Mercury Prize

Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize logo
Awarded for	Best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland
Presented by	Barclaycard
Location	United Kingdom
First awarded	1992
Official website	http://www.mercuryprize.com/

The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British Association of Record Dealers in 1992 as an alternative to the Brit Awards. The prize was originally sponsored by Mercury Communications, a brand owned by Cable & Wireless,^[1] from which the prize gets its name. It was later sponsored by Technics,^[2] from 1998 to 2001, Panasonic,^[1] in 2002 and 2003, and the Nationwide Building Society, from 2004 to 2008. Barclaycard became the Prize's current sponsor in March 2009.^[3]

Nominations are chosen by a selected panel of musicians, music executives, journalists and other figures in the music industry in the UK and Ireland.^[4][5] Presentation of the award usually takes place in September after the nominations are announced in July. It is often observed that bands whose albums are nominated, or win the prize, experience a large increase in album sales, particularly for lesser known nominees.^[6] However, despite being regarded by many as highly prestigious,^[7][8][9] it has been suggested that having an album nominated for or winning the Mercury Prize could be a curse on a career in music.^[10][11]

The Mercury Prize has a reputation for being awarded to outside chances rather than the favourites.^[12][13] The 1994 award winner was Elegant Slumming by the pop act M People, a controversial decision considering the shortlist included popular albums from Britpop figureheads Paul Weller, Blur and Pulp, and electronica band The Prodigy.^[14][15][16] Other music journalists critical of the awards stated that the 2005 award should not have been given to Antony and the Johnsons for their album I Am a Bird Now as, while they were British-born, they were based in the United States.^[17][18] In 2006, Isobel Campbell's collaboration with Mark Lanegan, Ballad of the Broken Seas, was included in the shortlist, despite Lanegan being American while Guillemots, whose album was also nominated in 2006, contained band members from Brazil and Canada.^[19] The presence of classical, folk and jazz recordings has been cited by some as anomalous, arguing that comparisons with the other nominees can be invidious.^[20] Classical acts to have an album nominated have included Sir John Tavener, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Gavin Bryars and Nicholas Maw. None has ever won, and there has not been a shortlisted classical album since 2002.

To date, PJ Harvey is the only artist to have won the award on more than one occasion (in 2001 and 2011). She was also the first female solo artist to receive the award and ties with Radiohead as the most nominated artist, though Radiohead have never won the prize.^[21]

Winners and shortlisted nominees

Inaugural winners Primal Scream

Suede won in 1993.

Heather Small of M People, winners in 1994

Portishead, winners in 1995

Pulp, winners in 1996

1997's winner Roni Size

Gomez, winners in 1998

2000 winner Badly Drawn Boy

PJ Harvey, winner in 2001 and 2011, the only artist to win the award twice

2003 winner Dizzee Rascal

Franz Ferdinand, winners in 2004

Anthony and the Johnsons received some criticism after their 2005 victory for being based in New York.

The Arctic Monkeys won in 2006.

