MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. Originally beginning as an alternative to the Grammy Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards is now a respected pop culture awards show in its own right.[original research?] These shows are presented annually and broadcast live on MTV. Past broadcasts have been held in New York City, Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada and Miami, Florida.

The statues given to winners of the award are often called "Moon Men" because the statue is of an astronaut on the moon, one of the earliest representations of MTV. The "Moon Man" award is manufactured by R.S. Owens & Company in Chicago, IL, who has been producing the award since 1984. The eligibility period for the Video Music Awards begins July 1. Before 2002, the VMAs were traditionally held on the first Thursday of September. It was decided to move the awards back a week so that it wouldn't conflict with the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards were held in Las Vegas, Nevada in the Pearl Theater at the Palms Hotel and Casino on September 9, 2007.

Award categories Video of the Year Male Artist of the Year Female Artist of the Year Best New Artist Best Group Most Earthshattering Collaboration Quadruple Threat of the Year Monster Single of the Year Best Direction Best Choreography Best Editing Video Vanguard Award

Defunct categories Best Alternative Video Best Art Direction Best Artist Website Best Cinematography Best Concept Video Best Dance Video Best Hip-Hop Video Best Long Form Video Best Overall Performance Best Pop Video Best Post-Modern Video Best R&B Video Best Rap Video Best Rock Video Best Special Effects Best Stage Performance Best Video from a Film Best Video Game Score Best Video Game Soundtrack Breakthrough Video Most Experimental Video MTV2 Award Ringtone of the Year Viewer's Choice Award

Most frequent winners Artist with the most awards: 1. Madonna: 20 awards (and "Artist of the Decade"- Career Achievement) 2. Peter Gabriel: 13 3. R.E.M.: 12 4. Aerosmith: 10 5. Janet Jackson: 9 5. Fatboy Slim: 9 6. Michael Jackson: 8 7. a-ha: 8 7. Eminem: 8 8. Green Day: 8 9. Beyonce: 7 10.Justin Timberlake: 7

Artist with the most awards in one night: Peter Gabriel: 9 (For "Sledgehammer")

Notable moments at the MTV Video Music Awards

1980s

1984 Madonna's performance at the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 is considered to be the singer's first of many controversial incidents over her twenty-five-year career. She took the stage to sing "Like a Virgin" wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown, which included her trademark "Boy Toy" belt. During the performance, she rolled around on the floor, revealing lacy stockings and garters, and made a number of sexually suggestive moves.

1989 Controversial comic Andrew Dice Clay's appearance on the 1989 Video Music Awards to promote his new movie, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, earned him a "lifetime ban" from the network when he performed some of his already-notorious nursery rhymes. After performing on the 1989 VMAs with Tom Petty, Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was assaulted by M?tley Cr?e lead singer Vince Neil, leading to a verbal battle between Neil and Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose when Rose stood up for Stradlin. The performance of "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with just two acoustic guitars and two voices has been credited as helping inspire the MTV Unplugged series.

1990s

1990 Madonna's Marie Antoinette-inspired performance of "Vogue" drew criticism for being sexually provocative, including instances when Madonna pushed two male dancers' faces into her breasts and lifted her skirts to reveal her undergarments.

1991 Conflict between Poison's Bret Michaels and C. C. DeVille culminated in a fistfight at the Video Music Awards in 1991, provoked by DeVille's live performance which was perceived as inept. DeVille was fired and replaced by Pennsylvanian guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen. The 1991 VMAs included the first public appearance by Paul Reubens after his lewd-conduct arrest earlier that year. Taking the stage in costume as Pee-Wee Herman, he received a standing ovation, after which he asked the audience, "Heard any good jokes lately?" This would be the last time Reubens would appear in public in his Pee-Wee persona for almost 16 years. Prince performed his song, "Gett Off", complete with a yellow suit which exposed his bare buttocks and a full harem.

1992 In 1992, MTV had requested that Nirvana perform their smash hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit," while the band members themselves had indicated they preferred to play their new songs, "Rape Me" and "tourette's". This did not go over well with network executives, who continued to push for "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Finally, offering a compromise, MTV executives offered the band a choice to play either "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Lithium", which the band appeared to accept. However, at the actual performance, Kurt Cobain played and sang the first few bars of "Rape Me", much to the horror of MTV executives. MTV was just about to cut to a commercial, but the band returned to their regular performance of "Lithium". Near the end of the song, frustrated that his amp had stopped functioning, bassist Krist Novoselic decided to toss his bass into the air for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, he misjudged the landing, and the bass ended up bouncing off of his forehead, forcing him to stumble off the stage in a daze. Cobain, meanwhile, proceeded to trash the band's equipment at the end of the performance, while drummer Dave Grohl ran to the mic and began yelling "Hi, Axl!" repeatedly. Axl Rose challenged Kurt Cobain to a fight during the VMAs after Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love, egged him on. Guns N' Roses' hit ballad "November Rain" became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning an MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography in 1992. During the awards show, the band performed "November Rain" with singer Elton John. Because of the dispute Axl had with Cobain, moments before the "November Rain" performance, Cobain spat on the keys of what he thought was Axl's piano. Cobain later revealed that he was shocked to see Elton John play on the piano he had spat on. Howard Stern, dressed as Fartman, had his butt cheeks grabbed by then teen-heartthrob Luke Perry during the presentation of the Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock band video. Later on that night, during the post ceremony on MTV, Van Halen's lead singer, Sammy Hagar, declared "Howard Stern's a jerk". Dana Carvey, in his Garth character from Wayne's World played the drums live along with U2 while being linked by satellite to a concert the band was performing in Detroit, Michigan. Garth asked Bono if he liked Lucky Charms (referring to the breakfast cereal and the band being from Ireland) to which Bono answered, "Just the blue stars, but not the green palm trees!" They went on to perform "Even Better Than The Real Thing". Red Hot Chili Peppers performed "Give It Away". During the performance, lead singer Anthony Kiedis wore a checkered jump suit and audience members went on stage, jumping and dancing with the band.

