#261

Had she chosen to live in Scotland she would have been eligible for the SAY, because their criteria include “an artist or band, irrespective of nationality, has made their creative base in Scotland for the past 3 years”. I haven’t looked at the prizes in the other nations but it looks like Mercury is definitely the odd one out here.

4 Likes
#262

Well for starters at the very least I’d change it so that if you could prove you’ve lived in the UK for almost the entirety of your life you could enter.

If I was being really stringent about documentation to prove that (I wouldnt) as someone else said above I could accept a whole other range of documentation that would prove that. they’re being needlessly stubborn

#263

God I love our Celtic comrades.

2 Likes
#264

I don’t know that either, nor am I going to check, but I do know that it is possible to change the rules, and if an organisations has it pointed out to them that the rules that that have been set up, I’m going to assume with the best of intentions, are no longer fit for purpose then y’know, change the rules, don’t just be all ‘rules is rules!’

Just seems obvious to me!

6 Likes
#265

Dont have the rules to hand but he fact that U.S. Girls has been nominated for the Canadian one (is it Juno awards?) would suggest that they are closer to the SAY formula than the Mercury

#266

Sure, and maybe going forward they will decide to change the rules for eligibility. That isn’t what the issue above relates to though.

#267

The Welsh Music Prize has identical criteria to SAY, but the Irish one (the Choice Music Prize) is the same as the Mercury (you must either be born on the island of Ireland or hold an Irish passport). Not a 100% win for the celts.

1 Like
#268

Is it not? Just skim read the article but it seems like Rina can’t enter, record label got in touch to flag up that they believe there to be a flaw in the rules, were told rules is rules and they won’t be changing them anytime soon?

Have I totally misread it?

#269

Parody: (Not necessarily a good one)

Meet our 2020 judges

Jamie Cullum - yes HE gets to judge YOU lol
Mark Francois
Stephen Yaxley Lennon
The 3 Lads Who Tried To Recover Colston Statue
The Lads Who Spend All Day On Twitter Hassling Women
Graham Linehan

1 Like
#270

I don’t think there would have been much of a complaint if they’d responded to the woman in the article by saying that they would review the rules. You can understand how she (and others) have taken their curt response to her to amount to ‘piss off, you’re not British (or Irish) and this is a British (or Irish) prize for British (or Irish) people’.

I think in the modern world most people would assume (and hope) that a person who had made their home here since childhood and produced all of their music here would be eligible for a prize which is marketed as a prize for British and Irish artists. If there is a pressing reason why that can’t be the case I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect them to explain what that reason is.

1 Like
#271

Indeed not.
Not that Ireland doesn’t have issues with race of course.
I must check out the NI rules to see what the story is.
Actually in theory the Choice awards should supercede the NI prize.
In reality a large number of Irish music writers turn a blind eye to the North.
The fuckers.

1 Like
#272

I haven’t seen the email they sent her so I can’t really comment there

#273

I’m glad she has made some noise about this as I reckon this could get those rules changed for next year or whatever. A generous reading would be that the mercury response has come from some admin employee who is just reiterating what currently exists and that the people who could actually make changes are not even aware that it’s an issue. As a policy it doesn’t feel very in keeping with what the mercury awards seems to represent, so I would hope it gets changed.

3 Likes
#274

Well, no - the response is described by the journalist (who says that she has seen it) as ‘curt’, so I was taking that on trust.

#275

It’s a tricky issue but the SAY and Welsh Music Prize criteria feel about right. They would make someone like BC Camplight eligible, Thurston Moore even, which might be controversial for some.

#276

I’m sure that’s right, but on the other hand a person born in NI and holding a U.K. Passport is eligible for the Choice Music Prize, the NI Prize and the Mercury - even if they’ve lived in America for their whole life! Van Morrison is quids in if he can remember how to make a decent record.

The NI prize has exactly the same criteria as Scotland and Wales by the way (three years residence).

1 Like
#277

It probably is quite tricky to get right, but I reckon if I spent a day of two working it out I’d come up with something pretty good so I reckon they can do it!

:+1::+1::+1:

I’d just do ‘if you are a uk citizen or have lived here for at least half your age plus 7 years’ something like that

2 Likes
#278

Yeeeeeeoooooo

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#279

Fuck that. I’d go “apply if you feel you are British, don’t take the piss”

1 Like
#280

Yeah that’ll do!

:+1: