As a Canadian I am aware that we hold the annual Juno Awards to reward the top artists in Canadian music. However I have to admit that I am often puzzled by the nominees for the Junos: they always seem to be big names in music with the little names getting a brief spotlight as up and comers or some such. The music is typically radio-friendly and bland. Frankly I don’t bother with the awards at all – they seem far too “ersatz“. But what is the Juno Award replacing, or standing in for?
Well, finally Canadians have an answer to this question – The Polaris Music Prize. Their mission statement:
The operation of a not-for-profit organization that annually honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected critics and experts. (link)
Whodathunkit? A music award based on artistic merit? What will us crazy Canucks think of next?!