1993 Pearl Jam and Neil Young took the stage in 1993 and gave a well regarded performance of Young's classic "Rockin' in the Free World". This followed Pearl Jam's performance of their song "Animal", which would be released a month later on Vs., one of the few songs to ever be performed at the VMAs that never had a video on MTV. RuPaul caused a bit of controversy at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards when he was given the opportunity to present an award with legendary actor Milton Berle, who performed an altogether different type of drag early in his career. The two had conflicts back-stage, and when Berle inappropriately touched RuPaul's breasts, RuPaul ad-libbed the line, "So you used to wear gowns, but now you're wearing diapers." The press picked this up as a crack in the "love everyone" message RuPaul presented, and depicted the incident as a young newcomer treating a legend poorly. Eventually the hullabaloo faded. Snoop Dogg made a bold appearance at the VMAs to present the Best R&B Video along with Dr. Dre and George Clinton. At the time, he was wanted for the death of an LA gang member a week before the MTV telecast. After giving away the Best R&B Video award to En Vogue, Snoop received word that the LAPD was there to arrest him, and left the Gibson Amphitheatre just before the police could find him in the audience. After the award show, Snoop turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department.

1994 Shortly after their marriage, Michael Jackson and then-wife Lisa Marie Presley arrived to present an award and gave a highly-publicized on-air kiss. At the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards on September 8, five months after a profanity-laced appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Madonna was announced to present the award for Best Group Video. She came out arm-in-arm with an unannounced David Letterman, to a wild ovation. She said: "And they said we wouldn't last..." (referring to the same statement made at the start of the show by Michael Jackson about his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley). At the microphone, Letterman told her, "I'll be out by the car. Watch your language," and then left. Madonna has made several appearances on Letterman's show since, the two now treating the incident with humor. Main article: Madonna on Letterman Two separate tributes were offered by Nirvana band members to Kurt Cobain, who had committed suicide in April of that year. The first was given by Dave Grohl during his acceptance speech for the Best Alternative Video, where he said, "It'd be silly to act like there's not something missing up here, and I think about Kurt every day." The second was delivered by Krist Novoselic and was built into the program. Upon winning the Best Video of the Year award and receiving it from Madonna, Steven Tyler joked, holding out his index and middle finger, "Why does Madonna use these two fingers to masturbate? Because they're mine." Madonna retorted, "Steve, if I used your fingers to masturbate, it wouldn't be masturbation - it would be sexual abuse." Nathaniel H?rnblow?r (Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys) made his televised debut as Hornblower at the Video Music Awards as he stormed the stage in costume to protest after R.E.M. won the award for Best Direction over the Spike Jonze directed Beastie Boys video "Sabotage". The character also said he was from Switzerland and that he had the original ideas for Star Wars.

1995 At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards post-show, while MTV reporter Kurt Loder was interviewing Madonna, an apparently intoxicated Courtney Love threw her compacts into the post-show interview box; she then proceeded to enter the interview box and begin discussing how she and Madonna had gotten into a public dispute a few years earlier, ultimately taking over the interview. Love began talking about how there was plenty of good money in rock 'n' roll; to which Madonna responded; "...and a lot of available drugs". An irritated Madonna left a few minutes later. Michael Jackson took the stage to perform a medley of hits including "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Scream", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Black or White" featuring Slash, and "The Way You Make Me Feel". He also performed special versions of "Dangerous" and "You Are Not Alone". After being introduced, Courtney Love said, "This is for Kurt, and Kristen, and River, and Joe, and today Joni Abbott, this is for you..." before proceeding to play "Violet".

1996

On September 4, 1996, the four original members of Van Halen made their first public appearance together since their infamous break-up in 1985, presenting an MTV Video Music Award. Their appearance was greeted with a twenty second standing ovation, and fueled widespread speculation about a reunion tour. After the ousting of vocalist Sammy Hagar on Father's Day 1996, the original line-up of Van Halen, featuring vocalist David Lee Roth, recorded two new songs for a highly anticipated greatest hits album, entitled Best of Volume I. Backstage, after presenting an award to Beck, the reunion soured bitterly, and, reportedly, David Lee Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen nearly came to blows. During media interviews, Roth advised Van Halen not to talk about his personal issues, such as his impending hip replacement surgery. Van Halen claims that Roth said, "Tonight is about me, man, not your fucking hip!" Van Halen, infuriated at what he perceived as Roth's egotism, lunged at Roth and told him, "If I ever see you again, you'd better be wearing a cup, pal!" Van Halen also fumed about Roth's behavior while presenting an MTV Music Award to Beck, calling it "disrespectful" and "embarrassing". Several weeks later, the public learned that Van Halen would not reunite with Roth, to much outrage. Roth released a media statement apologizing to fans, stating that he was an unwitting participant in a publicity stunt to sell more copies of the greatest hits album, and that he had been led to believe that he was rejoining Van Halen. The following day, Eddie and Alex Van Halen released a media statement stating that they had always been honest with Roth, and had never led him to believe that he had been re-hired. Host Dennis Miller introduced special VIP audience member Jesse Helms, followed by a camera cut to a pig. After the joke, Miller admitted that the pig was actually the pig who played the title role in the movie Babe. The program featured a live interlink between the awards show and Russian astronauts in the Space Station, which proceeded very awkwardly due to language difficulties. Miller said: "See? That's why our countries didn't get along for so long!" After the next commercial break, Miller said that, "The astronauts are on their way here to kick my ass." Appearing to egg on the fictional conflict, he said, "You want a piece of me? Come here." The comment was followed by an apparently unplanned scream from off-stage which prompted Miller to respond, "All right! Exactomundo. They're here!"

