It's indisputable that alongside press and politics, music awards ceremonies are amongst the top prize winners when it comes to nepotism and untimely misrepresentation of any given scene. With the Cornish Live Music Awards taking place this month, we’ve taken issue with the state of the nominations…

The list of nominees, decided by a “suitably motley crew of Cornish Music Industry individuals”, features the same regurgitated (but undeniably talented) suspects as last year, fails to mention any new blood operating outside of the mainstream, and openly states that it operates within an elected oligarchy, by admitting that it does not intend to be “a definitive list of the rich and diverse creativity out there”. There are all-too-clear links between the nominators and the nominees (managers, band members et al), and the organisers seem intentionally blind to the fact that such awards create rivalry, and aren’t conducive to perpetuating the community spirit inherent within the Cornish music scene.

Sadly, there’s an ‘old boys’ club’ intrinsic to any honours proceedings, so this self-congratulatory backslapping comes as little surprise; what’s more shocking is that the list of nominations reads almost exactly as last year’s, still intent on celebrating the 2006 Cornish music renaissance that was tipped for great success. Seemingly, these awards have been invented to soften the blow for 2006’s A-team who failed to make the record industry’s grade, thereby ignoring evolving creatives such as Julian Gaskell and His Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, the Bloody Tentacles, the Lono Collective, any bands borne of Zebs, such as The Red Army, and many more. Lono Records in particular have emphatically improved the live music situation for fans of more obscure music, bringing comparatively big names such as A Hawk and a Hacksaw and Jeffrey Lewis to Penryn, formerly unrenowned as a cultural Mecca.

Given that the awards were supposedly created with the honourable intention to “celebrate and promote the incredible collection of talented musicians currently bursting out of Cornwall”, surely it should be hard to take them seriously, considering the clichéd nominees, and the fact that the organisers’ son’s formerly unknown band won Best Newcomer last year? One would hope that the proceedings would be swallowed with a healthy dose of scepticism, but a quick study of the nominees’ Myspaces soon controverts this hope; over-enthusiastic bulletins are posted daily to remind ‘friends’ to vote, with the ceremony’s logo plastered all over bands’ pages.

The local music scene is disappointingly taking on much of the predictability of the national industry, recycling recognition amongst a few, and locking any power bands had to break into the industry within a select, close-minded few who inadvertently seem on course to undermine the outstanding creativity and community within Cornish music. It seems that the only honesty within the Cornish Live Music Awards lies metaphorically within the plastic transparent trophies handed out to its much-lauded winners. (Laura Snapes)

What do you think? We can see both sides of the story and love a bit of lively debate, so let us know your thoughts: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it