2007 winners, Klaxons

2009 winner Speech Debelle

2010 winners The xx

Year	Winner	Shortlisted nominees	Ref(s)
1992	Primal Scream – Screamadelica	Barry Adamson – Soul Murder Jah Wobble – Rising Above Bedlam The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey's Dead Bheki Mseleku – Celebration Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha Simply Red – Stars U2 – Achtung Baby John Tavener & Steven Isserlis –The Protecting Veil Young Disciples – Road to Freedom	[22]
1993	Suede – Suede	Apache Indian – No Reservations The Auteurs – New Wave Gavin Bryars – Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet Dina Carroll – So Close PJ Harvey – Rid of Me New Order – Republic Stereo MCs – Connected Sting – Ten Summoner's Tales Stan Tracey – Portraits Plus	[23]
1994	M People – Elegant Slumming	Blur – Parklife Ian McNabb – Head Like A Rock Shara Nelson – What Silence Knows Michael Nyman – The Piano Concerto and MGV The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation Pulp – His 'n' Hers Take That – Everything Changes Therapy? – Troublegum Paul Weller – Wild Wood	[24]
1995	Portishead – Dummy	Guy Barker – Into the Blue Elastica – Elastica PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love Leftfield – Leftism James MacMillan – Seven Last Words from the Cross Van Morrison – Days Like This Oasis – Definitely Maybe Supergrass – I Should Coco Tricky – Maxinquaye	[25]
1996	Pulp – Different Class	Artists for War Child – Help Black Grape – It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah Peter Maxwell Davies/BBC Philharmonic – The Beltane Fire / Caroline Mathilde Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack Oasis – (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Courtney Pine – Modern Day Jazz Stories Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants Norma Waterson – Norma Waterson	[26]
1997	Roni Size/Reprazent – New Forms	The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole Beth Orton – Trailer Park Primal Scream – Vanishing Point The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land Radiohead – OK Computer Spice Girls – Spice Suede – Coming Up John Tavener – Svyati Mark-Anthony Turnage – Your Rockaby	[25]
1998	Gomez – Bring It On	4hero – Two Pages Asian Dub Foundation – Rafi's Revenge Eliza Carthy – Red Rice Catatonia – International Velvet Cornershop – When I Was Born for the 7th Time Massive Attack – Mezzanine Propellerheads – Decksandrumsandrockandroll Pulp – This Is Hardcore John Surman – Proverbs & Songs The Verve – Urban Hymns Robbie Williams – Life thru a Lens	[25]
1999	Talvin Singh – Ok	Thomas Adès – Asyla Denys Baptiste – Be Where You Are Black Star Liner – Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! Blur – 13 The Chemical Brothers – Surrender Faithless – Sunday 8PM Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Beth Orton – Central Reservation Kate Rusby – Sleepless Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails Underworld – Beaucoup Fish	[27]
2000	Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour of Bewilderbeast	Richard Ashcroft – Alone with Everybody Coldplay – Parachutes M. J. Cole – Sincere Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions The Delgados – The Great Eastern Doves – Lost Souls Helicopter Girl – How to Steal the World Leftfield – Rhythm and Stealth Nicholas Maw – Violin Concerto Nitin Sawhney – Beyond Skin Kathryn Williams – Little Black Numbers	[9]
2001	PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea	Basement Jaxx – Rooty Elbow – Asleep in the Back Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain Gorillaz – Gorillaz (nomination withdrawn at the request of the band)[28] Ed Harcourt – Here Be Monsters Tom McRae – Tom McRae Radiohead – Amnesiac Susheela Raman – Salt Rain Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World Turin Brakes – The Optimist LP Zero 7 – Simple Things	[29]
2002	Ms. Dynamite – A Little Deeper	Guy Barker – Soundtrack The Bees – Sunshine Hit Me David Bowie – Heathen The Coral – The Coral Doves – The Last Broadcast The Electric Soft Parade – Holes in the Wall Gemma Hayes – Night on My Side Beverley Knight – Who I Am Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me Joanna MacGregor – Play The Streets – Original Pirate Material	[30]
2003	Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner	Athlete – Vehicles and Animals Eliza Carthy – Anglicana Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head The Darkness – Permission to Land Floetry – Floetic Soweto Kinch – Conversations with the Unseen Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons The Thrills – So Much for the City Martina Topley-Bird – Quixotic Radiohead – Hail to the Thief Terri Walker – Untitled	[31]
2004	Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand	Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress Jamelia – Thank You Keane – Hopes and Fears Snow Patrol – Final Straw Joss Stone – The Soul Sessions The Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free Ty – Upwards Amy Winehouse – Frank Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland The Zutons – Who Killed...... The Zutons?	[32]
2005	Antony and the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now	Bloc Party – Silent Alarm Coldplay – X&Y Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV Kaiser Chiefs – Employment KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope M.I.A. – Arular Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger Polar Bear – Held on the Tips of Fingers Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers	[18]
2006	Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not	Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas Editors – The Back Room Guillemots – Through the Windowpane Richard Hawley – Coles Corner Hot Chip – The Warning Muse – Black Holes & Revelations Zoe Rahman – Melting Pot Lou Rhodes – Beloved One Scritti Politti – White Bread Black Beer Sway – This Is My Demo Thom Yorke – The Eraser	[33]
2007	Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future	Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford – Basquiat Strings Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English Maps – We Can Create New Young Pony Club – Fantastic Playroom Fionn Regan – The End of History Jamie T – Panic Prevention The View – Hats Off to the Buskers Amy Winehouse – Back to Black Young Knives – Voices of Animals and Men	[34]
2008	Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid	Adele – 19 British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? Burial – Untrue Estelle – Shine The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement Laura Marling – Alas, I Cannot Swim Neon Neon – Stainless Style Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand Portico Quartet – Knee Deep In The North Sea Radiohead – In Rainbows Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – The Bairns	[35]
2009	Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy	Bat for Lashes – Two Suns Florence and the Machine – Lungs Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires Glasvegas – Glasvegas Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew The Horrors – Primary Colours The Invisible – The Invisible Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum La Roux – La Roux Led Bib – Sensible Shoes Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men	[36]
2010	The xx – xx	Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea Dizzee Rascal – Tongue n' Cheek Foals – Total Life Forever I Am Kloot – Sky at Night Kit Downes Trio – Golden Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation Villagers – Becoming a Jackal Wild Beasts – Two Dancers	[37]
2011	PJ Harvey – Let England Shake	Adele – 21 Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys! Everything Everything – Man Alive Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam Gwilym Simcock – Good Days at Schloss Elmau James Blake – James Blake Katy B – On a Mission King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine Metronomy – The English Riviera Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy	[38]

