2020 ARIA Awards In Partnership With YouTube Music returns in November for one-of-a-kind year

ARIA is thrilled to announce that the 2020 ARIA Awards in partnership with YouTube Music will return on November 25th, for a one-of-a-kind year. The ARIA Awards ceremony will be held at The Star Event Centre in Sydney and broadcast around Australia on the Nine Network, with performances showcased around the world onYouTube. While there will be no physical audience, the ARIA Awards will be announced live from The Star Event Centre stage. 

2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for the music industry and the broader Australian community, from the tragic bushfires to the current COVID-19 crisis. Our artists and music community have been hit especially hard. ARIAis determined to put on a COVID-safe ARIA Awards in partnership with YouTube Music, that will simultaneously celebrate the resilience, tenacity and strength of character of the music industry. It will be an opportunity to celebrate the power of music and our Australian artists’ contributions, and to lift the national mood and spirit after a difficult 2020. 

The ARIA Awards celebrates a second year in partnership with YouTube Music, supporting ARIA to proudly showcase the achievements of the Australian music industry in their 34th annual event. The ARIAs will also once again be proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, and broadcast to screens across Australia on the Nine Network.

The 2020 ARIA Awards Season Launch will be presented online in October, allowing even more music fans to share in the excitement of the year’s top artists as the 2020 ARIA nominees are revealed. The special YouTube Premiere event will be hosted on the ARIA YouTube channel, and presented by Brooke Boney. The Fine Artsand Artisan ARIA Awards will now be awarded on the same day as the ARIA Awards in partnership with YouTube Music, showcasing the country’s best talent in all categories on November 25th. 

In order to amplify the celebration of Australian music in November, ARIA has partnered with the NSW Government to create a new music event, Great Southern Nights, which will bring 1,000 COVID-safe gigs to Sydney and regional NSW. Great Southern Nights is a NSW Government initiative, delivered by its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW in partnership with ARIA, giving Australian artists a welcome boost and turbocharging live music venues across the state. For more information about Great Southern Nights, visit www.greatsouthernnights.com.au.

Dan Rosen, ARIA Chief Executive, said, “It has been a hugely challenging year for everyone around Australia and indeed the world. There is no doubt that our music industry has been impacted, first by the bushfires and then by the COVID-19 crisis, and ARIA has been working hard to ensure we are supporting Australia’s artists in their time of need. With this year’s ARIA Awards, we want to celebrate the resilience, strength, and camaraderie that our artists and the music industry have shown throughout 2020, and celebrate the successes of the Australian music industry, both locally and on the global stage. Australia’s music industry is a passionate and determined community, and we can’t wait to showcase that on this night of nights.”

Denis Handlin AO, ARIA Chairman and Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, said: “On behalf of the ARIA Board, I am excited to announce the return of the ARIA Awards and to bring a moment of celebration and togetherness in this challenging year. This year’s Awards will be different from those we have held in the past, but it provides us with a creative opportunity to showcase our fantastic Australian talent in a unique way to music fans here and around the world. I am thrilled to have the Nine Network as our television partner, as we welcome back Destination NSW and The Star, and we look forward to working with all our partners to create an unforgettable night.”

Mel Silva, VP & Managing Director of Google Australia and New Zealand, said: “Being a part of the 2019 ARIA Awards and helping to export Australian music to the world was a highlight of last year. Since then, 2020 has delivered the unexpected, with challenge after challenge -- but Australians are resilient and so is our music industry. Throughout COVID-19, we’ve been continuing to support artists reach their audiences locally and globally through YouTube, adapting and flexing to circumstances to build incredible new experiences that we wouldn’t have even dreamt of just a few months back. It’s motivating and inspiring, and makes me want to do even more. It was an absolute no-brainer to partner with ARIA again this year and we look forward to celebrating Aussie music with everyone in the months ahead.” 

Hamish Turner, Nine Network Program Director, said: “2020 has been a year like no other. Through adversity the industry has come together to deliver two marquee events, in Music from the Homefront and the Bushfire Relief Concert. Nine are proud to once again support our artists and music community with this year's broadcast of the ARIA Awards. We are excited to come together and celebrate the local industry and artists.”

The Star Entertainment Group Chief Marketing Officer George Hughes, said: “The Star Sydney is thrilled to be partnering with ARIA again and hosting the iconic ARIA Awards at the Event Centre for the eighth year running.  In a year that has presented so many challenges for our entertainment industry, it’s now more important than ever to support and recognise our home-grown talent and wider music community.  We are proud to be able to play a role in this by hosting what will be a memorable one-of-a-kind occasion.” 

Mr. Hughes said the team are working closely with ARIAs to deliver an exceptional celebration for the industry in-line with all social distancing requirements and the property’s COVID Safe Plan. 

NSW Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres, said: “The NSW Government is proud to be a long-standing supporter of the ARIAs. As a global centre for world-class entertainment and creativity, Sydney is the perfect stage for this illustrious event., NSW is right behind Australian Music Month in November and to host the ARIA Awards, celebrating excellence in our music industry, shows our recognition of the importance of music to so many individuals, businesses and supporting industries now more than ever.”

Genelle Sharples, Media, Sponsorships & Awards Principal at Telstra, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with ARIA Awards again in 2020 with the Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award. It was so rewarding to recognise and acknowledge all the wonderful music teachers who inspire our kids every day and see another deserving recipient, Antonio Chiappetta, receive the Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award in 2019.  

Our continued partnership with ARIA and the Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award is important to Telstra as music brings people together and creates a connection to help everyone thrive.  We look forward to recognising more teachers from across the country who use their talents to inspire the next generation of Australian musicians.” 

Victoria Brown, Marketing Director at Swarovski, said: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with ARIAs in 2020 for the fourth year running. This year is particularly significant as we look to honour and recognise Australian musical talent after a devastating year with the bushfire and COVID-19 pandemic. Music drives expression, culture and brings society together, and if there was ever a time to unite it is now. We could not be prouder to be a part of Australia’s biggest music event again.” 

Andrew McLaren, Managing Director Moët Hennessy Australia & New Zealand, said: “We’re delighted to have Hennessy support the ARIA Best Hip Hop Release award for its second year running.  This award celebrates the industry’s trailblazers that inspire the next generation of Australian hip hop artists, a genre with huge potential that continues to go from strength to strength. In what has been an incredibly challenging year, we commend the music industry on displaying remarkable resilience and can’t wait to raise a glass of Hennessy to future success.”

There have been a host of Australian successes over the last twelve months, with over 50 Australian releases having landed in the Top Ten on the ARIA Albums Chart, and 10 Australian albums reaching #1. These achievements will be celebrated in an unforgettable night of television on the Nine Network on Wednesday, 25th November 2020.

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements about the 2020 ARIA Awards in partnership with YouTube Music.