The nominations for the 2023 ARIA Awards have been announced and once again the glaring failures of the ARIA Chart disconnect with Australian acts and music consumers couldn’t be more obvious.
ARIA, the Australian Record Industry Association, is meant to champion Australian music for the Australian public. I’ve already covered in a previous piece why ARIA does the opposite of that.
The lack of Australian content on the ARIA chart has never been more amplified than in 2023. Just last week there were only two Australian songs on the ARIA Top 40. The 10-year-old Vance Joy track ‘Riptide’ was at no 31 and the American based Troye Sivan ‘Rush’ was at 36.
That is not an odd week for Australian music on the ARIA. That is now the norm.
So here we are, ARIA Award nominations day and its pretty slim pickings when the tool ARIA uses to measure success, its own ARIA Chart, doesn’t favour Australian music.
10 songs have been nominated for ARIA Song of the Year. Three of the 10 didn’t even make the ARIA chart and only one reach Top 10, Kid Laroi’s ‘Love Again’ which was written by The Kid Laroi with three non-Australian songwriters.
Budjerah – Therapy (did not chart)
Day1 feat. KAHUKX – MBAPPÉ (did not chart)
Dean Lewis – How Do I Say Goodbye (no 14)
Joji – Die For You (No 38)
Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam (no 19)
Luude and Mattafix – Big City Life (no 55)
MK and Dom Dolla – Rhyme Dust (no 32)
R3hab and Amy Shark – Sway My Way (did not chart)
The Kid LAROI – Love Again (no 6)
Troye Sivan – Rush (no 12)
Let’s look at the artists nominated for Best Live Act. Five of the nine have never had a hit on the ARIA Chart. All are under the age of 40.
Baker Boy (ARIA Top 40 hits – 0) (age 26)
Brad Cox (ARIA Top 40 hits – 0) (age 29)
Budjerah (ARIA Top 40 hits – 1 (peak no 34) (age 21)
DMAS (ARIA Top 40 hits – 0) (early 30s)
Dom Dolla (ARIA Top 40 hits – 1 (peak no 32) (age 31)
G Flip (ARIA Top 40 hits – 0) (age 29)
Julia Jacklin (ARIA Top 40 hits – 0) (age 33)
Rufus De Sol (ARIA Top 40 hits – 2, one in 2021, one in 2015) (mid 30s)
Tame Impala (ARIA Top 40 hits – 1 in 2015) (Kevin Parker age 37)
Of the nine acts nominated for Best Live Act, the oldest, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala is the oldest at 37 years old.
In the past year in Australia, artists over the age of 40 with new music have played in arena and outdoor sold out events. Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil, Russell Morris, Black Sorrows, Jimmy Barnes, Noiseworks and Paul Kelly have all had major sold out shows and new music in the qualifying period but were overlooked. The irony, that Jimmy Barnes, with two albums in the past 12 months (one reaching no 1 on the ARIA chart and one reaching no 3), more ARIA number one albums than anyone ever and six ARIA’s to his name, doesn’t ever make the list in 2023.
For the Contemporary/Pop categories, the only over 50-year-olds nominated were Kylie Minogue, Tina Arena and Kate Ceberano.
The ARIA Awards is a marketing event to sell commercial product in a lead-up into Christmas. Its timing has always been designed to influence the end of the year chart. That may have made commercial sense once. It’s a shame ARIA packages up artists into segments and sells them off like showbags. It’s entertainment, not science.
