About the Boston Music Awards

It’s Boston Music Awards season! Now in its 23rd year, the BMAs bring the city’s best acts (and fans) together under one roof,  to win some awards and play some tunes. The winners will be announced on December 5 at the Liberty Hotel, but they’ll be decided by the public (you!) beforehand.

It’s Boston Music Awards season! Now in its 23rd year, the BMAs bring the city’s best acts (and fans) together under one roof,  to win some awards and play some tunes. The winners will be announced on December 5 at the Liberty Hotel, but they’ll be decided by the public (you!) beforehand.

Here’s how it works: The BMA brass chooses a nominating committee of  “in-the-know” types around town. If you think you’re one of those types, you can plead your case to the higher-ups. Got no case? Think about doing something really awesome for the Boston music community, and you can try again next year. Committee members submit their picks and then you vote. Then people win. And everyone parties. It ‘s a pretty good system, really.

We know what you might think about the BMAs, given their track record—blah blah blah that band doesn’t live here anymore, blah blah blah Amanda Palmer (Hey! She did some cool stuff this year). But it's a whole new deal this year. Hub Media, the company that packed Government Center with 35,000 people for the Boston Urban Music Project Festival, has signed on to produce the event so some of their bad-assery will transfer—and it's worked. Within hours of posting the nominees, they received record numbers of online votes and the buzz surrounding the ceremony is louder than ever before. They've even scrapped that lame old French horn logo.

For even more bad-assedness Time Out Boston is the official media partner. Just to prove we have the cred to be involved, we did a little nominating of our own, picking who we thought were the best acts of 2010. And for those who like media of the print variety, we created a Boston Music Guide with even more info on what’s been happening in local music. Not just bands, either. You'll find a round-up of the best DJs and dance parties, updates on what’s been going on with the city’s new and evolving music venues and a handy timeline about Boston music history. Look for the guides in your favorite music venues, coffee shops and other local businesses.

To recap: check out our picks here; see the nomiees here; vote here; get your tickets here. And see you at the Liberty on December 5!