1997 In 1997, Puff Daddy released his debut album No Way Out, featuring the successful tribute single "I'll Be Missing You", dedicated to the recently murdered Notorious B.I.G. The song featured Puff Daddy, Biggie's widow Faith Evans, and R&B group 112. The song sampled the melody of The Police's hit song "Every Breath You Take." All these artists performed the song with former Police vocalist Sting during the 1997 Video Music Awards. The odd pairing of presenters Martha Stewart and Busta Rhymes at the 1997 Video Music Awards drew much talk in the press. They presented the Best Dance Video award to the Spice Girls for their music video "Wannabe." While accepting the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, 1997 ("Sleep to Dream"), Fiona Apple appealed to her audience to resist being enamored by celebrity culture. Referring to MTV and the music industry in general, she proclaimed "this world is bullshit" and quoted Maya Angelou: "Go with yourself." Though her comments were generally greeted with cheers and applause at the awards ceremony, the media backlash was huge; host Chris Rock made a derisive comment about her speech, which only added to the backlash. Some considered her remarks hypocritical, seeing a contradiction between her appearance in a risqu? music video in only her underwear, and her telling young women to ignore celebrity culture. However, Apple was unapologetic, stating, "When I have something to say, I'll say it." The Wallflowers performed their hit song "One Headlight" live at the VMAs. This performance is remembered for featuring Bruce Springsteen on guitar and vocals along with lead singer/guitarist of the Wallflowers, Jacob Dylan. Many Springsteen fans remember this as his "comeback" after it seemed he was well past his prime. Ironically, the Wallflowers never managed to repeat any similar level of success.

1998 At the 1998 Video Music Awards, Brandy and Monica performed "The Boy Is Mine" together live for the first time, putting an end to the media's speculation that the two were rivals. Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey were hand in hand together to present the Best Male Video in the same outfit, putting and end to the rumors of their rivalry. Actress Rose McGowan arrived at the VMAs with then-boyfriend Marilyn Manson wearing a see-through dress, no bra, and a thong. Tre Cool, drummer for Green Day, became the first and only person to climb the Universal Studios globe.

1999 Lil' Kim showed up at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards with an entire breast exposed and only a tiny piece of fabric over the nipple. Kim's outfit became even more controversial later that night when she appeared on stage with Mary J. Blige and Diana Ross to present the ceremonies first "Best Hip Hop Video", and Ross reached over, cupped her hand under Kim's exposed breast and jiggled it while both laughed heartily. It was later described as Ross getting to second base with Kim on national television.

2000s

2000 D'Angelo and Jennifer Lopez presented the award for Best Rock Video to Limp Bizkit. As Fred Durst was making his speech, Tim Commerford, the bassist for Rage Against the Machine, who was also nominated for the award, climbed onto the scaffolding of the set, shook it back and forth, and refused to come down. Fred Durst had just got done saying "It's a big surprise to be in one of the world's most hated rock bands, and to be getting an award right now," when his bandmates pointed Commerford out to him; Durst added: "and we've got a mad man." He then began to egg Commerford on by saying, "Stage dive, dude." and "Take a dive." By this time the crowd had started a small "Jump!" chant. Durst then began saying the typical thank-yous when Wes Borland said "Thanks to that guy right there!" while pointing to Commerford. Fred replied with "Yeah, he should be getting this award". The band continued with their thank-yous, with DJ Lethal even saying "Everybody is a winner tonight." Durst finally added, "And this guy's a pussy cause he won't jump." The show soon went into a commercial break. Commerford, along with his bodyguard, was sentenced to a night in jail, though he later claimed the stunt was intended as a joke. Zack De La Rocha, the lead singer for Rage Against the Machine reportedly left the awards after Tim's stunt. Many people speculated that this further fueled the ongoing tension between the band, which eventually led to their break-up later that year. Before the incident, it was reported that Commerford talked with video director Michael Moore about what to do if the band won. Moore told Commerford at the time, "I'm not going to tell you what to do, just don't hurt anybody [...] Maybe I should have talked to him more like a teenager and told him not to do it. But hey, this is rock & roll -- stuff happens. That shouldn't be a surprise."As to Commerford's motivations, Moore thought the bass player had too much to drink and was "just bored" about the banality of the show. "In America, we reward the mediocre. The more you're like 'N Sync, the faster and higher you'll climb," Moore said. "Rock & roll used to be about playing music that stood for something. Now it's background music for Burger King and McDonald's commercials. I think the bass player of this band is against really bad MTV props." Britney Spears gave a memorable historic live performance of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and her own hit "Oops!... I Did It Again" in medley form. While she began her segment in a black suit, she shocked the media when, at only the age of eighteen, she ripped the suit off to display a revealing, flesh-colored stage outfit. Afterward, co-host Marlon Wayans commented: "Girl done went from the Mickey Mouse Club to the strip club! Go on, girl!!" Eminem gave a performance where he bought out hundreds of look-alikes and they all paraded throughout the aisles while he performed. In the song he performed, The Real Slim Shady, Eminem suggests that Christina Aguilera gave oral sex to both MTV host Carson Daly and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. Aguilera had been fighting off the rumors since the song was released. All three of them happened to be in the audience as Eminem was walking up and down the aisles. During that specific part of the song, Eminem went up to Daly and shook his hand. Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera proved that the rumors of their rivalry were fake when they came onstage, holding hands, and introduced Whitney Houston. They both used the chance to take a shot at Eminem, who was in the audience, as Eminem was in an ongoing feud with the two of them and other popstars. Ironically, Houston presented Eminem with an award minutes later, with Britney and Christina leaving the stage, and he made a quick comment on the two saying, "You know it was about to go down...if those two hadn't of left. I'm going to put this award right next to my Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera posters.". As Christina Aguilera performed "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" at the 2000 VMAs, Fred Durst made an impromptu appearance on stage with the pop star. The following day fans of Limp Bizkit/Fred Durst labeled him a sellout for performing with the pop diva. Fred was quoted as saying, "I did it all for the nookie." The feud died weeks later, and Aguilera stated, "He didn't get no nookie."