Here are the 2023 nominees:
Album of the Year
DMA’S — How Many Dreams? (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
G Flip — DRUMMER (Future Classic)
Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Matt Corby — Everything’s Fine (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
The Teskey Brothers — The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Best Solo Artist
Budjerah — ‘2step’ by Ed Sheeran (Feat. Budjerah) (Warner Music Australia)
Dan Sultan — Dan Sultan (Liberation Records)
Dom Dolla — ‘Eat Your Man’ ft. Nelly Furtado (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
G Flip — DRUMMER (Future Classic)
Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Jen Cloher — I Am The River, The River Is Me (Milk! Records/Remote Control Records)
Kylie Minogue — ‘Padam Padam’ (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Meg Mac — Matter Of Time (EMI Music Australia)
The Kid LAROI — ‘Love Again’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Troye Sivan — ‘Rush’ (EMI Music Australia)
Best Group
Cub Sport — Jesus At The Gay Bar (BLVE/RKT)
DMA’S — How Many Dreams? (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth… (Virgin Music Australia)
Parkway Drive — Darker Still (Parkway Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia)
The Teskey Brothers — The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist
Charley — TIMEBOMBS (EMI Music Australia)
grentperez — When We Were Younger (Fast Friends/AWAL Records)
Pacific Avenue — Flowers (BMG)
Royel Otis — Sofa Kings (OURNESS)
Teenage Dads — Midnight Driving (Chugg Music/MGM)
Best Pop Release
Amy Shark — ‘Can I Shower At Yours’ (Sony Music)
Budjerah — ‘Therapy’ (Warner Music Australia)
Kylie Minogue — ‘Padam Padam’ (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Peach PRC — ‘Perfect For You’ (Republic Records & Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Troye Sivan — ‘Rush’ (EMI Music Australia)
Best Dance / Electronic Release
FISHER & Aatig — ‘Take It Off’ (etcetc Music)
Golden Features — Sisyphus (Warner Music Australia)
Lastlings — Perfect World (Liberation Records)
MK and Dom Dolla — ‘Rhyme Dust’ (Area 10/Big On Blue/Sony Music UK)
PNAU and Troye Sivan — ‘You Know What I Need’ (etcetc Music)
Best Hip Hop / Rap Release
Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
KAHUKX — ‘NOTHING TO SOMETHING’ (AURA Entertainment/ADA)
Kerser — A Gift & A Kers (ABK Records/ADA)
ONEFOUR Feat. CG — ‘Comma’s’ (Independent Releases/Tunecore (AU/NZ)/Ditto (ROW)
Tkay Maidza and Flume — ‘Silent Assassin’ (Dew Process/Universal Music Australia)
Best Soul / R&B Release
Chanel Loren — ‘Rollin’ (Sony Music)
Forest Claudette — ‘Mess Around’ (feat. EARTHGANG) (Sony Music)
Jada Weazel — ‘Skin’ (EMI Music Australia)
KYE — ‘Ribena’ (Sony Music)
PANIA — ‘P STANDS 4 PLAYA’ (Say Less)
Best Independent Release
Cub Sport — Jesus At The Gay Bar (BLVE/RKT)
Dan Sultan — Dan Sultan (Liberation Records)
G Flip — DRUMMER (Future Classic)
Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Kylie Minogue — ‘Padam Padam’ (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Best Rock Album
Bad//Dreems — Hoo Ha! (BMG/ADA)
DMA’S — How Many Dreams? (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
G Flip — DRUMMER (Future Classic)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushroom and Lava (Virgin Music Australia)
Pacific Avenue — Flowers (BMG)
Best Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Album
DZ Deathrays — R.I.F.F (DZ Worldwide/The Orchard)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth… (Virgin Music Australia)
Parkway Drive — Darker Still (Parkway Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia)
The Amity Affliction — Not Without My Ghosts (Warner Music Australia)
These New South Whales — TNSW (Damaged Records/Inertia Music)
Best Adult Contemporary Album
Alex Lahey — The Answer Is Always Yes (Liberation Records)
