PARTICIPATION

How do I or my band participate in the Awards?
See the Nomination page for the 3 ways to participate in the Awards.

Do I or my band have to live in Orange County to be nominated?
Yes, if you are a solo artist you must currently live in Orange County. If you are a band, the majority of your members must currently live in Orange County. For example, if you are a 4 piec band, 3 of you members must live in OC.

Do I need to Send in a CD to be considered for nomination in any of these categories?
No, see the Nomination page Although, for 2 of the 21 categories, Best Live Acoustic and Best Live band you do submit your / your group’s info and direct us to a website - like myspace – where we can listen to your music.

ACADEMY

What is the Academy?
The OC Music Awards Academy is made up of music journalists, radio djs, promoters, booking agents, venue owners, and fellow industry professionals involved in the local music scene, whose members nominate artists in  the Academy-Nominated categories of the Awards.

Academy Members - click here to see full list

How do the Academy Members choose which artists to nominate?
They nominate artists who they feel are the best, based on their personal knowledge of the local music scene.

The Academy does not receive or take submitted music and does not vote based on submitted music as this would limit the potential nominees to only those who submit music. With a broad group of individuals making up the Academy the nominations are a true reflection of the entire OC music scene.

SHOWCASE SERIES

How are the showcases performers selected?:
Once your submission is received your music is listened to we book you for either the Best Live Acoustic showcases or the Best Live Band Showcases. Artists are booked for showcases solely on their skill level.

What is the submission deadline for the Showcase Series?
December 31, 2010.

How are the finalists / nominees judged in the Showcase Series for Best Live Acoustic and Best Live Band?
A consistent panel of judges who attend all showcases score each performer by this set of criteria:

- Musicianship (how well can they play & play together)
- Originality
- Song Composition (how good are the songs)
- Stage Presence
- Crowd Participation
- Overall Performance

Each criteria is scored 1 through 10 with the final score being a total of all individual criteria scores.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

What is the online voting deadline for the People’s Choice Award?
February 28, 2010.

NOMINEE AND WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT

When are the nominees announced?
- Nominees for the 19 Academy nominated Awards will be announced on or by February 1, 2010
- Nominees for the People’s Choice Award will be announced on or by March 1, 2010
- Nominees / finalists for the Showcase Series categories Best Live Band and Best Live Acoustic with be announced on or by February 17, 2010

When will the winners be announced?
The Winners for Best Live Acoustic and Best Live Band will be announced on the evening of their finals February 23 and February 27, respectively .

All other category winners will be announced on the Awards night March 6, 2010 at the Grove of Anaheim

ADDITIONAL INFO

Are tribute bands eligible?
currently we do not have a tribute band category and we request that all artists have original material if submitting for the Showcase Series.

What year were the OC Music Awards founded?
2001