Features
Shortlist Music Prize 2002
A handful of nominees from the Shortlist will perform during the evening’s ceremonies, although exactly who is on the bill won’t be announced until late September.
Finalists on this year’s list are Doves, the Flaming Lips, Zero 7, the Avalanches, DJ Shadow, N-E-R-D, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Cee-Lo, and The Hives.
A limited number of early bird tickets are onsale for $35 via ticketweb.com until September 17. After that, the price jumps to $50.
Since the award is so new, here’s a breakdown of how it works: Seventy-five albums were originally nominated to the Long List. To be eligible for nomination, a record must have been released between July 1, 2001, and August 19, 2002, and must not have been certified gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies in the U.S. at the time of its nomination.
In other words, this is the music prize for those more underground indie-type artists who are normally overlooked when the Grammys roll around.
The list was complied by a panel of 24 Listmakers, which this year includes Larry Mullen, Jr. (U2), Iggy Pop, Alanis Morissette, Beck, Mos Def, Damon Albarn (Blur), India.Arie, Kim Gordan (Sonic Youth), Jill Scott, two members of The Strokes, Baz Luhrmann and Spike Jonez, among others.
Two hours before the concert begins, the Listmakers will meet in a private room to select the winner of the 2002 prize. The results will be revealed at the end of the concert.
The Shortlist Music Prize models itself after the esteemed Mercury Music Prize in the U.K. This year’s Mercury Music Prize nominees include Doves, The Streets, David Bowie, Ms. Dynamite, and Gemma Hayes. That winner will be announced September 17.
Last year’s Shortlist Music Concert featured half-hour performances by four of the 10 finalists: Nikka Costa, Dandy Warhols, Talib Kweli, and Sigur Rós. Sigur Rós were declared the Listmakers top pick in the end.