Mercury Prize

Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize logo
Awarded for	Best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland
Presented by	Barclaycard
Location	United Kingdom
First awarded	1992
Official website	http://www.mercuryprize.com/

The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British Association of Record Dealers in 1992 as an alternative to the industry-dominated Brit Awards.^[1] The prize was originally sponsored by Mercury Communications, a brand owned by Cable & Wireless,^[2] from which the prize gets its name. It was later sponsored by Technics,^[3] from 1998 to 2001, Panasonic,^[2] in 2002 and 2003, and the Nationwide Building Society, from 2004 to 2008. Barclaycard became the Prize's current sponsor in March 2009.^[4]

Nominations are chosen by a selected panel of musicians, music executives, journalists and other figures in the music industry in the UK and Ireland.^[1][5] Presentation of the award usually take place in September after the nominations are announced in July. It is often observed that bands who are nominated for, or win the prize, experience a large increase in album sales, particularly for lesser known nominees.^[6] However, despite being regarded by many as highly prestigious,^[7][8][9] it has been suggested that being nominated for or winning the Mercury Prize could be a curse on a career in music.^[10][11]

The Mercury Prize has a reputation for being awarded to outside chances rather than the favourites.^[12][13] The 1994 award winners were the pop act M People, a controversial decision considering the shortlist included popular albums from Britpop figureheads Paul Weller, Blur and Pulp, and electronica band The Prodigy.^[14][15][16] Other music journalists critical of the awards stated that the 2005 award should not have been given to Antony and the Johnsons as while they were British-born, they were based in the United States.^[17][18] In 2006, Isobel Campbell's collaboration with Mark Lanegan, Ballad of the Broken Seas, was included in the shortlist, despite Lanegan's being American while fellow 2006 nominees Guillemots contained band members from Brazil and Canada.^[19] The presence of classical, folk and jazz recordings has been cited by some as anomalous, arguing that comparisons with the other nominees can be invidious.^[20] Classical nominees have included Sir John Tavener, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Gavin Bryars and Nicholas Maw. None has ever won, and there has not been a shortlisted classical album since 2002.

The 2010 Mercury Prize shortlist was announced on July 20, 2010. The winner will be named on September 7.^[21]

Contents 1 Winners and shortlisted nominees 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