See also

• Choice Music Prize (Ireland)
• Polaris Music Prize (Canada)
• Prix Constantin (France)
• Shortlist Music Prize (United States)
• Australian Music Prize (Australia)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Dann, Trevor (9 September 2003). "'By the time the list is agreed you wonder whether you like music at all'". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/sep/09/marketingandpr.mercuryprize2003. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
2. ^ "Manics lead Mercury shortlist". BBC News. 27 July 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/404980.stm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
3. ^ "Barclaycard Mercury Prize sponsorship announced". European Sponsorship Association. 30 March 2009. http://www.sponsorship.org/esa2009/membPressDetail.asp?id=551. Retrieved 12 August 2010. 
4. ^ "Mercury Prize 2008". BBC Music. http://www.bbc.co.uk/musicevents/mercuryprize2008/prize/. Retrieved 22 June 2009. 
5. ^ Beech, Mark (9 September 2008). "U.K. Band Elbow Wins Mercury Prize as Judges Surprise Again". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601102&sid=aJVsB6IoXBH8. Retrieved 24 June 2009. 
6. ^ Innes, John (15 September 2004). "Band's debut album soars back into charts after Mercury success". The Scotsman. http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=940&id=1080702004. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
7. ^ Burrell, Ian (21 July 2004). "Shortlist of 'eccentrics' for Mercury music prize". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/shortlist-of-eccentrics-for-mercury-music-prize-553897.html. Retrieved 23 June 2009. "...the most prestigious prize in the music calendar..." 
8. ^ Poole, Oliver (8 September 2004). "Scots rockers Ferdinand win Mercury Prize". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3623546/Scots-rockers-Ferdinand-win-Mercury-Prize.html. Retrieved 23 June 2009. "The Mercury Prize, now in its 13th year, is considered the most prestigious in British music..." 
9. ^ ^{a b} "PJ Harvey wins Mercury prize". BBC News. 11 September 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1538877.stm. "...Britain's most prestigious music prize..." 
10. ^ Gill, Andy (14 July 2006). "Curse of the Mercury". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/curse-of-the-mercury-407786.html. Retrieved 18 June 2009. "...the Mercury Prize has acquired a well-established reputation for destroying its winners' futures..." 
11. ^ Williamson, Nigel (13 July 2003). "Uneasy listening". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2003/jul/23/artsfeatures.mercuryprize2003. Retrieved 18 June 2009. 
12. ^ Adams, Stephen (5 September 2007). "Amy Winehouse performs at Mercury prize". Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1562214/Amy-Winehouse-performs-at-Mercury-prize.html. Retrieved 22 June 2009. 
13. ^ "Ms Dynamite wins Mercury prize". BBC News. 17 September 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2262195.stm. Retrieved 22 June 2009. 
14. ^ Waters, Darren (2 September 2005). "Judging music the Mercury way". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4197994.stm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
15. ^ Millar, Anna (13 August 2006). "Why Mercury makes Isobel's blood boil at pop industry". The Scotsman. http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=940&id=1177592006. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
16. ^ Youngs, Ian (4 December 2003). "Does the Mercury Prize get it right?". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3077975.stm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
17. ^ Barlow, Karen (26 September 2005). "Inaugural Australian music prize announced". Australian Broadcasting Company. http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1468509.htm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
18. ^ ^{a b} "Antony and Johnsons win Mercury". BBC News. 7 September 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4217140.stm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
19. ^ Sutherland, Mark. "Who can beat the Arctic Monkeys to win the Mercury Prize?". BBC 6 Music. http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/music_week/debate_mercuryarctics.shtml. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
