Anthea McGibbon

The sixth (6th) Annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards will unfold on Thursday, February 04, in the Gardens of The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, 81 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5.

Out of a need for an authentic, legitimate and grass roots based awards for Jamaican music and entertainment. the passions of renowned radio personality Richard ‘Richie B’ Burgess, translated into the EME Awards emerged five years ago. Using the famed Grammy Awards as a model, the EMEs was designed with similar pomp and pageantry, but Jamaican style. Efforts are afoot to once again make this event the best award show ever staged on the shores of Jamaica.

ENDORSEMENTS

The overwhelming support and popularity of the awards is the main reason it has been relocated from the studios of HOT 102 FM to a bigger venue. The EMEs has garnered the full backing of the CVM Group which has consented to live (local) television coverage. The CVM Goup includes CVM TV, CVM PLUS (cable), HOT 102 FM and X-NEWS newspaper, and an endorsement from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

EME PHOTO: EME founder Richard "Richie B" Burgess presents Grammy Award winning artiste India Arie with a bouquet of Jamaican goodies when she arrived yesterday, February 3, for the EME Awards. India and Gramps Morgan are two of the acts slated to perform at the EME Awards at the Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

The CVM Group will also advertise all competitive categories and nominees on a rotational basis encouraging viewers to vote. A supplement in a local newspaper and several radio (remote) broadcasts are being slated to lead up to the event.
Notable international media entities including BETJ, whose rebroadcasts definitely lifted the profile of the event are again on board. This means that BET and BET.COM are also on board.

THE AWARDS

The 2010 Excellence in Music and Entertainment (EME) Awards will recognise the achievements of the top performers within the Recording Industry for works published between October 01, 2008 and September 30, 2009. There are approximately 30 categories including DJ of the Year, Best New Artiste, Song of the Year, Vocalist of the Year, Producer of the Year and Album of the Year among others.

Winners will be determined based on their performance on The Weekly Jamaica Music Countdown compiled by EME Awards founder Richie B from the contributions of Sound System Selectors, Night Clubs, Record Shops and Radio DJ’s islandwide. We have introduced voting via the internet at our website (www.emeawards.com) which will account for 30% of total votes. The other 70% will be based on the Jamaica Music Countdown charts.

Additionally, several ‘Honor Awards’ will be presented to industry stalwarts who have made a great contribution to the growth and development of our popular music. A few new categories include those under ‘Peoples’ Choice Awards’, – Best Dressed Artist, Best Individual Performance among them. This year’s International Friend of Reggae Special Award-Recipient will be India Arie. She will be honoured for her embrace of the reggae music genre, and who has confirmed her attendance to accept the honour. She will perform as well.
The 2010 EMEs will also be graced with the presence of Morlon Greenwood aka Ultimate, a Jamaican who plays in the NFL (USA) but who is now a successful recording artist. Last year’s winners were John Legend, Missy Elliott, Estelle and Jasmin Sullivan whose presence via pre-recorded video messages of thank you made a difference to the event. A number of popular Jamaican Artistes will also be performing at the ceremony.

Patrons are expected to include, as priority, persons who are integral to the development of our local music industry i.e. Producers, Performers, Musicians, Distributors, Videographers, Actors, and Radio Personalities, in addition to viewers, listeners and fans that are primarily in the 18 – 35, ABC1, C2 DE demographics. These segments and socio economic groups are the epicenter of any successful integrated sales, marketing or communications mix.

The event in the past 5 years, attracts A-LISTERS from every strata of society, and thus provides an excellent opportunity connections with consumers in an environment which will deliver a high impact experience.

Coinciding with Black History Month and Reggae Month in February 2010, the theme and colours of Reggae – Black, Red, Green and Gold will characterise the EMEs.
So far, the EMEs is expected to receive recognition worldwide by culturally-aware enthusiasts and is being marketed through product branding of the Awards locally and internationally.

Already promotions are being done through local and overseas music, film and tourism agencies, sponsors at exhibitions, tradeshows, road-shows, concerts and media blitz.
Onerall the major public promotions will be utilized through a voting process on Radio, Television Web based blitz and Newspaper promotions.

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Annual Excellence in Music and Entertainment, EME awards, indie arie, Morlon Greenland, Richard "Richie B Burgess