American Music Prize To Be Awarded To Best Debut Album

The AMP Debuts Next Year

The AMERICAN MUSIC PRIZE FOR BEST DEBUT ALBUM (The AMP), a new honor inspired by the U.K.'s MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE and AUSTRALIAN MUSIC PRIZE, will announce its inaugural winner in fall 2015.  The award will honor the best debut albums released by U.S. artists across all genres.

U.S. debut albums released between AUGUST 1st, 2014 and JULY 31st, 2015 will be eligible, with a shortlist of finalists to be announced in late AUGUST and a grand prize announcement following in late SEPTEMBER.  The award includes what the promoters call a "significant cash prize."  No entry fees are required; details are at www.americanmusicprize.com.

AMP founder SCOTT B. MURPHY, formerly at MUSHROOM RECORDS and JIVE/ZOMBA's Australian and NEW ZEALAND operations and who created the AUSTRALIAN MUSIC PRIZE in 2005, said, “There are tens of thousands of album releases in the U.S. in every 12-month period which makes it difficult for new artists to break through no matter how great their recordings are. The AMP process significantly helps those making great debut albums to be heard, appreciated and assisted.”

In a press release, a list of industry notables called "Friends of The AMP" includes HUNDRED HANDED's DAVID BASON, WARNER BROS. RECORDS' ALEX BLACK, CAPITOL MUSIC GROUP's JENNIE BODDY, ELEKTRA's JEFF CASTELAZ, CRUSH MANAGEMENT's JONATHAN DANIEL BMI's CHARLIE FELDMAN, RED LIGHT's DEB FENSTERMACHER, SONY MUSIC's JOHN FLECKENSTEIN, NETTWERK's TOM GATES, HARVEST RECORDS' PIERO GIRAMONTE, attorney RICHARD GRABEL, BMG CHRYSALIS' KATE HYMAN, DOWNTOWN MUSIC PUBLISHING's JUSTIN KALIFOWITZ, RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT's KATE LANDAU, producer STEVE LILLYWHITE, MICK MANAGEMENT's MICHAEL McDONALD, THE GROOVE MERCHANTS' REEN NALLI, THE ORCHARD's JACLYN RANERE, WARNER BROS.' JEFF SOSNOW, REPUBLIC's ROBERT STEVENSON, DVC MGMT's DON VANCLEAVE, AUTONOMIC MEDIA's KAREN WIESSEN, and GRAND JURY'S CRAIG WINKLER.

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