To recognize artists who have embraced online music distribution and the MP3 format, a music search engine site has initiated the first MP3 music awards.
Sponsored by Noisebox.com, the MP3 Music Awards will be open to any artist who distributes songs over the Net. Webmasters from a variety of MP3 sites will be asked to submit their nominations for each category. Once the nominations are collected, samples from each artist will be posted on the Noisebox site so that voters can hear all of the music available. Voting will be open to anyone on the Net, with safeguards built in to limit the number of votes any one user can submit.
"When people vote on the Grammys, there are a lot of names they've never heard of, so the idea here is that we'll choose a number of artists and let you download their songs," said David Touve, director of the event. "Whether it is a major artist or an indie artist, all of them will have access."
Touve said he has contacted sites such as Rioport and GoodNoise, which have expressed an interest in participating and even helping out with prizes. The MP3 Online Music Awards, or MOMAs, will be awarded in May, and Touve said he will probably host the event over the Web.
"As of yet, the major music industry does not recognize the scope of legal MP3 music online, the diversity of talent, the quality of that talent, and the community of fans which relies on this format to find new artists," Touve said in a statement.
