Details of two awards shows that celebrate the best of Irish music were announced this week. The Choice Music Prize, which awards the creators of the Irish Album of the Year with €10,000, will return in 2012 and has been rebranded as the Meteor Choice Music Prize.
The ceremony will take place in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin on March 8th after spending its first six years at Vicar Street, and will be broadcast live on Paul McLoone's Today FM show.
There will also be a number of exclusive gigs taking place in the run-up to the ceremony, the first of which is Snow Patrol at the Button Factory on November 1st. Tickets can be won via facebook. com/meteor.
Meanwhile, the first Northern Irish Music Awards will take place during Belfast Music Week on November 2nd. The brainchild of AUmagazine and The Oh Yeah Centre, the Ulster Hall event will feature live music from ASIWYFA, Stiff Little Fingers and more, and will see awards handed out over a number of categories. AU'sJonny Tiernan said they hoped to make it an annual event.
