About

The Independent Music Awards is the only international program that connects artists to new revenue opportunities & an audience of more than 1 billion music fans.

Earning an Independent Music Award is more than just a badge of distinction. Produced by Music Resource Group, publisher of the popular industry contact database
The Musician’s Atlas/AtlasOnline, and co-sponsored by eMusic, Jango, Musicati, AMI Entertainment, IMAtv, Dropcards, CMJ Music Marathon, NACA,
The Planetary Group and others, The IMAs leverage its unrivaled access to performance, promotion & distribution opportunities to place winners & nominees in front of Talent Buyers, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors, Media outlets, Licensing opportunities and 1 Billion music fans.

That’s why artists previously on major labels, as well as notable indie label and self-released talent from around the globe submit their best work in 70 Song, Album, Video
& Design categories. The program receives submissions from more than 70 countries on 6 continents. Artists, managers and labels credit The IMAs for impacting their presence among talent buyers, programmers, media and fans.

Past IMA Winners & Nominees include: Spinnerette, Cursive, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs, Ra-Ra Riot, The Cliks, Vienna Teng, The Flatlanders, fun., State Radio, Phil Roy, The Apples in stereo, Koko Taylor, Speech, Lacuna Coil, Jamie Lidell, The Trews, Joan As Police Woman, The Dollyrots, Sugarcult, Girlyman, Chris Whitley, Mary Gauthier, Richard Julian, Eleni Mandel, Miguel Migs, The Mooney Suzuki, Sweet Honey in The Rock, God Forbid, Bitter:Sweet, Dan Bern, and many, many more.

The Independent Music Awards Benefits Include:

• Winners are determined by influential industry judges and music fans
• All Winners & Nominees are actively promoted in ongoing year-long marketing campaigns
• All Nominees and actively promoted to music fans and included in annual Vox Pop Award, the fan-determined portion of The IMAs
• All Nominees and Winners in music and video categories to be featured on 20,000 digital jukeboxes throughout the USA. These jukeboxes report 500,000,000 annual paid plays, and reach 1 Billion “active” listeners in bars and taverns
• All Nominees and Winners featured on 20,000 digital download cards distributed to thousands of music consumers and key industry decision makers
• Winning tracks included on The IMA Winners CD compilation are promoted to 650 US & Canadian public & college stations during a 12 week radio promotion campaign – Routinely placing on CMJ’s Top 1-25 charts
• 5,000 copies of The IMA Winners CD compilation distributed to key industry and music consumers
• IMA CD promoted to millions of eMusic subscribers resulting in higher recognition and paid sales
• Winners & Nominees eligible for featured placement on weekly mp3 mailers to 150,000 opt-in subscribers
• Winners & Nominees may be eligible to perform at The IMA showcases
• Footage of IMA showcases that are recorded and/or streamed live available to participating acts for use on their own sites and other promotional purposes
• Winners & Nominees eligible for featured placement on IMAtv
• All entrants receive Free 12-month subscription to The Musician’s AtlasOnline to manage their music business and connect with thousands of bookers, programmers, record labels, music supervisors and more

New honors added to The IMAs 10th program include: Adult Contemporary Album & Song, Instrumental Album & Song, Tribute Album, EP release, and Holiday Song.

Check out all The IMA categories by clicking here.

2010 Judges Announced!

Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan, Seal, Suzanne Vega, Ozzy Osbourne, Aimee Mann, Bettye LaVette, Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Brandi Carlile, Shelby Lynne, Jim Lauderdale, Beth Gibbons (Portishead), Benji & Joel Madden (Good Charlotte), Charlie Musselwhite, Jonatha Brooke, Andrew W.K., Judy Collins, Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy), Arturo Sandoval, McCoy Tyner, Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour), Dalis Allen (Kerrville Folk Festival), Bill Bragin (Lincoln Center), Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone) and more here.

Past judges include: Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward (She & Him), Norah Jones, Peter Gabriel, Aimee Mann, Snoop Dogg, Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Ricky Skaggs, Melissa Etheridge, DJ Spooky, The Apples in stereo, Ken Jordan (The Crystal Method), Butch Walker, Lee Ritenour, Jesse Malin, Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone), Tom Beujour (Revolver Magazine), Kevin Lyman (Vans Warped Tour), Evan Schlansky (American Songwriter), Melinda Newman (Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, etc.), Tommy Merrill (The Rockwood Music Hall), Celina Denkins (Whiskey a Go-Go), and many more influential artists and key industry decision-makers.