20. ^ Petridis, Alexis (20 September 2002). "Back to basics". The Guardian. http://arts.guardian.co.uk/mercury2002/story/0,,795354,00.html. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
21. ^ "PJ Harvey wins Mercury Music Prize for second time". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14815129. Retrieved 6 September 2011. 
22. ^ Gill, Andy (10 September 1992). "The 1992 Mercury Music Prize: Andy Gill looks at the winner of the inaugural Mercury Music Prize". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/rock--the-1992-mercury-music-prize-andy-gill-looks-at-the-winner-of-the-inaugural-mercury-music-prize-1550461.html. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
23. ^ "The London Suede". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/london_suede/artist.jhtml. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
24. ^ Hughes, Jack (18 September 1994). "Cries & Whispers". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cries--whispers-1449544.html. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
25. ^ ^{a b c} "Mercury winners: where are they now?". Channel 4. 18 July 2007. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/music/mercury+winners+where+are+they+now/605557. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
26. ^ MacDonald, Marianne (11 September 1996). "Pulp create a different class of award". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pulp-create-a-different-class-of-award-1362749.html. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
27. ^ "Talvin Singh: Closing the divide". BBC News. 8 September 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/441762.stm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
28. ^ Youngs, Ian (30 July 2002). "Mercury Prize's guessing game". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2159934.stm. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
29. ^ "PJ Harvey wins Mercury prize – after witnessing Pentagon attack". The Guardian. 12 September 2001. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/sep/12/september11.usa5. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
30. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (18 September 2002). "Ms Dynamite's victory blasts Mercury norms". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/sep/18/arts.mercuryprize2002. Retrieved 1 September 2009. 
31. ^ Imagee, Matthew (7 September 2004). "Still going strong after Dizzee rise to Mercury's peak". The Scotsman. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/mercurymusicprize/Still-going-strong-after-Dizzee.2562092.jp. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
32. ^ Barkham, Patrick (8 September 2004). "Mercury rises for art pop of Franz Ferdinand". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/sep/08/arts.mercuryprize2004. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
33. ^ "Arctic Monkeys win 2006 Mercury Music Prize". NME. 5 September 2006. http://www.nme.com/news/nme/24216. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
34. ^ Pidd, Helen (5 September 2007). "Klaxons are the big noise on Mercury awards night". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/sep/05/pop.musicnews. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
35. ^ Paphides, Pete (10 September 2008). "Pete Paphides salutes Elbow's Mercury Prize victory". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4720677.ece. Retrieved 10 June 2009. 
36. ^ Swash, Rosie (21 July 2009). "Mercury Prize 2009 Nominations Announced". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/21/mercury-prize-2009-nominations-announced. Retrieved 21 July 2009. 
37. ^ "Mercury Prize 2010 Nominations Announced". NME. 20 July 2010. http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/52132. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
38. ^ Topping, Alexandra (19 July 2011). "Adele leads Mercury prize 2011 shortlist". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jul/19/adele-leads-mercury-prize-shortlist. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 

General

• "Highs and Lows of the Mercury Prize". BBC News. 20 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456975/html/nn1page1.stm. Retrieved 22 June 2009. 

External links

• Official website
• Mercury Prize at BBC Online
• Mercury Prize winners at Discogs