Public Voting

Australian music fans had the chance to determine who took home an ARIA Award in 2012.

The winners from the four public voted categories are:

SONG OF THE YEAR: Matt Corby - Brother

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST: One Direction

BEST AUSTRALIAN LIVE ACT: Gotye - Making Mirrors Album Tour

BEST VIDEO: Natasha Pincus - 'Everyone's Waiting' by Missy Higgins 

In a first for ARIA and Australian music fans, this year also saw two ARIA Retailer Awards in the categories of BEST DIGITAL RETAIL SERVICE and BEST STREAMING SERVICE determined by public vote.

BEST DIGITAL RETAIL SERVICE: iTunes

BEST STREAMING SERVICE: YouTube 

CATEGORY DEFINITIONS

SONG OF THE YEAR

The nominee pool for the Song of the Year is drawn from the artists whose products made up the top ten highest selling Australian single releases (based on ARIA chart sales unit statistics for the period covered by charts published during the period commencing on 29 August 2011 and concluding on 27 August 2012). Sales of different releases by the same artist during the period cannot be aggregated for the purposes of this category. An artist may only be nominated once in this category, even if that artist has multiple releases in the top ten. Qualifying releases must have been released in the 19 August 2011 to 23 August 2012 period (but may be an album track subsequently released as a single), and must consist of at least 90% new recordings.

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST

The nominee pool for the Best International Artist is drawn from the artists whose recordings make up the top ten highest selling international releases, based on album and related single sales on ARIA charts published during the period commencing 29 August 2011 and concluding on 27 August 2012. The sales figures will be based on ARIA chart sales during the eligibility period in both the ARIA Top 100 Single and ARIA Top 100 Album categories, where the sale of ten bundled single products or tracks will equate to one album sale. Qualifying releases must consist of at least 90% new recordings and must have been first released either during the current eligibility period or during the eligibility period for the immediately preceding Awards.

BEST AUSTRALIAN LIVE ACT (Nominees determined by Judging School)

The nominee pool for Best Australian Live Act is determined by a Judging School specifically formed for this purpose. The nominees must meet the artist eligibility criteria set out in Section 3 of this document and must have performed at ticketed events in at least three Australian States and / or Territories during the eligibility period (ie between 19 August 2011 and 23 August 2012).

ARIA members may nominate eligible acts as part of the normal entry process. The Judging School will vote to determine the final 10 nominees, which will then form the pool for public voting.

BEST VIDEO (Nominees determined by the Voting Academy)

Concept, direction and performance of the video are major criteria, not necessarily the excellence of the music. This Award is presented to the Director of the entered video who must meet the general eligibility criteria for artists. If the single was not commercially released, then the media servicing date must fall within the eligibility period.

BEST DIGITAL RETAIL SERVICE (Nominees determined by the Voting Academy)

This award recognises excellence in digital retailing services. ARIA members may nominate services operating in Australia during the eligibility period (ie between 19 August 2011 and 23 August 2012). Only properly licensed services are eligible. The Voting Academy vote to determine the final 5 nominee services, which form the pool for public voting.

BEST DIGITAL STREAMING SERVICE (Nominees determined by the Voting Academy)

This award recognises excellence in digital streaming services, which may be subscription or free services. ARIA members may nominate services operating in Australia during the eligibility period (ie between 19 August 2011 and 23 August 2012). Only properly licensed services are eligible. The Voting Academy vote to determine the final 5 nominee services, which form the pool for public voting.