Grassroots Music Organization Just Plain Folks (JPF) has announced
their nominees for the 2009 edition of their music awards. After
receiving a record setting 42,000 albums and over a half million songs
from 163 countries around the world, the organization's staff and team
of volunteers filtered the music down to both song and album nominees
in 95 genres of music. This years nominees come from over 80 different
countries around the world.
It all started as a friendly effort to recognize some independent
artists who made great music which had been overlooked by the
mainstream media. Organization founder Brian Austin Whitney quickly
realized there was a big empty gap and need in the world of music to
recognize more than just the top commercial sellers. "We were getting
amazing albums from unknown musicians and composers that screamed out
for attention." He continues "Whereas larger televised awards are well
suited to recognize music's most popular and commercially successful
recordings, we felt we could fill the need to recognize the music made
by the other 98% of the world." Whitney added "all the music that is
judged is actually listened to in each round. Most awards, including
the most famous, simply hand out a list of names and say 'vote' so it's
based more on fame and name recognition than it is on their actual
music."
The organization spent 14 months from the initial entry date to screen
all the music and narrow down the field. JPF uses a unique mix of
judges that come from the music industry, fellow artist and songwriter
peers and music fans. "We feel that those groups mixed together make
for a balanced and compelling process which identifies a lot of music
that any one group might miss."
Smaller genres are treated with the same respect as their large
mainstream counterparts and often new trends in music show up long
before the mainstream music industry notices. "We've also found some
amazing talent years before a wider audience catches on" says the
groups Project Director Linda Berger. "It's really gratifying finding
new talent, but we also love it when we can recognize established
artists who are still making music that moves us even if they don't
lead the current day commercial marketplace."
So what is the criterion for judging all this music? "One simple
question: Does the music move you?" Whitney explains. "I was an active
musician, songwriter and most importantly music lover myself before
starting this and when I went to write the instructions for our first
awards process back in 1998, it occurred to me that people often use
strict and rigid measuring sticks to judge music. That seemed
unnatural to me. People listen to and love music that moves them. It
doesn't matter if it was recorded by a world class superstar in a
million dollar studio or by an unknown songwriter with a laptop and a
microphone in their bedroom. There are no actual rules for why music
moves people and you can't build a formula around it though industry
always tries. It either moves people or it doesn't. Our awards
process focuses on finding music that moves people collectively from
all walks of life." Whitney goes on "what better way to motivate these
great artists and writers to do more great work than to recognize their
music not for how many units they sold or who they are dating on the
Hollywood hot-list, but for how it can bring a tear, cause a giggle,
make someone's jaw drop open, get them dancing out of their seats or
simply make someone feel connected with the universe. We've found
music from around the world that does all those things. We're just
happy to share it with the world through our awards and give these
creators a sincere nudge of support."
The 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards show will take place in
Nashville, TN on August 29th, 2009 at the Wildhorse Saloon. Winners
will be announced live at the show and then posted on the website the
next day. For a complete listing of this year's nominees and more
information, please visit
www.justplainfolks.org.
About Just Plain Folks: JPF was founded in 1998 with 60 members and
has grown to over 50,000 members worldwide. The organization supports
grassroots songwriters and musicians through networking, education,
promotional support and a friendly nudge when needed. Membership is
free as are their local chapters, showcases and workshops in cities
around the world. Visit their site for more information:
www.justplainfolks.org
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