With only eight weeks to go until the 26th ARIA Awards, the annual celebration of the success of Australian music at home, nominees have been announced for all the categories along with the details of the gala event held in Sydney on Thursday 29th November 2012.

This year’s nominations are an exciting mix of both new and established artists with multi-award winning, quick witted Melbourne rapper 360 leading the way with 6 nominations including Album Of The Year and Best Urban Album nods for Falling & Flying.

He is also nominated in the categories of Best Australian Live Act, Breakthrough Artist – Release and Best Male Artist, and his collaboration with Gossling for Boys Like You is one of ten nominees up for Song Of The Year.

Following close behind with 5 nominations are The Jezabels who are also up for a number of AIR Awards, and of course Gotye, capping off a huge year for the Melbourne-based artist who was catapulted onto the world’s stage following the runaway success of his single ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’.

Gotye’s five nominations include Album Of The Year, and Best Pop Release for Making Mirrors, as well as nominations for Best Australian Live Act and Best Male Artist.

This years ARIA Awards cap off an impressive year for the Australian Recording Industry. Since last year’s ARIA Awards, there have been six Australian Singles and eight Australian albums at #1, and Australian artists have spent a combined total of 19 weeks at the top of the ARIA Singles Chart and 16 weeks on the ARIA Album Chart.

There have also been 83 Australian singles, albums and DVDs awarded gold, platinum or multi-platinum status and 48 individual Australian artists were accredited gold, platinum or multi-platinum status.

Winners of the three ARIA Artisan Award categories and four ARIA Fine Arts categories were also announced at the nomination ceremony – the first of many artists to be acknowledged by their peers for their creative contributions over the last 12 months.

In the Fine Arts Awards, William Barton won Best Classical Album for Kalkadungu, Sarah McKenzie won Best Jazz Album for Close Your Eyes, Joseph Tawadros won Best World Music Album for Concerts of the Greater Sea, and even triple j picked up an award for Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album for triple j’s Tribute To Nick Cave .

In the Artisan Awards, Gotye’s father Frank De Backer won Best Cover Art for his work on Gotye’s Making Mirrors, whilst the engineer for the Making Mirrors, Francois Tetaz, won Engineer Of The Year, and Styalz Fuego won Producer Of The Year for 360’s Falling & Flying.

In other exciting news the first of the performance slots were also announced today with 360, Hilltop Hoods, Jessica Mauboy, The Jezabels and The Temper Trap all confirmed to hit the stage at the ARIA Awards ceremony.

The 2012 ARIA Awards will again give Australian music fans the chance to have their say in who takes home an ARIA Award, with four publicly voted awards, including Song Of The Year, Best International Artist, Best Australian Live Act, and Best Video.

Stay tuned for further announcements of performers, presenters and hosts for the 26th annual ARIA Awards in coming weeks. There will also be an announcement on ARIA WEEK, a new initiative that will continue to support and celebrate the Australian Music Industry.

2012 ARIA AWARD NOMINEES

Album of the Year
360 – Falling & Flying (Soulmate/EMI)
Gotye – Making Mirrors (Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records / Eleven: A Music Company/Universal Music Australia)
Missy Higgins – The Ol’ Razzle Dazze (Eleven: A Music Company / Universal Music Australia)
The Jezabels – Prisoner (The Jezabels / MGM)
The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap (Liberation Music)

Best Male Artist
360 – Falling & Flying (Soulmate / EMI)
Angus Stone – Broken Brights (Capitol / EMI)
Gotye – Making Mirrors (Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records / Eleven: A Music Company/Universal Music Australia)
Guy Sebastian – Battle Scars (Sony Music)
Keith Urban – For You (Capitol / EMI)
Matt Corby – Into The Flame (Mercury / UMA)

Best Female Artist
Jessica Mauboy – Gotcha (Sony Music)
Kimbra – Vows (Warner Music Australia)
Lanie Lane – To The Horse (Ivy League Records)
Missy Higgins – The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle (Eleven: A Music Company / Universal Music Australia)
Washington – Insomnia (Mercury / UMA)

Best Group
Boy & Bear – Big Man (Island/UMA)
Cold Chisel – No Plans (Warner Music Australia)
Hilltop Hoods – Drinking From The Sun (Island/UMA)
The Jezabels – Prisoner (The Jezabels / MGM)
The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap (Liberation Music)

