Photo L-R: Cut Copy, Beaches, Ross McLennan

Update: The winner of the Australian Music Prize 2008 will be announced on March 20, 2009 in Sydney. This is the big day that the nine shortlisted artists have been waiting for, where one lucky winner will go home with $30,000 generously donated by PPCA. Please note the date has changed and is not March 13th as previously published. This is due to the Sound Relief bushfire and flood fundraising concerts happening in both Melbourne and Sydney. Also announced on March 20th is the recipient of the Red Bull Prize for 2008, where one of the shortlisted artists will receive $15,000 donated by Red Bull. So stay tuned on March 20th to hear who the Amp winners are for their album released in 2008!

The Australian Music Prize (The Amp) has announced its Shortlist of albums for 2008.

The Shortlist is the list of finalists for The Amp, a four-year-old award which promotes creative excellence in Australian music.

This year’s Shortlist ranges from little-known releases through to Number One selling albums, ranging in style from acoustic through rock, blues and indie rock to electronic.

The nine albums comprising The Amp’s Shortlist for 2008 are:

Apocalypso – The Presets
Beaches – Beaches
Havilah – The Drones
In Ghost Colours – Cut Copy
Jungle Blues – CW Stoneking
Love Is Gone – Jack Ladder
Presque Vu – Tom Cooney
Primary Colours – Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Sympathy For the New World – Ross McLennan

The Shortlist was determined by a panel of expert industry judges, who listened to over 200 albums entered into The Amp last year before arriving at this Shortlist.

Prize Director, Tracey Grimson, says this year’s list demonstrates that The Amp is an award for all Australian artists, whether they have already enjoyed success or are starting to break through, and regardless of genre.

“It’s great to see a real range of styles and artists in this year’s Shortlist,” she said. “In fact the only thing they’ve really got in common is that they’re all highly creative, quality releases. The diversity is fantastic.”

The eventual winner of The Amp will receive $30,000 prize money courtesy of Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA). The Red Bull Award In Recognition of Outstanding Potential, with a cash prize of $15,000, is also presented to one artist.

The Amp’s Shortlist was announced on stage at iconic community event, the St Kilda Festival in Melbourne, in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of music fans.

One of The Amp’s judges, Deborah Conway – not only a legendary Australian musician but also a St Kilda local – announced the Shortlist on-stage with Channel [V]’s Jane Gazzo.

For the latest news and information, go to:

The Australian Music Prize Official Website