BPI have announced a fair big change for this year. It’ll be in Newcastle. Good idea?
Main downside I can forsee is that for smaller labels, junior staff, and media outlets who are based in/around London the quick train or tube to the awards is now a train to Newcastle plus a hotel. Might limit some of the potential media coverage but I guess it’ll still be televised and on 6 Music
Hopefully makes it more accessible to labels in the north and Scotland
Is it too soon to predict who might be on the shortlist this year?
MOBO awards also took place in the same Newcastle venue in February.
Probably unlikely but I’d like to see ‘Cotton Crown’ by the Tubs on the list.
Maybe some of these:
Laura Marling
The Cure
Fontaines
Jamie XX
Nilüfer Yanyar
FKA Twigs
Divorce
Emma-Jean Thackray
Greentea Peng
BCNR
Squid
What should be nominated but won’t be:
Jabu
Maria Somerville
Pale Blue Eyes
The Tubs
W.H. Lung
Shearer! Shearer!
The Jabu album is wonderful isn’t it
Indeed. They are superb live as well. I saw them around 3 weeks ago and have just noticed they’ve been added as support for the Maria Somerville gig on Saturday.
They might even give the award to a non-London act for the second year in a row!
What are the rules regarding eligibility again? For example, would Nala Sinephro (born in Belgium but resides in London) be eligible for nomination…because Endlessness is incredible.
Forgot who won last year so had to check. That English Teacher album wasn’t for me.
Think The Blaydon Races will walk it
There was a big controversy about this a few years ago
But then they changed the rules
Call me cynical but I doubt this will offer any benefit to the people actually doing music stuff here.
But I hope everyone who goes has a lovely night out.
I am indifferent to the change of venue, not really got any interest in the ceremony itself, just want to know what albums are nominated and who wins.
By the time the ceremony comes round I’d normally have listened to all the albums anyway, and in truth I’m rarely interested in seeing what musicians look like or hearing what they have to say beyond their music output, and whilst I am somewhat interested in how those I like on record perform live, this wouldn’t really be the optimal format for judging their live performances.
There’s quite a few mentioned already I’d like to see on the list, especially Emma-Jean Thackray and Greentea Peng. I’d also welcome nods for:
Rosie Lowe
Naima Bock
Nubya Garcia
Halina Rice
Midland
Djrum
Jeshi
Jim Ghedi
Yazz Ahmed
aya
Alabaster dePlume
Barker
absolutely. Been in love with it since it came out
for once, it’s nice for all the smaller labels staff media etc who are based outside of london though 
Only if they’re based in the local area - having listened to Field Music, Frankie and the PopRecs crew that seems to be a very limited circle of people
Generator up there do some great work and I’ve spoken at some of their events over the years - was how I met Let’s Buy Happiness who were a fantastic band (was handed their record by a member of Prefab Sprout)
It’s quite funny, the only major label in the north is based in Manchester, which is actually further on the train from Newcastle than London 
Omg, I can’t believe I’m having to write this but there’s more to the north east than Pop Recs and Generator.
