[NEWS] DBSK and Big Bang Were Excluded From "Korean Music Awards"

Korean Music Awards Excludes Idol Singers from Nomination.. Their Argument?

At the announcement of the 2009 Korean Music Awards Nominees, nearly all ‘idol’ singers were noticeably absent from the list of nominees.

At the press conference for the 6th Annual Korean Music Awards—which was held at 10:30 A.M. on February 4 at the Seoul Joong-Gu TaePyong Korea Press Center—both a general outline for the upcoming ceremony and a list of nominees by category were announced.

Nominees in competition for the 2009 Korean Music Awards were selected from a review of songs and albums released domestically starting November 1, 2007 through October 31, 2008. Sister’s Barbershop’s ‘Most Ordinary Existence’ was nominated in a total of 5 categories including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Modern Rock Album and Best Modern Rock Song. Galaxy Express, Verbal Jint, Toy, Kim DongRyul, and W&Whale each received nominations in 4 categories. However, it was difficult to find the names of any of the so-called ‘idol’ singers among them.

Neither Seo Taiji’s first single from his 8th album nor Rain’s 5th album ‘Rainism’ earned nominations. TVXQ and Big Bang, each of whom drew a lot of popularity in the last year, were excluded from the list of nominees as their album release dates were November 12 and November 5 respectively.

The Wonder Girls received nominations in two categories including Song of the Year and Best Dance & Electronic Song, as well as a nomination in the Netizen’s Artist of Year category. Lee HyoRi’s earned her a nomination in the Best Dance & Electronic Song category. Big Bang’s TaeYang became a nominee in both the Best R&B/Soul Album and Best R&B/Soul Song categories, but Big Bang was unable to earn nominations in any of the categories.

A representative for the Korean Music Awards revealed, “The idea that the Korean Music Awards is biased towards indie music while giving mainstream music the cold shoulder is a misconception. The judging committee isn’t merely a group that makes its evaluations based on a single opinion or point-of-view. The nominees are selected in a collective evaluative process by a committee of 52 judges with a variety of perspectives.” The representative added, “No other aspect besides music is considered when selecting nominees. Musical value and the final product are the main concerns during evaluation.”

The Korean Music Awards seeks to treat music as more than a mere form of amusement but as an art, and musicians as artists instead of entertainers. With such a basis, more attention is paid to albums and songs rather than singers, and musical achievement represents the standard rather than sales figures. The ultimate goal of the Korean Music Awards is to move beyond the mainstream vs. independent debate and to create a foundation upon which Korean music can progress in a balanced, positive manner.

Music critics, journalists specializing in music, music producers, members of academia and of the public specializing in music, will all participate in the selection process by reviewing music released in the past year. Netizen voting will also be reflected.

The Korean Music Awards will take place at KonKuk University’s New Millenium Hall. Yoon DoHyun will host to the ceremony and Achievement Award winner, SanUlLim’s Kim ChangWan, will perform.

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source: Spectacle! Forums
credit: Lee HyunWoo@Newsen
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