2001 Britney Spears again shocked the nation when she took the stage to give a performance of her then-new single, "I'm a Slave 4 U." Along with dancing in a very revealing outfit, the performance is probably most remembered for featuring the singer 'charming' an albino snake and a white tiger on the stage. A media frenzy ensued, and involved criticisms against Spears by the PETA organisation. U2 had been set to perform a medley including "Elevation", "Beautiful Day", and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." However, the riser they were performing on lost power and MTV had to cut to several minutes of promos while everything was setup again. However, they lost power again and finally the band was lowered to the ground and performed without the riser. Lead singer Bono made reference after the performance that MTV "forgot to pay the electricity bill." Michael Jackson made a surprise appearance at the end of 'N Sync's performance of "Pop" and, surrounded by members of the group, performed some of his trademark dance moves to the beatboxing of member Justin Timberlake. Andy Dick at the time was known for his MTV Show The Andy Dick Show. Occasionally on his show, he would dress up as a female pop singer named Daphne Aguilera. Daphne was supposed to be a parody of other teen pop stars like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson. Andy Dick decided to take Daphne to the award show this year. He did a skit during the live telecast where Daphne was getting frustrated with her dancers for screwing up a routine they had been practicing. Daphne got so frustrated that she decided to take out her anger on Christina Aguilera. After locating her in the audience, Daphne began jumping over rows of seats just to confront the pop star.

2002 The 2002 VMAs opened with James Brown and Jimmy Fallon introducing Britney Spears, after which she presented a birthday present to Michael Jackson, as his birthday coincided with the award ceremony. Upon introducing him, Spears referred to him as the "artist of the millennium". This led Jackson to believe that he was the recipient of the Artist of the Millennium Award, saying, "When I was a little boy growing up in Indiana, if someone told me I'd be getting the Artist of the Millennium award, I'd have never believed it". A year later, this was parodied when Fred Durst gave the same birthday present Jackson received to Jack Black, as the 2003 ceremony also coincided with Black's birthday. Durst said that Black was the funniest man alive, and as Black accepted his present, he, dressed as Jackson did in 2002, stated he never thought he would receive an award for Funniest Man Alive. In 2002 the unlikely duo of Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth, both former lead singers of Van Halen, appeared on stage to present the award for Best Rock Video. Hagar asked Roth, "Where have you been all summer?" (referring to their Sam & Dave tour for that year). Roth went to answer, "I have been on the Celebrity Deathmatch tour!" Hagar, annoyed by the answer, said, "I don't need the money, Dave!" At one point in their appearance, Roth turned to Hagar and said, "What is your favorite Linkin Park song, Sam?" and Sammy Hagar answered "I don't know any Linkin Park songs". Ironically, they presented the award to Linkin Park for their video "In The End". Triumph the Insult Comic Dog appeared at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and had a confrontation with Eminem, which MTV later removed from rebroadcast airings. Eminem also had a confrontation with Moby, who had previously called the rapper's music misogynistic and homophobic. Eminem challenged Moby to a fight while he was on stage while the audience rallied with a downpur of boos directed at Eminem himself. Eminem also had another embarrassing moment at the 2002 VMAs, when he won the Best Male Video Award. This award was presented by Christina Aguilera, who Eminem had ridiculed in the 2000 song "The Real Slim Shady." Although both artists barely stayed together on stage, MTV revealed that Eminem apologized to Aguilera at the backstage, and they hugged each other, finishing their feud. Christina Aguilera sported a very revealing outfit at the 2002 VMAs, which was shocking compared to Aguilera's former teen image. Host Jimmy Fallon commented on it at the opening of the show, singing that "she's got her boobs wrapped in a napkin." At the end of the show, Axl Rose unveiled the new lineup of Guns N' Roses. The band's set was the show's finale, and although the performance was meant to be kept a secret, host Jimmy Fallon frequently aluded to a major event that would occur at the end of the show before finally donning a Guns N' Roses T-shirt when he introduced the band, while some New York radio outlets announced the performance earlier in the day. The band, which included eight members and was fronted by a braided Axl Rose, played a set consisting of "Welcome to the Jungle", "Madagascar", and "Paradise City."

2003 Madonna and Britney Spears provoked the public once again by portraying a groom and bride on stage and locking lips with each other. The gender role-reversal and lesbian theme instantly made front page headlines. In the performance, Madonna also kissed Christina Aguilera, but it did not gain nearly as much publicity as the Madonna-Britney kiss, since it was not fully broadcasted (the cameras had cut to show Justin Timberlake's reaction to the Madonna-Britney kiss, missing the moment when Madonna kissed Aguilera). The three singers performed a medley of Madonna's early hit, "Like a Virgin", and her then-latest release, "Hollywood", with a guest rap by Missy Elliott at the end. The design resembled Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" at the 1984 VMAs: the same wedding cake set was used, and the wedding dress and "Boy Toy" belt worn by Madonna in 1984 was now adorned by Aguilera and Spears.

2005 The MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2005 were held three days after Hurricane Katrina, a category one hurricane at the time, hit just north of Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005. Some local residents in the area were without power and could not watch the broadcast. Hurricane Katrina passed through Florida before hitting along the Central Gulf Coast August 29 near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana as a category three storm. The most notable reference to the storm during the ceremony came when Eva Longoria strutted out wearing a revealing bikini, seductively saying "I wasn't about to let a little hurricane keep me from wearing my bathing suit." R. Kelly performs possibly the strangest performance in the history of the awards. It was the debut of the new scene in his rap opera "Trapped in the Closet" and he performed every character in the scene by himself. Fat Joe was introducing reggaeton artist Tego Calder?n to the audience, and after his performance was over, he remarked that he felt very safe with all of the extra police protection present that night, courtesy of G-Unit. Fat joe was escorted from the building shortly thereafter, and during 50 Cent's performance that night, he yelled obcenities about Fat Joe. Diddy announced that he had three surprises for the audience in attendance. The first was a performance from a band that he called "his favorite band of the year", which turned out to be rock group My Chemical Romance. They performed their then-newest hit "Helena" and, to the apparent surprise of many, were joined by Tracy Phillips onstage, who had danced in the music video for "Helena". Lead singer Gerard Way stated in an interview with Fuse TV months later that Diddy had actually sprung the question on them when it was found that there was no group during the minutes they played. Guitarist Ray Toro had to drive to the tour bus and get their instruments and pick up Tracy. The second surprise of the evening was the return to MTV of MC Hammer. Hammer sang his infamous hit "U Can't Touch This" while wearing his immortal parachute pants. The final surprise of the evening was the premiere of a new music video by Diddy's late protege, Notorious B.I.G., complete with a tribute. He had an orchestra play the notes to "Juicy" and "Warning", while Biggie's lyrics were played through the speakers. The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards was the first to have a performance in Spanish when Shakira performed her hit song "La Tortura" featuring Alejandro Sanz. It was also the first time that a Latin video was nominated at the awards. Kelly Clarkson was the closing act, she performed her single "Since U Been Gone" and memorably slipped off the stage into the crowd. Earlier that night when she won Best Pop Video she got lost on the way to the stage to collect her award and had to be directed by an unknown woman.

2006 A man named Sixx jumped on stage when Panic! at the Disco won the award for Video of the Year. He claimed that MTV had denied him his own television show and directed viewers to go to mtv6000.com, which redirects to AwardShowCrasher.com. Sixx has crashed past VMAs. At the beginning of the show, Jack Black stated that he was going to be the best host in VMA history. The theme of the show was that everything Black did would go wrong. In a planned sequence, Black's entrance was supposed to feature him walking down a pair of steps in a moonman suit. At the bottom of the steps, Black was to be set on fire and even though it was edited, the mute was ill-timed and muted him a little before he said "shit"; this was heard even during reruns of the show. Axl Rose returns to MTV introducing The Killers after screaming to the audience "Do you know where the fuck you are?"

2007 Britney Spears opened the show with her first single in two years, "Gimme More", during which she periodically stopped lipsynching and seemed unenthusiastic and dazed. Following the performance, public reaction immediately arose on various blogs and sites as both the performance and the costume choice received an overwhelmingly negative reaction. It was announced that this show would not have any reruns, due to the saying, "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." However, the show was repeated immediately after the end of the original broadcast. 50 Cent and Kanye West presented an award together, after being said to be "the feud of the summer", because of the same-date release of their album, Graduation and Curtis. While appearing on the stage, 50 and Kanye approaches each other from opposing sides, and staring at each other. Kanye, who is shorter than 50 Cent, standing off his heel to match 50's height. On the entire stage appearance, they looked "uncomfortable". While Pamela Anderson presented a performance, her first ex-husband Tommy Lee repeatedly whistled at her, despite her telling him to stop twice. Later in the show it was joked that the two had fought backstage in a bathroom. It turn out later that MTV had removed Anderson's second ex-husband Kid Rock because after he was on stage, he walked off the stage, and punched Lee in the face. Shia LaBeouf revealed the title of the new Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which is to released on May 22, 2008. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg asked him to keep a vow of secrecy when they told him the title, but at the show, he said, "I'm in Vegas, I'm 21, so what the hell!" While accepting his award, Justin Timberlake made a comment asking MTV to air more videos and air less reality shows. Ironically, the award was presented to him by the cast of The Hills, an MTV reality program. Timbaland came up on stage and took the award from the cast of The Hills and gave it to Justin.

American Music Award

The American Music Awards show is one of several annual major American music awards shows (among the others are the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony). The AMAs (in current chronological order, the first of the "Big Three" music awards) were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC. Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond co-hosted the first award show with Rodney Allen Rippy and Ricky Segall. While the Grammys are awarded based on votes by members of the entertainment industry, the AMAs are determined by a poll of music buyers. The "big three" established awards shows (AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, and Grammys) compete for prestige and television ratings, with the Grammys nominally rewarding quality and both the AMAs and Billboard Music Awards rewarding popularity. Stories of artists being pressured to participate in one awards show over the other have been fodder for tabloid gossip and controversy. The only other major difference between the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards is that the AMAs do not currently have an award for Best Single/Record but the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards do. In 1996, the AMAs instituted a new award, Favorite Artist of the Year, which was awarded to Garth Brooks. Brooks gave a short speech essentially saying he didn't deserve the award in a year he didn't do anything, and left the award on the podium. The category was discontinued.

Since the establishment of the Billboard Music Awards in 1989, there have been instances where artists (such as The Dixie Chicks and C?line Dion) have won all of the "big three" major music awards (including the AMAs). But the need for a unified music awards system (on the mold of horse racing's Triple Crown) only complicates the competition between the AMAs and the other awards shows.

For the first decade or so, the AMAs had multiple hosts, each representing a genre of music. For instance, Glen Campbell would host the country portion (Campbell, in fact, has co-hosted the AMAs more times than any other host or co-host), while other artists would co-host to represent his/her genre. In recent years, however, there has been one single host.

From its inception in 1973 until 2003, the AMAs have been held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November beginning in 2003 so as not to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards).

The most American Music Awards for a group belongs to Alabama who have collected twenty-two awards. The record for a solo artist belongs to Whitney Houston who has amassed twenty-three awards.

The record for the most American Music Awards won in a single year is held by both Michael Jackson (for 1983's Thriller), and Whitney Houston (for 1992's The Bodyguard Soundtrack), each with 8 awards to their credit (including the Award of Merit, which both artists were awarded during their respective year). The record for the most American Music Awards won in Category

Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo, or Group:4 Wins Gladys Knight and the Pips tie Earth, Wind and Fire tie

Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist:4 Wins Olivia Newton-John tie Whitney Houston tie

Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist:3 Wins Michael Bolton tie Barry Manilow tie

Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist:4 Wins Aretha Franklin tie Mariah Carey tie

Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist:7 Wins Luther Vandross

MTV Europe Music Awards

The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider the best in music. Unlike the VMAs, most of the awards are voted for by the viewers.

The MTV Europe Music Awards always changes its host city. Up until now Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom hosted the event twice. Germany will host the event for a third time in 2007 with the awards being held in Munich, November 1, 2007.

The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on MTV Europe, MTV and most of the international MTV channels as well as online.

To date, Eminem has won the most awards with 9 (including one with D12) in total. He is followed by Britney Spears (5), Justin Timberlake (5), The Prodigy (5), Backstreet Boys (4), Madonna (4), Robbie Williams (4), Red Hot Chili Peppers (4), Coldplay (4), Spice Girls (3), Muse (3), Alicia Keys (3), Linkin Park (3), Jennifer Lopez (3), Kane (3), Gorillaz (3), and Oasis (3).

MTV Europe Music Awards Host Cities 1994 - Berlin, in front of Brandenburg Gate (Host: Tom Jones) 1995 - Paris, Le Zenith (Host: Jean Paul Gaultier) 1996 - London, Alexandra Palace (Host: Robbie Williams) 1997 - Rotterdam, Ahoy Rotterdam (Host: Ronan Keating) 1998 - Milan, Fila Forum (Host: Jenny McCarthy) 1999 - Dublin, The Point (Host: Ronan Keating) 2000 - Stockholm, Globen Arena (Host: Wyclef Jean) 2001 - Frankfurt, Festhalle (Host: Sacha Baron Cohen, as Ali G) 2002 - Barcelona, Palau Sant Jordi (Host: Sean "Diddy" Combs) 2003 - Edinburgh, Ocean Terminal (Host: Christina Aguilera) 2004 - Rome, Colosseum and Tor di Valle (Host: Xzibit) 2005 - Lisbon, Pavilh?o Atl?ntico (Host: Sacha Baron Cohen, as Borat) 2006 - Copenhagen, Bella Center (Host: Justin Timberlake) 2007 - Munich, Olympiahalle (Host: Snoop Dogg)

Awards winners

1994 Best Male: Bryan Adams Best Female: Mariah Carey Best Group: Take That Best Rock: Aerosmith Best Dance: The Prodigy Best Song: Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry, "7 Seconds" Best Director: Whale's "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" - Mark Pellington Best Cover Song: Gun, "Word Up" Breakthrough Artist: Crash Test Dummies Free Your Mind: Amnesty International

1995 Best Male: Michael Jackson Best Female: Bj?rk Best Group: U2 Best Rock: Bon Jovi Best Dance: East 17 Best Live Act: Take That Best Song: The Cranberries, "Zombie" Best Director: Massive Attack's "Protection" - Michel Gondry Breakthrough Artist: Dog Eat Dog Free Your Mind: Greenpeace

1996 Best Male: George Michael Best Female: Alanis Morissette Best Group: Oasis Best Rock: The Smashing Pumpkins Best Dance: The Prodigy Best Song: Oasis, "Wonderwall" MTV Amour: The Fugees MTV Select: Backstreet Boys, "Get Down (You're the One for Me)" Breakthrough Artist: Garbage Free Your Mind: The Buddies & Carers of Europe

1997 Best Male: Jon Bon Jovi Best Female: Janet Jackson Best Group: Spice Girls Best Rock: Oasis Best R&B: Blackstreet Best Rap: Will Smith Best Alternative: The Prodigy Best Dance: The Prodigy Best Live Act: U2 Best Song: Hanson, "MMMBop" MTV Select: Backstreet Boys, "As Long As You Love Me" Breakthrough Artist: Hanson Free Your Mind: Landmine Survivors Network

1998

Best Male: Robbie Williams Best Female: Madonna Best Group: Spice Girls Best Pop: Spice Girls Best Rock: Aerosmith Best Rap: Beastie Boys Best Dance: The Prodigy Best Song: Natalie Imbruglia, "Torn" Best Video: Massive Attack, "Tear Drop" Best Album: Madonna, Ray of Light Breakthrough Artist: All Saints Free Your Mind: B92 (independent Serbian radio station) Select North: Eagle-Eye Cherry Select Central: Thomas D & Franka Potente Select South: Bluvertigo Select UK & Ireland: 5ive

1999 Best Male: Will Smith Best Female: Britney Spears Best Group: Backstreet Boys Best Pop: Britney Spears Best Rock: The Offspring Best R&B: Whitney Houston Best Hip Hop: Eminem Best Dance: Fatboy Slim Best Song: Britney Spears, "...Baby One More Time" Best Video: Blur, "Coffee & TV" Best Album: Boyzone, By Request Breakthrough Artist: Britney Spears Free Your Mind: Bono Best German Act: Xavier Naidoo Best UK & Ireland Act: Boyzone (Daily Edition) Best Nordic Act: Lene Marlin Best Italian Act: Elio e le Storie Tese

2000 Best Male: Ricky Martin Best Female: Madonna Best Group: Backstreet Boys Best Pop: All Saints Best Rock: Red Hot Chili Peppers Best R&B: Jennifer Lopez Best Hip Hop: Eminem Best Dance: Madonna Best Song: Robbie Williams, "Rock DJ" Best Video: Moby, "Natural Blues" (Director: David La Chapelle) Best Album: Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP Best New Act: Blink 182 Free Your Mind Award: Otpor Best Dutch Act: Kane Best French Act: Modjo Best German Act: Guano Apes Best Italian Act: Subsonica Best Nordic Act: Bomfunk MC's Best Polish Act: Kazik Best Spanish Act: Dover Best UK & Ireland Act: Westlife

2001 Best Male: Robbie Williams Best Female: Jennifer Lopez Best Group: Limp Bizkit Best Pop: Anastacia Best Rock: Blink 182 Best R&B: Craig David Best Hip Hop: Eminem Best Dance: Gorillaz The Web Award: Limp Bizkit "www.limpbizkit.com" Best Song: Gorillaz, "Clint Eastwood" Best Video: The Avalanches, "Since I Left You" (Director: Rob Legatt & Leigh Marling, Blue Source) Best Album: Limp Bizkit, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water Best New Act: Dido Free Your Mind: Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) Best Dutch Act: Kane Best French Act: Manu Chao Best German Act: Samy Deluxe Best Italian Act: Elisa Best Nordic Act: Safri Duo Best Polish Act: Kasia Kowalska Best Russian Act: Alsou Best Spanish Act: La Oreja de Van Gogh Best UK & Ireland Act: Craig David

2002 Best Male: Eminem Best Female: Jennifer Lopez Best Group: Linkin Park Best Pop: Kylie Minogue Best Rock: Red Hot Chili Peppers Best Hard Rock: Linkin Park Best R&B: Alicia Keys Best Hip Hop: Eminem Best Dance: Kylie Minogue Best Live Act: Red Hot Chili Peppers The Web Award: Moby "www.moby.com" Best Song: Pink, "Get the Party Started" Best Video: R?yksopp, "Remind Me" Best Album: Eminem, The Eminem Show Best New Act: The Calling Free Your Mind: Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) Best Dutch Act: Brainpower Best French Act: Indochine Best German Act: Xavier Naidoo Best Italian Act: Subsonica Best Nordic Act: Kent Best Polish Act: Myslovitz Best Portuguese Act: Blind Zero Best Romanian Act: Animal X Best Russian Act: Diskoteka Avariya Best Spanish Act: Amaral Best UK & Ireland Act: Coldplay

2003

To see all the nominees go to the 2003 Awards page. Best Male: Justin Timberlake Best Female: Christina Aguilera Best Group: Coldplay Best Pop: Justin Timberlake Best Rock: The White Stripes Best R&B: Beyonc? Best Hip Hop: Eminem Best Dance: Panjabi MC The Web Award: Goldfrapp "www.goldfrapp.co.uk" Best Song: Beyonc? featuring Jay-Z, "Crazy in Love" Best Video: Sigur R?s, "Untitled #1" Best Album: Justin Timberlake, Justified Best New Act: Sean Paul Free Your Mind: Aung San Suu Kyi (Politics) Best Dutch Act: Ti?sto Best French Act: KYO Best German Act: Die ?rzte Best Italian Act: Gemelli Diversi Best Nordic Act: The Rasmus Best Polish Act: Myslovitz Best Portuguese Act: Blind Zero Best Romanian Act: AB4 Best Russian Act: Glucoza Best Spanish Act: El Canto del Loco Best MTV2 Act - UK & Ireland: The Darkness

2004

To see all the nominees go to the 2004 Awards page. Best Male: Usher Best Female: Britney Spears Best Group: Outkast Best Pop: Black Eyed Peas Best Rock: Linkin Park Best R&B: Alicia Keys Best Hip Hop: D12 Best Alternative: Muse Best Song: Outkast, "Hey Ya!" Best Video: Outkast "Hey Ya!" Best Album: Usher, Confessions Best New Act: Maroon 5 Free Your Mind: La Strada Best Dutch & Belgian Act: Kane Best French Act: Jenifer Best German Act: Beatsteaks Best Italian Act: Tiziano Ferro Best Nordic Act: The Hives Best Polish Act: Sistars Best Portuguese Act: Da Weasel Best Romanian Act: Ombladon featuring Raku Best Russian Act: Zveri Best Spanish Act: Enrique Bunbury Best MTV2 Act - UK & Ireland: Muse

2005

To see all the nominees go to the 2005 Awards page. Best Male: Robbie Williams Best Female: Shakira Best Group: Gorillaz Best Pop: Black Eyed Peas Best Rock: Green Day Best R&B: Alicia Keys Best Hip-Hop: Snoop Dogg Best Alternative: System of a Down Best Song: Coldplay, "Speed of Sound" Best Video: The Chemical Brothers, "Believe" Best Album: Green Day, American Idiot Best New Act: James Blunt Free Your Mind: Bob Geldof Best Act - MTV Adria: Siddharta (Slovenia) Best African Act: 2 face Idibia (Nigeria) Best Danish Act: Mew Best Dutch and Belgian Act: Anouk Best Finnish Act: The Rasmus Best French Act: Superbus Best German Act: Rammstein Best Italian Act: Negramaro Best Norwegian Act: Turbonegro Best Polish Act: Sistars Best Portuguese Act: The Gift Best Spanish Act: El Canto del Loco Best Swedish Act: Moneybrother Best Romanian Act: Voltaj Best Russian Act: Dima Bilan Best UK & Ireland Act: Coldplay

2006

To see the nominees go to the 2006 Awards page. Best Male: Justin Timberlake Best Female: Christina Aguilera Best Group: Depeche Mode Best Pop: Justin Timberlake Best Rock: The Killers Best R&B: Rihanna Best Hip-Hop: Kanye West Best Alternative: Muse Best Song: Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy" Best Video: Justice vs. Simian, "We Are Your Friends" Best Album: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium Future Sounds: Gnarls Barkley Best Adriatic Act: Aleksandra Kova? (Serbia) Best African Act: Freshlyground (South Africa) Best Baltic Act: Brainstorm (Latvia) Best Danish Act: Outlandish Best Dutch and Belgian Act: Anouk (The Netherlands) Best Finnish Act: Poets of the Fall Best French Act: Diam's Best German Act: Bushido Best Italian Act: Finley Best Norwegian Act: Marit Larsen Best Polish Act: Blog 27 Best Portuguese Act: Moonspell Best Romanian Act: DJ Project Best Russian Act: Dima Bilan Best Spanish Act: La Excepci?n Best Swedish Act: Snook Best UK and Ireland Act: The Kooks (United Kingdom)

2007 Main article: MTV Europe Music Awards 2007

The awards show will take place on November 1, 2007. The awards will be hosted by Snoop Dogg.

New Sounds of Europe

New Sounds of Europe is currently in Regional voting for local New Sounds of Europe nominees. On 24 September 16 local winners will go head to head to compete against each other to knockout rounds till there are 3 final nominees.

Free Your Mind MTV selects the winner

Video Star (chosen by MTV)

Artists Choice

Performers: Avril Lavigne, Mika, Foo Fighters, Will.I.Am, Nicole Scherzinger and My Chemical Romance; more to be announced soon. (rumours state that the Spice Girls will also perform, but that's not confirmed so far)

World Music Awards

The World Music Awards (founded in 1989) is an international awards show that annually honors recording artists based on their worldwide sales figures, which are provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The awards show is conducted under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco, Monte-Carlo. Until 2003 the show was conducted in Monte Carlo. The 2004 show was held in Las Vegas, Nevada (U.S.) on September 15. The 2005 show was held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California. The 2006 show which also featured the legendary Michael Jackson was held at Earls Court in London, United Kingdom. The show is broadcast to North and South America, all of Europe, the Middle East, Japan and South East Asia, all of mainland China, some other parts of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and all of Africa reaching an estimated worldwide audience of around one billion viewers, in over 160 countries. John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show.

