Thankfully, this weird year of 2020 is almost over. What better way to commemorate all the things that brought some joy into our lives than with the first ever Concert Archives’ End of the Year Awards!?
It wouldn’t be any fun if we just told you our thoughts, so we want to hear yours! If there’s someone or something you think deserves an award, let us know! Here are the categories:
Record Awards
Best Live Album
There were quite a few live albums released this year, and a decent amount of them dropped last month, too. Which live album released this year do you think deserves the title of “Best Live Album Released in 2020”?
Best Emotional Support Album
Feeling a bit more down this year than usual, whether from the lack of concerts or otherwise? Us too. That’s why we want to know what you think is the Best Emotional Support Album of 2020. You know, the album that you might listen to 5 times in a row when you’re having a bad day, or if your friend saw you listening to it at 3 am they’d text to ask “You alright?”.
Best “Forget Your Problems” Album
On the other hand, we also want to know what you think is the Best “Forget Your Problems” Album of 2020 – The one that makes you want to dance, or gets you amped up before your next Zoom meeting.
2020 “Album We Can’t Wait to Hear Live” Award
If you’ve been following along with our blog or socials, you’ll see that each week and month we update our “Songs We Can’t Wait to Hear Live” playlist and column. Now it’s your turn to tell us: what album from this year are you most stoked to see live?
Live Event Awards
Remember those? This category is specifically for (COVID-safe) in person events, either “normal” concerts earlier this year, or new COVID-era concerts such as drive-in concerts.
Best Overall Concert
The name here pretty much says it all. What was the best concert in 2020?
Best Concert Production
This award is for the concert with the best production. It could be either a pre-COVID concert or a cool drive-in! What 2020 concert had the best production: best lights, best sound, best stage design?
Best COVID-Safe Event
This award is for the best concert event that took place in COVID-times. If you’re one of the lucky few who got to attend one or a few drive-ins or one of the rare actually-socially-distant events, which one deserves the title of Best COVID-Safe Event?
Best Venue
There’s tons of venues, but which one really went above and beyond this year? Whether it’s by the number of amazing pre-COVID shows they put on, or the way they adapted during the pandemic to keep the arts alive and the lights on, we want to recognize them.
Best Opening Act
Of all the 2020 shows, which upcoming artist was the best opening act?
Best Tour that Kinda-Sorta-Almost-Happened
This award is specifically for the tours that were place in Mid-March, and had to shut down partway through. A lot of bands were on the road in March and ended their tours early due to safety concerns. It’s not an easy decision, especially when you’re 3000 miles from home and are probably going to lose a ton of money if you call it quits early. This one’s for them.
Best Postponed or Cancelled Tour
This award is for the best tour scheduled for 2020 that was over before it even began. Y’know, the one you were most looking forward to because the lineup was just so good, and now you’re hoping and praying that they bring it back in 2021 or beyond.
Live Stream Awards
None of us were ever hoping or expecting that this would be such a prolonged part of our 2020, but here we are. Naturally, all the great virtual live events this year deserve some awards too!
Best Live Stream
There’s been tons and tons of live streams over the past 9 months, both full-production, ticketed events and casual, unplanned Instagram streams, but only one of them can be the best!
Best Live Stream Festival
From getting out the vote, to raising money for venues, to just for fun, there’s been a ton of digital festivals this year. Which one do you think deserves the title of “Best Live Stream Festival”?
Most Creative Live Stream Event
While there’s been a lot of amazing live streams this year, some have gone above and beyond! Whether it was a music festival in Minecraft or an interactive streaming series, there’s definitely some creative events out there that deserve recognition!
Best Live Stream Merch
While making merch for a tour or festival, making merch for a digital event is pretty bold (shipping costs? they make me sad). And yet, some folks put out merch that was even worth paying shipping for! Let’s recognize them (and their awesome merch designer)!
Best Live Stream Platform
Along with the need for livestreams rose the need for more platforms to host these new live streams. Which platform has been your favorite to watch livestreams on?
Most Dedicated Live Streamer or Organizer
Tons of artists and promoters have gotten in on the streaming game, but who has (quite literally) done The Most? We want to recognize the person or people who, despite the pandemic, have gone above and beyond to keep live music alive via the power of the internet.
To nominate people who you think deserve an award, fill out the Google Form below, or open the nomination form in a new tab.
Be sure to check back later this month to see who won!