Breakthrough Artist – Release
360 – Falling & Flying (Soulmate / EMI)
Alpine – A Is For Alpine (Ivy League Records)
Lanie Lane – To The Horses (Ivy League Records)
Matt Corby – Brother (Mercury / UMA)
San Cisco – Awkward (Island City Records / MGM)

Best Independent Release
Dappled Cities – Lake Air (Hub The Label / Inertia)
Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp – Songs of the Southern Skies (Kin Music)
San Cisco – Awkward (Island City Records / MGM)
The Bamboos – Medicine Man (Inertia Recordings)
The Jezabels – Prisoner (The Jezabels / MGM)

Best Adult Contemporary Album
Darren Hayes – Secret Codes And Battleships (Mercury / UMA)
Husky – Forever So (Liberation Music)
Josh Pyke – Only Sparrows (Ivy League Records)
Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp – Songs of the Southern Skies (Kin Music)
Missy Higgins – The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle (Eleven: A Music Company / Universal Music Australia)

Best Blues & Roots Album
Angus Stone – Broken Brights (Capitol / EMI)
Jeff Lang – Carried In Mind (ABC Music)
Lanie Lane – To The Horses (Ivy League Records)
Mia Dyson – The Moment (Black Door Records / MGM)
Paul Green & The Other Colours – Behind The Stars (ABC Music)

Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album
Buried In Verona – Notorious (UNFD / Warner)
DZ Deathrays – Bloodstreams (I OH YOU/Illusive Sounds)
Frenzal Rhomb – Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (How much did I fucking pay for this records?)
House Vs Hurricane – Crooked Teeth (UNFD / Warner)
Sleepmakeswaves – …and so we destroyed everything (Birds Robe Records / GREEN)

Best Pop Release
Gotye – Making Mirrors (Samples ‘n’ Seconds Records / Eleven: A Music Company/Universal Music Australia)
Guy Sebastian – Battle Scars (Sony Music)
Jessica Mauboy – Gotcha (Sony Music)
Kimbra – Vows (Warner Music Australia)
San Cisco – Awkward (Island City Records / MGM)

Best Rock Album
Children Collide – Monument (UMA)
Cold Chisel – No Plans (Warner Music Australia)
Oh Mercy – Deep Heat (EMI)
The Jezabels – Prisoner (The Jezabels / MGM)
The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap (Liberation Music)

Best Urban Album
360 – Falling & Flying (Soulmate / EMI)
Hilltop Hoods – Drinking From The Sun (Golden Era/Island/UMA)
Katalyst – Deep Impressions (Invada / Remote Control Records)
The Bamboos – Medicine Man (Inertia Recordings)
The Herd – Future Shade (Elefant Traks / Inertia)

Best Children’s Album
Bananas In Pyjamas – Playtime (ABC Music)
dirtgirlworld – dirtgirl rocks the planet (kidindy)
Hi-5 – Sing It Loud (Sony Music)
Rhys Muldoon – I’m Not Singing (ABC Music)
The Wiggles – Surfer Jeff (ABC Music)

Best Comedy Release
Anthony Salame – Is This thing On? (Punchline Comedy)
Arj Barker – Joy Harvest (Punchline Comedy)
Buddy Goode – Unappropriate (ABC Music)
Sammy J – Skinny Man, Modern World (Words And Music Entertainment/Buxstock)
The Beards – Having A Beard Is The New Not Having A Beard (MGM)

Best Country Album
Beccy Cole – Songs and Pictures (Sony Music)
Catherine Britt – Always Never Enough (ABC Music)
McAlister Kemp – Country Proud (ABC Music)
The McClymonts – Two Worlds Collide (UMA)
Troy Cassar-Daley – Home (Liberation Music)

Best Dance Release
Havana Brown – When The Lights Go Out (Island/UMA)
Hermitude – Hyperparadise (Elefant Traks / Inertia)
Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl feat. Georgi Kay – In My Mind (Neon Records)
Knife Party – Rage Valley (Earstorm / Neon Records / Warner Music Australia)
Sneaky Sound System – From Here To Anywhere (Modular Recordings)

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