THE 14TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS
VOX POP WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Fan Favorites Differ From Judges By 80%
Megan Slankard, We Were Superheroes, Brad Lee Schroeder, Jazzation & Celso Salim Band Are Among The 14th IMA Vox Pop Winners
February 24, 2016 – The Independent Music Awards (The IMAs) today announced the results of The IMAs 14th annual Vox Pop poll, the fan-determined component of the prestigious international program for independent artists and releases. Vox Pop voting began in March, when The 14th IMA Nominees were announced, enabling music fans around the world to discover and support more than 400 nominated self-released & indie label Music, Video, and Visual Arts projects.
This year’s ‘Voice of the People’ favorites differed from the judge determined winners by a margin of more than 80%. Fan favorites including Megan Slankard, We Were Superheroes, Brad Lee Schroeder, Jazzation, and Celso Salim Band are among this year’s Vox Pop artists not selected by the Artist and Industry judging panelists which included Amanda Palmer, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lila Downs, Chris & Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers), Lunice, Jane Monheit, Suzanne Vega, Meshell Ndegeocello, Melissa Auf der Maur, Sharon Jones, Shelby Lynn, Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone Magazine), Terry McBride (Nettwerk Records) and Jason Olaine (Jazz At Lincoln Center) among many others.
To date, nearly 500,000 fans have championed their favorite established artists and rising stars in The IMAs Vox Pop poll.
“What makes a work of art a winner? It’s simple – someone has to love it,” said Martin Folkman, Executive Director of The Independent Music Awards. “The discrepancy between Judge selected winners and fan favorites illustrates that not only is art subjective – but how critical fan support is to any artist’s success. The Independent Music Awards program is not about winners and losers. It exists to help exceptional independent artists and releases find new supporters – both in the industry and among music consumers. This way everyone wins. And why new features added to The 15th IMAs will help Artists connect with fans from the moment they enter their new projects,” Folkman said.
Artistry Has Its Awards
Now in its 15th year, The influential Independent Music Awards connects top-ranked self-released and indie label artists and releases to new performance, promotion and distribution opportunities. The IMA’s active support place winners and nominees in front of millions of industry decision makers and music consumers around the world.
Album, Song, EP, Producer, Video & Design submissions for The 15th Annual IMAs are now being accepted at www.IndependentMusicAwards.com
Winners of The 15th Independent Music Awards will be announced from the stage at The IMAs first day-long live gala from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on November 12, 2016.
14th Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Winners
| Album Categories | Vox Pop Winners | Vox Pop Winning Albums |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Contemporary | KJ Denhert | Destiny |
| Alt. Country | Marta Pacek | Voodoo Dolls & False Alarms |
| Americana | The Amigos | Diner In The Sky |
| Bluegrass | David Naiditch | Bluegrass in the Backwoods |
| Blues | Celso Salim Band | To the End of Time |
| Children's Music | Emmy | Dragon Dreams |
| Compilation | Dave Van Ronk | Down In Washington Square: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection |
| Concept | Will Post | Panthenon |
| Contemporary Christian/Gospel | Aaron R. Smith | City That You Love |
| Contemporary Classical | Christopher Tin | The Drop That Contained the Sea |
| Country | The Jackstones | What Brings You Here |
| Dance/Electronica | Worm Is Green | To Them We Are Only Shadows |
| Eclectic | Bombay Rickey | Cinefonia |
| Folk/Singer-Songwriter | Elizabeth & The Catapult | Like It Never Happened |
| Funk/Fusion/Jam | Joan Torres's All is Fused | The Beginning |
| Indie/Alt. Rock | Secret Sun | Cold Coast |
| Instrumental (mainly) | Sudar Percussion & Matej Mestrovic | Eat Suite |
| Jazz Instrumental (mainly) | Oran Etkin | Gathering Light |
| Jazz With Vocals | Yaniel Matos | La Miranda |
| Latin | Só Alegria | Só Alegria (feat. Celsinho Silva, Luis Barcelos, Eduardo Neves, and Rogério Caetano) |
| Live Performance | Steve Newman, Lee Thomson & Ashish Joshi | Live at the Mahogany Room |
| Metal/Hardcore | Erlang Kovata | Shattered |
| New Age | Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman | Winds of Samsara |
| Pop | Eight Two | Exhibition |
| R&B/Soul | Voodoo Princess | Shaken Not Stirred |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Radio Radio | Ej feel zoo |
| Reissue | Utah Phillips | Starlight on the Rails: A Songbook |
| Rock/Hard Rock | Black Map | ...And We Explode |
| Spoken Word | Bobby Drake | Hands Down |
| Tribute Album | Pascuala Ilabaca y Fauna | Me Saco El Sombrero |
| World Beat | Mélisande [électrotrad] | Les métamorphoses |
| World Traditional | Moustafa Kouyaté & Romain Malagnoux | Les Frontières imaginaires |
| Song Categories | Vox Pop Winners | Vox Pop Winning Songs |
| A Cappella | Jazzation | "Beautiful Love" |
| Acoustic | Max Ater | "Ready, Willing and Waiting" |
| Adult Contemporary | Celeste Buckingham | "I'm Not Sorry" |
| Alt. Country | Mayfield | "When I Last Saw You" |
| Americana | The Amigos | "More Than Friends" |
| Bluegrass | RUNA | "Ain't No Grave" |
| Blues | KJ Denhert | "Sorry" |
| Children's Music | Megan Slankard | "Rhymes with Christopher" |
| Contemporary Christian/Gospel | J. Nichole | "Blessing Me" |
| Country | Brad Lee Schroeder | "Run Devil Run" |
| Cover Song | Kate & Joe BB | "Alabama Song" - (orig. by Lotte Lenya) |
| Dance/Electronica | Drew DeWitt | "Why Would I" |
| Eclectic | Melanchloé | "Angels & Insects" |
| Folk/Singer-Songwriter | Elizabeth & The Catapult | "Someday Soon" |
| Funk/Fusion/Jam | Plunky & Oneness | "Never Too Late" |
| Holiday | Katie Hardyman | "Snowflake (feat. Laura Zarb)" |
| Indie/Alt. Rock | Patrick Joseph | "Better Off Alone" |
| Instrumental | A Presença das Formigas | "Planície" |
| Jazz Instrumental | The Bill McBirnie Trio | "Find Your Place" |
| Jazz With Vocals | Celso Salim Band | "Leave It to the Moon" |
| Latin | Orquesta Narvaez | "Vamos A Gozar " |
| Love | Destani Wolf | "Your Love for Me" |
| Metal/Hardcore | Valence | "The Reckoning" |
| New Age | Tony Chen | "Recognizing the Beloved One" |
| Pop | Carissa Vales | "City Lights" |
| R&B/Soul | Charlie Oxford | "Drive Me Crazy" |
| Rap/Hip-Hop | Undeniable | "Blue B.A.C.O.N" |
| Rock/Hard Rock | We Were Superheroes | "Pub Love" |
| Social Action | Tom Neilson | "It's a Crime" |
| Spoken Word | Plunky & Oneness | "Space Jungle Love" |
| Story Song | Megan Slankard | "825" |
| World Beat | Amy Lee | "Dark Water (feat. Malika Zarra)" |
| World Traditional | RUNA | "The False Knight Upon the Road" |
| EP Categories | Vox Pop Winners | Vox Pop Winning EPs |
| Dance/Electronica | JP Lantieri | London Calling |
| Eclectic | Melanchloé | Melanchloé |
| Instrumental | Ashot Danielyan | Mountain Prayer |
| Jazz | Neisy Wilson | Inside My Soul |
| Pop | Seasick Mama | Tip Top Shape |
| Rock | Cedar Boulevard | Cedar Boulevard |
| Roots/Country | Antigone Rising | Whiskey & Wine Vol 1 |
| Urban | Brinae Ali | Destination Forever: Volume 1 |
| World | A/Uno | Singles |
| Music Producer Category | Vox Pop Winner | Vox Pop Winning Work |
| Music Producer | Patrick Joseph | Patrick Joseph - Moon King |
| Design Categories | Vox Pop Winning Designers | Vox Pop Winning Work |
| Album Art / Photography | Eleanor Crane | "Patrick Joseph - Moon King" |
| Album Packaging | Pei-Shih Wu, TotalBrand+TotalDesign Co. | "Dream Lotus Symphony Orchestra & Dream Lotus Insightful Praises Choir - Prajna: The Great Wisdom" |
| Artist Concert Photography | Doug Seymour / Doug Seymour Photography | "Cage The Elephant" |
| Artist Publicity Photography | Doug Seymour / Doug Seymour Photography | "The Stray Birds - Best Medicine CD / LP front cover photo" |
| Music Promo Poster | Doug Seymour / Doug Seymour Photography | "Brett Gleason" |
| Music Website | Electric Kiwi | www.electrickiwi.co.uk |
| Swag | Sarah Gensert (Design), Dino Cattaneo (Concept), Bohemian Guitars (Production) | "Susan Cattaneo - Haunted Heart Oil Can Guitar" |
| Video Categories | Vox Pop Winners | Vox Pop Winning Videos |
| Long Form | Sudar Percussion & Matej Mestrovic | Castle Crash |
| Short Form | Bombadil | "Born At 5:00" |