Dan Sultan — Dan Sultan (Liberation Records)
Kate Ceberano — My Life Is A Symphony (ABC Music/The Orchard)
Mo’Ju — ORO, PLATA, MATA (Virgin Music Australia)
Tina Arena — Love Saves (Positive Dream/ADA)
Best Blues & Roots Album
Cash Savage and The Last Drinks — So This Is Love (Mistletone)
Katie Wighton — The End (ABC Music/The Orchard)
The Bamboos — Live At Hamer Hall With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (BMG/ADA)
The Teskey Brothers — The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Ziggy Alberts — DANCING IN THE DARK (Commonfolk Records/Ingrooves)
Best Country Album
Brad Cox — Acres (Sony Music)
Brooke McClymont and Adam Eckersley — Up, Down & Sideways(Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Fanny Lumsden — Hey Dawn (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
Henry Wagons — South Of Everywhere (Cheatin’ Hearts Records/Spunk Records)
The Wolfe Brothers — Livin’ The Dream (BMG/ADA)
Best Children’s Album
Emma Memma — Emma Memma (GYROstream)
Peter Combe — Planet Earth 3rd From The Sun (Universal Music Australia)
Play School — Very Jazzy Street Party (ABC Music/The Orchard)
The Wiggles — Ready, Steady, Wiggle! (ABC Music/The Orchard)
Whistle & Trick — Bananas And Other Delicious Things (ABC Kids/The Orchard)
PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS
Best Video
Can I Shower At Yours — Amy Shark, Mitch Green (Sony Music)
Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend — DMA’S, Joel Burrows (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Gila Monster — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Spod (Virgin Music Australia)
Give You Love — Jessica Mauboy (feat. Jason Derulo), Rowena Rasmussen; Joel Rasmussen (Warner Music Australia)
Good Enough — G Flip, Kyle Caulfield (Future Classic)
LOLA — MAY-A, Murli Dhir (Arcadia Music, Sony Music)
Lookin’ Out — King Stingray, Sam Brumby (Cooking Vinyl Australia, The Orchard)
Manic Dream Pixie — Peaches PRC, Kyle Caulfield (Republic Records and Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Stay Blessed — Genesis Owusu, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Therapy — Budjerah, Murli Dhir, Made In Katana Studios (Warner Music Australia)
Best Australian Live Act
Baker Boy — Regional Vic Tour (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Brad Cox — ACRES TOUR (Sony Music)
Budjerah — Budjerah Australian Tour (Warner Music Australia)
DMA’S — DMA’S Live at Falls Festival (I OH YOU/Mushroom)
Dom Dolla — Dom Dolla Australian Summer Festival Tour (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
G Flip — DRUMMER Australian Tour (Future Classic)
Julia Jacklin — PRE PLEASURE TOUR (Liberation Records)
King Stingray — That’s Where I Wanna Be Tour (Cooking Vinyl Australia/The Orchard)
RÜFÜS DU SOL – RUFUS DU SOL AUSTRALIAN 2022 TOUR (Rose Avenue Records/Warner Music)
Tame Impala — Slow Rush Tour (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Song of the Year
Budjerah — ‘Therapy’ (Warner Music Australia)
Day1 feat. KAHUKX — ‘MBAPPÉ’ (db Music/Warner Music Australia)
Dean Lewis — ‘How Do I Say Goodbye’ (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Joji — ‘Die For You’ (88rising/Warner Records)
Kylie Minogue — ‘Padam Padam’ (Liberator Music/Mushroom)
Luude and Mattafix — ‘Big City Life’ (Sweat It Out/Warner Music Australia)
MK and Dom Dolla — ‘Rhyme Dust’ (Area10/Big On Blue/Sony Music UK)
R3hab and Amy Shark — ‘Sway My Way’ (Wonderlick/Kobalt Music Publishing)
The Kid LAROI — ‘Love Again’ (Columbia/Sony Music)
Troye Sivan — ‘Rush’ (EMI Music Australia)
Most Popular International Artist
Beyoncé — Renaissance (Columbia/Sony Music)
Drake and 21 Savage — Her Loss (Republic Records/Universal Music Australia)
Ed Sheeran — – (Atlantic UK/Warner Music Australia)
Luke Combs — Gettin’ Old (Columbia Nashville/Sony Music)
Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains (Republic Records/Universal Music Australia)
