31st Annual Pollstar Awards To Honor The Year’s Best

The awards ceremony will mark the close of the Pollstar Live! conference, the entirety of which runs Feb. 4-6 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. 

Powerhouse acts like Garth Brooks, Pink, Ed Sheeran, Eric Church, Elton John, and The Rolling Stones are nominated for Major Tour of the Year, but the broader list also includes nominees from various sized tours, venues and operations across the full spectrum of the industry. 

“The nominees for the 31st annual Pollstar Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in live entertainment this year and reflect our ongoing efforts to present the most relevant recognition for the highest achieving artists and professionals that make up this great business,” said Ray Waddell, president of OVG Media & Conferences, which produces the event. “For more than 30 years, the Pollstar Awards have been the gold standard for recognizing success in the live business, and we are honored and privileged to again salute the elite artists, venues, and executives that make live the ultimate barometer of fan passion.”

To properly honor everyone who has led the concert industry into the prosperity it now enjoys would be impossible, but this is an attempt at recognizing some of the most noted figures leading the way. The Pollstar Award nominations were selected by the company’s largest, most diverse, and most international nominating committee ever. 

This was a direct result of Pollstar’s outreach efforts to more than 2,500 agents, promoters, managers, venues, production companies and many others in the live industry across the globe. Notably, not only were more people surveyed, but the rate of response increased nearly 30 percent over last year. 

Continuing with the procedures put in place last year, the awards will primarily be swung by subscriber voting. However, box office performance will also be weighted in some categories.

In addition to being able to choose the Best New Headliner and the best tours and venues of the year, voters will be able to cast their ballots for Small Venue Talent Buyer Of The Year, Independent Booking Agency Of The Year, and Transportation Company Of The Year, along with other varied categories including Music Festival Of The Year (both above and below 30,000 capacity), Best Residency, Non-Music Tour Of The Year, Best Support Slot / Special Guest Act, Venue Executive Of The Year, and longstanding honors such as the Bill Graham Award for Promoter Of The Year and Bobby Brooks Agent Of The Year. 

Some of the less conventional categories on this year’s ballot are The Wall (Least likely to cave on agreed-upon terms), Life of the Party and Most Frequently Name Dropped. Subscriber voting begins Friday, Nov. 15.  

We thank you for your participation and look forward to your selections. Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees!  More information is available at https://awards.pollstar.live/ and pollstar.live.