The 2014 ARIA Awards connected by Telstra makes a dazzling return to The Star, Sydney

The 2014 ARIA Awards connected by Telstra makes a dazzling return to The Star, Sydney 

After the sold out success of last year’s event, the Australian music industry’s biggest night of celebration, the 28^th Annual ARIA Awards, presented for the first time by Telstra and proudly supported by the NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, is set to make a luminous return to the Event Centre at The Star, Sydney on Wednesday, November 26, 2014. The ARIAs will be broadcast on TEN, the official broadcast partner of the 2014 ARIA Awards.
 
ARIA Chairman and Chairman & CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia & New Zealand and President, Asia, Denis Handlin AM, said: “We are delighted to announce that The Star will again host the 28th Annual ARIA Awards – the biggest night of the year for Australian music. Working alongside the iconic Australian brands Telstra, David Jones and Qantas, we look forward to delivering a spectacular night celebrating an outstanding year in Australian music. We are also very pleased to continue our partnership with the NSW Government, which is supporting the Awards ceremony as well as the exciting schedule of events for ARIA Week 2014.”
 
ARIA Chief Executive Officer, Dan Rosen, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Telstra to offer Australian music fans a truly unique and memorable experience for the 28^th Annual ARIA Awards. The ARIAs are the flagship event of the Australian music calendar – a celebration of all that is great and popular in local music. 2014 has delivered an extraordinary year in Australian music - not only have Australian artists seen increased success locally, but they are making their stamp globally and we look forward to celebrating these feats on the ARIA Stage with stellar live performances, unforgettable collaborations and special guest appearances.”
 
Telstra General Manager, Brand Marketing, Toby Dewar said: “Australians love their music and Telstra loves connecting Australians with brilliant music experiences. We look forward to harnessing the power of our network to deliver a truly interactive and exciting experience for music fans.”
 
This year Australian artists including Sia, Iggy Azalea and 5 Seconds Of Summer have dominated charts around the world. Locally there have been eleven #1 Australian albums so far in 2014 with Australian artists holding the #1 spot on the ARIA Album charts for 19 out of 38 weeks.
 
Three Australian singles have claimed the #1 spot in 2014 on the ARIA Singles Chart and between them they have held the top spot for 13 out of 38 weeks, including Justice Crew’s hit ‘Que Sera’ which broke the ARIA chart record as the longest running Australian #1 holding the top position for nine consecutive weeks.
 
Greg Hawkins, Managing Director for The Star said: "I am delighted to welcome the Australian Music Industry back to The Star again this year. The Event Centre is the perfect home for the ARIA Awards offering state-of-the-art technical and audio visual facilities along with The Star’s range of world class facilities, accommodation, restaurants and after party venues. The 2014 ARIA Awards connected by Telstra promises to be the music event of the year."
 
ARIA and the NSW Government, through Destination NSW, are pleased to announce the return of ARIA Week again in 2014, after the success of last year’s program. ARIA Week will host a broad and eclectic range of showcases, curated gigs, and conferences, including the popular ARIA Masterclass, bringing the music industry together and offering the community unprecedented access to Australian music in the lead-up to the main event. The full ARIA Week schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
 
Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Andrew Stoner, said: “The NSW Government is proud to support the Australian music industry’s pinnacle events, the ARIA Awards and ARIA Week, through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW. These events attract visitors from overseas and interstate and generate significant international media coverage, reinforcing Sydney’s reputation as the home of the Australian music industry and the nation’s leading creative services hub.”
 
As well as watching the broadcast on TEN, music fans from around Australia can join in the festivities watching their favourite artists arrive on the David Jones Red Carpet at The Star, Sydney on Wednesday, November 26.
 
ARIA is thrilled to welcome back Qantas as a sponsor of the event and PPCA as the sponsor of the ‘Breakthrough Artist’ ARIA Award for the fourth consecutive year, continuing their support of Australia’s emerging artists.
 
Australian music fans will once again have the chance to have their say in who takes home an ARIA Award, with four publicly voted awards, including 'Song Of The Year', 'Best International Artist', 'Best Australian Live Act' and 'Best Video'. Voting for these categories opens on Tuesday, October 7.
 
The winners of the ARIA Fine Arts (Best Classical Album, Best Jazz Album, Best World Music Album and Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album) and Artisan Awards (Engineer Of The Year, Producer Of The Year and Best Cover Art) will be announced at the 2014 ARIA Nominations event on Tuesday, October 7 at the Art Gallery of NSW.
 
 Stay tuned to ariaawards.com.au for all 2014 ARIA Awards connected by Telstra updates or join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+.

Link to the launch video here.