The Independent Music Awards were established in 1999 and is produced by Music Resource Group (MRG), publisher of the comprehensive and authoritative Musician’s Atlas and AtlasOnline contact databases.

In that time, more than 500 Sonicbids members have been named winners or finalists of the awards.

Sonicbids: How long have you been running The Independent Music Awards?

Martin Folkman: The Independent Music Awards were launched in 1999.

Sonicbids:Why did you start the IMAs?

Martin Folkman: Music Resource Group, the parent company of The IMAs is also the creator of the popular industry contact database, The Musician’s Atlas so we’re in daily contact with all facets of the music industry – independent artists, labels, talent buyers, music supervisors, music press, etc.

Since The Atlas specializes in tracking and supporting the independent music community we are uniquely positioned to help independent talent get the attention they need to overcome marketplace obstacles.

And, we knew that when artists reach a certain level of excellence, that marketing, sales support and performance opportunities would be more meaningful to their career than cash or prize packages so we built the program to deliver that kind of support .

Sonicbids: What makes The Independent Music Awards so unique?

Martin Folkman: Earning an Independent Music Award is more than just a badge of distinction. The IMAs is not a songwriting competition or battle of the bands program – it is a prestigious international award that supports the meritocracy of talent.

The IMAs uses its unrivaled access to performance, promotion & distribution opportunities to place winners & nominees in front of millions of fans, programmers, talent buyers, film, TV & gaming music supervisors, press and other industry gatekeepers.

Additionally the IMAs is focused on uniting independent bands and fans. We have several fan related components already established and some exciting new fan based initiatives that we will be announcing shortly.

Sonicbids: Who submits to The Independent Music Awards?

Martin Folkman: One of the most unique aspects of The IMAs is how representative it is of the global independent music scene – self-released talent, buzz bands and artists with previous major label careers from 6 continents and 70+ countries submit their best work for consideration.

Over the years the program has supported artists before they became widely known such as The Mooney Suzuki, Mary Gauthier, Richard Julian, Jennifer Nettles, Lacuna Coil, Animate Objects, and God Forbid; as well artists on the rise such as Jamie Lidell, The Apples in Stereo, Joan As Police Woman, The Trews, The Wilders, Denque Fever, Selasee and Tony Trischka for example; and more established artists like Martin Sexton, Jeff Healey, Chris Whitley,Speech, Koko Taylor, Ike Turner, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Dan Zanes, Miquel Migs, Lionel Louke and The Apples in stereo.

Sonicbids: How are IMA winners selected?

Martin Folkman: Submissions are evaluated purely on artistic merit. While many winning submissions are self-recorded and/or self-produced only finished, polished recordings make it through the numerous judging rounds. Demos are not accepted.

Because we believe that art is subjective, all submissions are evaluated by several reviewers and the 5 in each category that receive the highest scores are sent to our panels of influential artist and industry judges.

Sonicbids: Who are some of the IMA judges and why are these judges an important part of the IMA’s?

Martin Folkman: Since the IMAs is all about honoring excellence and providing real opportunities for a diverse group of winners and nominees, we are pretty picky about whom we add to our judging panels. We seek influential artists and industry that have well respected ears and can open doors for our IMA artists.

Artists that have joined this year’s judging panel include Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Aimee Mann, Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy/Decaydence Records), Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), The Black Keys, Ricky Skaggs, Hanson,Shelby Lynne, JD Sampson (Le Tigre), The Apples in stereo (also winners in the 7th IMAs), DJ Spooky, Charlie Musselwihite, Lee Ritenour, Suzanne Vega and many more.

Industry panelists include talent buyers for influential festivals, (Warped Tour, Taste of Chaos; Kerriville Folk Festival; George Ween’s Newport 55 Jazz Festival, etc) and venues (S.O.B.’s, Whiskey A Go-Go, Yoshi’s, etc); music press (Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Revolver Magazine, Los Angeles Times, etc.); Film, TV, Gaming & Advertising music supervisors; syndicated radio programmers; consumer sites and other important gatekeepers.

And because we know that ultimately it’s winning over the fans that counts the most in an artist’s career, we added the ‘People’s Voice’ voting component several years ago. Each year thousands and thousands of fans from around the globe discover new artists and cast their votes at The IMA Vox Pop jukebox. These fan-selected IMA winners also receive marketing, sales and performance support.

Sonicbids: What new awards have been added to The 9th IMA program?

Martin Folkman: Over the years the IMAs have grown to more than 50 categories spanning all music genres from Alt. Country to World Fusion & everything in between, packaging, merch, band website and other design categories and short form music video.

Categories added to this year’s program include Love Song, Acoustic Song, Story Song, Concept Album, Eclectic Album and Long Form Music Video.

Sonicbids: What are some of the changes in the music industry that excite you?

Martin Folkman: One of the most exciting things is that the music industry is being re-invented and fans and artists have more power than ever before. The very definition of a successful career is being re-defined.

There has never, ever been a greater opportunity for independent talent to have a career playing the music that they love. That said, the Internet provides such a low barrier to entry that anyone can post their music online which makes it hard to get heard above the noise. So networking, building a community of fans and distinguishing yourself any way that you can is more important than ever.

However, one thing that concerns those of us that support artists is how many new music businesses and technologies have no incentive or interest in protecting the rights of music creators. Artists must be careful to protect their intellectual property and active in shaping policies that will benefit them.

Sonicbids: What piece of advice would you like to give to Sonicbids members?

Martin Folkman: To keep our Musician’s Atlas subscribers & Independent Music Awards artists ahead of the pack we keep in daily contact with all facets of the music industry. Here’s what we’ve learned:

1. Adapt or Die: The 20th century is gone and not likely to come back. The good news is that everything is possible when you focus on resourcefulness rather than lack of resources. Key skill sets are the ability to communicate with the masses while nurturing what makes you unique. The world is being re-invented by entrepreneurs – if you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.

2. DIY is so last century (see item #1) & as effective as one hand clapping. The road to success involves more than just creating music, you must actively build and grow a network of fans and peers that support you and that you support in return.

3. Find your niche/community and make it better: There’s more to building a real community than email blasts & friend requests. Social media sites & The Musician’s Atlas are tools to connect and grow your professional & fan contacts, but in the end it’s not just who you know – it’s how committed you are to each other. Whether it’s live or virtual, treat your fans like valued friends – let them into your inner circle & reward them for their loyalty. And look for opportunities to help industry contacts and peers. Sharing information will increase your usefulness and good karma.

4. Be passionate and share your passions. It’s an age of self-invention with few rules other than to be an active participant. Whether you’re selling toothpaste or music, you need to inspire & deliver unforgettable experiences for audiences that are easily distracted and accustomed to a 2Dimensional world of ear buds & LCDs.

5. Don’t settle for mediocrity: The way to get heard above the noise is to devote yourself to excellence. Challenge yourself daily & push beyond your comfort zone. You are being judged every day so embrace competition – it only improves your game and rewards you in the end. If you’re not taking risks you’re not going anywhere.