Morgan Wallen — One Thing At A Time (Mercury Nashville/Universal Music Australia)
Nicki Minaj — Queens Radio (Universal Records USA/Universal Music Australia)
P!NK — Trustfall (RCA/Sony Music)
SZA — SOS (RCA/Sony Music)
Taylor Swift — Midnights (Universal Records USA/Universal Music Australia)
ARIA Music Teacher Award
Hank Lewerissa — Upper Coomera State College, Yugambeh Country, Gold Coast, QLD
Jessie Copeman — Ainslie School, Ngunnawal Country, Canberra, ACT
Peter Earl — The Music Guy, Dharug and Gundungurra Country, Blue Mountains, NSW
Sue Lowry — Southport Special School, Yugambeh Country, Gold Coast, QLD
ARTISAN AWARDS
Best Cover Art
Connor Dewhurst for Brad Cox — ACRES (Sony Music)
Harry Allen — Studio Balcony for Private Function — 370HSSV 0773H(Still on Top Records)
Jeremy Koren (Grey Ghost) for Everything Was Green — Forest Claudette (Sony Music)
Peach PRC, Billy Zammit for Manic Dream Pixie — Peach PRC (Republic Records & Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Sam Netterfiled, Mia Rankin for Jesus At The Gay Bar — Cub Sport (BLVE/RKT)
Engineer — Best Engineered Release
Dann Hume, Chris Collins, Matt Corby for Matt Corby — Everything’s Fine (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla — ‘Eat Your Man’ (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
Eric J Dobowsky, Sam Teskey, Wayne Connelly for The Teskey Brothers— The Winding Way (Ivy League Records/Mushroom Group)
Simon Cohen, Dave Hammer for Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL RECORDINGS)
Styalz Fuego for Troye Sivan — ‘Rush’ (EMI Music Australia)
Producer — Best Produced Release
Andrew Klippel and Dave Hammer for Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (OURNESS/AWAL
RECORDINGS)
Dom Dolla for Dom Dolla — ‘Eat Your Man’ (Three Six Zero/Sony Music)
Matt Corby, Chris Collins, Nat Dunn, Alex Henrikssen for Matt Corby — Everything’s Fine (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia)
M-Phazes for Ruel — 4th Wall (RCA/Sony Music)
Styalz Fuego for Troye Sivan — ‘Rush’ (EMI Music Australia)
FINE ARTS AWARD
Best Classical Album
Australian Chamber Orchestra/Richard Tognetti — Indies & Idols (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Ensemble Offspring — To Listen, To Sing — Ngarra-Burria: First Peoples Composers (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Neil Gaiman and FourPlay String Quartet — Signs Of Life(Instrumental Recordings/Inertia Music)
Roger Benedict and Simon Tedeschi — Dubussy — Ravel (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Various Artists — Genevieve Lacey: Breathing Space (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Best Jazz Album
Lance Gurisik — Cull Portal (33 Sides/Inertia Music)
Mike Nock — Hearing (ABC Jazz/The Orchard)
Sinj Clarke — The Height Of Love (Inertia Music)
Surprise Chef — Education & Recreation (Big Crown Records/Inertia Music)
The Vampires featuring Chris Abrahams — Nightjar (Earshift/Planet)
Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album
Brett Aplin and Burkhard Dallwitz — Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Independent)
Helena Czajka — Unseen Skies (Original Score Soundtrack) (BMG)
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Benjamin Northey — Blueback — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack By Nigel Westlake (ABC Classic/The Orchard)
Sophie Payton (GORDI), Jason Fernandez — RIDE — Music From the Film (ABC Music/The Orchard)
Various Artists — John Farnham: Finding The Voice (Music From The Feature Documentary) (Wheatley Records/Sony Music)
Best World Music Album
Byron Mark — Odyssey (Bug Sonic Records)
East of West — Moving Home (East of West Music)
Joseph Tawadros — Those Who Came Before Us (Independent/The Planet Company)
Mick Dick — Id of RA (Crusty Dub)
Songs of Disappearance — Australian Frog Calls (Bowerbird Collective/MGM)
