Photo Credit: Music Cities Awards
The Music Cities Awards nominations have been revealed. Hearby, Music Innovation Hub, and Opulous were nominated for the ‘Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities’ category.
The Music Cities Awards Ceremony will take place December 7-9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The award is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental, and cultural development in cities across the world. Since its launch in 2020, the MCA’s have become a global showcase of projects using music to make cities better.
The competition covers 11 categories from rewarding the ‘Best Global Music City,’ to spotlighting initiatives working at the intersection of music and technology, diversity, youth engagement, sustainability, real estate, health tourism, night time economy, city planning, and more. With over 300 applications from 19 countries across six continents, the year’s competition highlights the vital role that music plays in shaping the cultural, economic, and social fabric of cities.
Best Digital Innovation to Support Musicians or Music in Cities
The aim of this award is to showcase a leading innovation that is positively impacting the lives of musicians or supporting music in cities. Eligible initiatives include but are not limited to digital innovations that have improved the ability to musicians to make money, improved access to key information, improved how live music is showcased in a city, or improved the lives of musicians when touring. This year’s nominees include:
- Music Innovation Hub (ITA) — Supports Innovative Music Startups
- Hearby, By Area4 Labs (USA) — Reveals the Abundance of Live Music
- Opulous (SGP) — Help Artists Get Funding
The selection process for each category was led by a global jury of 10 high-level professionals working at the front end of music cities topics. They include:
- Annika Park (HKG), Freelance Strategist, Brand/Culture/Innovation
- Christina Ballico (GBR), Lecturer, Music and Visual Culture, University of Aberdeen
- Enrique Avogadro (ARG), Cultural and Creative Promoter, Pulmón Creativo
- Helen Glengarry (AUS), Music Industry Lead, City of Gold Coast
- Khadija El Bennaoui (UAE), Head of Performing Arts, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi
- Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (USA), GRAMMY Award-winning engineer, producer, composer, Owner, Royal Studios
- Nada Alhelabi (KSA), General Manager, MDLBEAST Foundation
- Panos A. Panay (USA), President, The Recording Academy
- Raoul Rugamba (RWA), Founder at Hobe Agency & Africa in Colors
