds of Summer going up against the likes of Party Dozen, Gordon Koang, Sweet Whirl and Nat Vazer for the award, with acts like Gum, #1 Dads, Eddy Current Supression Ring and Gordi also getting a good look in at the gong.
Given the unique financial impact of 2020 upon the music industry, the Australian Music Prize have teamed up with SoundMerch to sell T-Shirts and facemasks in order to raise the prize money for this year’s winner, with 70% of proceeds from merchandise being directed towards the 2020 prize winner.
In a statement released today, Mushroom Group chairman Michael Gudinski celebrated the persistence of The AMP throughout such a challenging year, noting that “Music is about uniting people and now more than ever
we all need a bit of hope and happiness. I’m excited the Mushroom Group is supporting the Australian Music Prize (AMP) once again in 2020.
“It’s an important award offering recognition and support to some of our best independent Australian artists and songwriters, acknowledgment needed more than ever as our local music industry goes through these difficult times.”
Check out all the nominees for this year’s AMP as they stand below. We’re expecting to see more albums added to the list in coming months, so make sure to keep your ear to the ground for more news soon.
The Australian Music Prize 2020 – first round nominees
#1 Dads – Golden Repair
5 Seconds Of Summer – Calm
Alice Ivy – Don’t Sleep
Andras – Joyful
Andrew Tuttle – Alexandra
Banoffee – Look At Us Now Dad
Big Yawn – No!
Boomalli – The Promise
Cable Ties – Far Enough
Caiti Baker – Mary Of The North
Clamm – Beseech Me
DMAs – The Glow
e44443 – Coldstream Road
Eddy Current Suppression Ring – All In Good Time
Fanny Lumsden – Fallow
Good Boy – It Takes A Lot Of Skill To Milk A Mare
Gordi – Our Two Skins
Gordon Koang – Unity
Gum – Out In The World
Jack Colwell – Swandream
Jess Cornelius – Distance
Karate Boogaloo – Carn The Boogers
Katie Dey – Mydata
L-Fresh The Lion – South West
Loser – Mindless Joy
Luke Howard – The Sand That Ate The Sea
Mark Seymour & The Undertow – Slow Dawn
Miiesha – Nyaaringu
Mild Minds – Mood
Nat Vazer – Is This Offensive And Loud?
Nick Griffith – 7AM
Party Dozen – Pray For Party Dozen
Primo! – Sogni
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways To New Italy
Roza Terenzi – Modern Bliss
RVG – Feral
Sarah Mary Chadwick – Please Daddy
Shepparton Airplane – Sharks
Simona Castricum – Panic/Desire
Snowy Band – Audio Commentary
Sophie Hutchings – Scattered On The Wind
Stevan – Just Kids
Sweet Whirl – How Much Works
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
The Chats – High Risk Behaviour
The Friends Of David McComb – Truckload Of Sky
The Necks – Three
Tracey Mc Neil & The Goodlife – You Be The Lightning
Traffik Island Sweat Kollecta’s – Peanut Butter Traffik Jam
Vanessa Perica Orchestra – Love Is A Temporary Madness
Violent Soho – Everything Is A-OK
Ziggy Ramo – Black Thoughts
Head to The Australian Music Prize website to buy a shirt and support this year’s prize pool.