Winners and shortlisted nominees

Year	Winner	Album	Shortlisted nominees & albums	Ref(s)
1992	Primal Scream	Screamadelica	Barry Adamson – Soul Murder Jah Wobble – Rising Above Bedlam The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey's Dead Bheki Mseleku – Celebration Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha Simply Red – Stars U2 – Achtung Baby John Tavener & Steven Isserlis –The Protecting Veil Young Disciples – Road to Freedom	[22]
1993	Suede	Suede	Apache Indian – No Reservations The Auteurs – New Wave Gavin Bryars – Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet Dina Carroll – So Close PJ Harvey – Rid of Me New Order – Republic Stereo MCs – Connected Sting – Ten Summoner's Tales Stan Tracey – Portraits Plus	[23]
1994	M People	Elegant Slumming	Blur – Parklife Ian McNabb – Head Like A Rock Shara Nelson – What Silence Knows Michael Nyman – The Piano Concerto and MGV The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation Pulp – His 'n' Hers Take That – Everything Changes Therapy? – Troublegum Paul Weller – Wild Wood	[24]
1995	Portishead	Dummy	Guy Barker – Into the Blue Elastica – Elastica PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love Leftfield – Leftism James MacMillan – Seven Last Words from the Cross Van Morrison – Days Like This Oasis – Definitely Maybe Supergrass – I Should Coco Tricky – Maxinquaye	[25]
1996	Pulp	Different Class	Artists for War Child – Help Black Grape – It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah Peter Maxwell Davies/BBC Philharmonic – The Beltane Fire / Caroline Mathilde Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack Oasis – (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Courtney Pine – Modern Day Jazz Stories Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants Norma Waterson – Norma Waterson	[26]
1997	Roni Size/Reprazent	New Forms	The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole Beth Orton – Trailer Park Primal Scream – Vanishing Point The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land Radiohead – OK Computer Spice Girls – Spice Suede – Coming Up John Tavener – Svyati Mark-Anthony Turnage – Your Rockaby	[25]
1998	Gomez	Bring It On	4hero – Two Pages Asian Dub Foundation – Rafi's Revenge Eliza Carthy – Red Rice Catatonia – International Velvet Cornershop – When I Was Born for the 7th Time Massive Attack – Mezzanine Propellerheads – Decksandrumsandrockandroll Pulp – This Is Hardcore John Surman – Proverbs & Songs The Verve – Urban Hymns Robbie Williams – Life thru a Lens	[25]
1999	Talvin Singh	Ok	Thomas Adès – Asyla Denys Baptiste – Be Where You Are Black Star Liner – Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! Blur – 13 The Chemical Brothers – Surrender Faithless – Sunday 8PM Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours Beth Orton – Central Reservation Kate Rusby – Sleepless Stereophonics – Performance and Cocktails Underworld – Beaucoup Fish	[27]
2000	Badly Drawn Boy	The Hour of Bewilderbeast	Richard Ashcroft – Alone with Everybody Coldplay – Parachutes M. J. Cole – Sincere Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions The Delgados – The Great Eastern Doves – Lost Souls Helicopter Girl – How to Steal the World Leftfield – Rhythm and Stealth Nicholas Maw – Violin Concerto Nitin Sawhney – Beyond Skin Kathryn Williams – Little Black Numbers	[28]
2001	PJ Harvey	Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea	Basement Jaxx – Rooty Elbow – Asleep in the Back Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain Gorillaz – Gorillaz (nomination withdrawn at the request of the band)[29] Ed Harcourt – Here Be Monsters Tom McRae – Tom McRae Radiohead – Amnesiac Susheela Raman – Salt Rain Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World Turin Brakes – The Optimist LP Zero 7 – Simple Things	[30]
2002	Ms. Dynamite	A Little Deeper	Guy Barker – Soundtrack The Bees – Sunshine Hit Me David Bowie – Heathen The Coral – The Coral Doves – The Last Broadcast The Electric Soft Parade – Holes in the Wall Gemma Hayes – Night on My Side Beverley Knight – Who I Am Roots Manuva – Run Come Save Me Joanna MacGregor – Play The Streets – Original Pirate Material	[31]
2003	Dizzee Rascal	Boy in da Corner	Athlete – Vehicles and Animals Eliza Carthy – Anglicana Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head The Darkness – Permission to Land Floetry – Floetic Soweto Kinch – Conversations with the Unseen Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons The Thrills – So Much for the City Martina Topley-Bird – Quixotic Radiohead – Hail to the Thief Terri Walker – Untitled	[32]
2004	Franz Ferdinand	Franz Ferdinand	Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash Belle & Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress Jamelia – Thank You Keane – Hopes and Fears Snow Patrol – Final Straw Joss Stone – The Soul Sessions The Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free Ty – Upwards Amy Winehouse – Frank Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland The Zutons – Who Killed...... The Zutons?	[33]
2005	Antony and the Johnsons	I Am a Bird Now	Bloc Party – Silent Alarm Coldplay – X&Y Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV Kaiser Chiefs – Employment KT Tunstall – Eye to the Telescope M.I.A. – Arular Maxïmo Park – A Certain Trigger Polar Bear – Held on the Tips of Fingers Seth Lakeman – Kitty Jay The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers	[18]
2006	Arctic Monkeys	Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not	Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas Editors – The Back Room Guillemots – Through the Windowpane Richard Hawley – Coles Corner Hot Chip – The Warning Muse – Black Holes & Revelations Zoe Rahman – Melting Pot Lou Rhodes – Beloved One Scritti Politti – White Bread Black Beer Sway – This Is My Demo Thom Yorke – The Eraser	[34]
2007	Klaxons	Myths of the Near Future	Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford – Basquiat Strings Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English Maps – We Can Create New Young Pony Club – Fantastic Playroom Fionn Regan – The End of History Jamie T – Panic Prevention The View – Hats Off to the Buskers Amy Winehouse – Back to Black Young Knives – Voices of Animals and Men	[35]
2008	Elbow	The Seldom Seen Kid	Adele – 19 British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? Burial – Untrue Estelle – Shine The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement Laura Marling – Alas, I Cannot Swim Neon Neon – Stainless Style Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand Portico Quartet – Knee Deep In The North Sea Radiohead – In Rainbows Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – The Bairns	[36]
2009	Speech Debelle	Speech Therapy	Bat for Lashes – Two Suns Florence and the Machine – Lungs Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires Glasvegas – Glasvegas Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew The Horrors – Primary Colours The Invisible – The Invisible Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum La Roux – La Roux Led Bib – Sensible Shoes Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men	[37]
2010			Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions Corinne Bailey Rae – The Sea Dizzee Rascal – Tongue n' Cheek Kit Downes Trio – Golden Foals – Total Life Forever I Am Kloot – Sky at Night Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More Paul Weller – Wake Up the Nation Villagers – Becoming a Jackal Wild Beasts – Two Dancers The xx – xx	[38]

See also

• Choice Music Prize (Ireland)
• Polaris Music Prize (Canada)
• Prix Constantin (France)
• Shortlist Music Prize (United States)
• Australian Music Prize (Australia)

References

General

• "Highs and Lows of the Mercury Prize". BBC News. 20 June 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456975/html/nn1page1.stm. Retrieved 22 June 2009. 

Specific

External links

• Mercury Music Prize Official Site
• BBC Mercury Music Prize Site ~ Official Broadcast Partner