Charity

All the proceeds from the show go to the Monaco Aide and Presence Foundation, which assists underdeveloped areas mainly in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Brazil. So far, many projects have been successfully carried out; a hospital at Port Bouet in C?te d'Ivoire serving a population of over 170,000 inhabitants, a home in Katukuranda, Sri Lanka for handicapped girls, a hospital and school in Niger, and a hospital in Cambodia. Additionally, a home for abandoned children in Brazil, plus a village for the homeless in Madagascar have been constructed, and the complete renovation of an existing hospital in Mokatam, Egypt.

The Awards and award winners

According to the official World Music Awards website: "The World's best-selling recording-artists in the various categories are determined after a thorough research conducted by the organization on record certifications and record company sales figures". The national member associations of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that provides the World music organisation with the names of their overall best-selling artists and groups. World Music Awards 2000

-Best Latin Artist: Ricky Martin -Best Pop Male Artist: Ricky Martin -Best Pop Group Artist: Backstreet Boys World Music Awards 2003 See 2003 Award Winners World Music Awards 2004 See 2004 Award Winners World Music Awards 2005 See 2005 Award Winners World Music Awards 2006

-Best Pop Artist: Madonna -Best Rock Artist: Nickelback -Best Pop/Rock Artist: Nelly Furtado -Best R&B Artist: Beyonce -Best Rap/HipHop Artist: Kanye West -Best Latin Artist: Shakira -Best DJ: Bob Sinclair -Best New Artist: James Blunt National Awards

Each year, the WMS awards the best selling artist from each major country. Legend Awards

Legend Awards are given to artists "in recognition of their global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry." Past winners include Tina Turner, Michael Jackson,Whitney Houston,Mariah Carey, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Modern Talking, Ace of Base, Diana Ross, Julio Iglesias, Tina Cousins, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Cher, Pl?cido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Destiny's Child, Prince, Janet Jackson, and Carlos Santana. Chopard Diamond Award

The Chopard Diamond World Music Award is a new award, given to artists who have sold over 100 million albums over the course of their careers. Past winners are Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Bon Jovi. Michael Jackson received the Diamond Award for 2006. Millennium Awards.

Apart from the world's best-selling artists in the various categories and the national best-selling artists, special millennium awards were presented in 2000, for the very first time to the world's best-selling recording-artist of all time. The awards were presented to Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey in the male and female categories respectively.

Past Awards

2005 show

The show was broadcast in the United States by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 13, 2005. It featured appearances by many American and Latino pop stars, such as Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, Michelle Branch, Stevie Wonder, Kid Rock, Eminem, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. It also featured a performance by Australian adult contemporary/pop music star Delta Goodrem, who won the Best Selling Australian Artist Award for the second year in a row.

Patti Labelle, Usher, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Teairra Mar?, Rihanna and Amerie paid tribute to Destinys Child, who received an award for being the best-selling female group of all time, and Patti LaBelle, Kid Rock, and Stevie Wonder also performed songs dedicated to honoring the victims of the most recent U.S. natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

2006 show

Host: Lindsay Lohan

Performances: Michael Jackson Tokio Hotel Chris Brown Nelly Furtado Beyonc? Rihanna Faithless Enya Bob Sinclar Katie Melua Elissa Dima Bilan Andrea Bocelli

Winners: Michael Jackson- Diamond Award Beyonc? - World's Best-Selling R&B Artist Award Nelly Furtado - World's Best-Selling Pop/Rock Artist Award Madonna - World's Best-Selling Pop Artist Award, Best Selling U.S. Artist Award Nickelback - World's Best-Selling Rock Artist Award Kanye West - World's Best-Selling Rap/Hip Hop Artist Award James Blunt - World's Best-Selling New Artist Award, Best Selling U.K. Artist Award Shakira - World's Best-Selling Latin Artist Award Andrea Bocelli - Best-Selling Italian Artist Award, World's Best-Selling Classical Artist Award Dima Bilan - Best-Selling Russian Artist Award Bob Sinclar - World's Best DJ Award Elissa - Best-Selling Arabic Artist Award Enya - Best-Selling Irish Artist Award Tokio Hotel - Best-Selling German Artist Award Katie Melua - Best-Selling British Artist Award Jay Chou - Best-Selling Chinese Artist Award Rihanna - Best-Selling Barbadian Artist Award

Records

Most WMAs won Mariah Carey has received sixteen World Music Awards, the most for any artist. Michael Jackson has received fifteen World Music Awards, the most for any male artist.

Most WMAs won in a single year Whitney Houston has the record for winning five Awards at the 1994 WMA show. Some of these include, World's Best Selling R&B Artist, World's Best Selling Overall Recording Artist, and World's Best Selling Recording Artist of the Era. Two years later, Michael Jackson tied this record at the 1996 World Music Awards show. Some of his awards include "Best Selling Album Of All Time, Thriller, Best Selling Male Artist of 1996, and Best Selling Artist Ever. In 2003 50 cent made this record a three-way-tie at the WMA show. His awards include World's Best Selling Artist of 2003, World's Best Male Pop Artist, World's Best RnB Artist, World's Best Hip-Hop Artist and World's Best New Artist.

ARIA Music Awards

The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known as ARIA Music Awards or ARIA Awards) is an annual awards night celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA). The event has been held annually since 1987. It encompasses the general genre-specific and popular awards (these are what is usually being referred to as "the ARIA awards") as well as Fine Arts Awards, Artisan Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Winning or even being nominated for an ARIA award results in a lot of media attention on an artist, and usually increases recording sales several-fold (for example, in 2005, after Ben Lee won three ARIA awards his album Awake Is the New Sleep jumped from #31 to #5 in the ARIA Charts, its highest-yet position). However the awards are often viewed with skepticism by less mainstream artists, who view the awards an opportunity for a good party. (Tim Rogers of You Am I was once reported as keeping his awards in his outhouse toilet.)

Nomination process

For full criteria, please see #References.

To be eligible, a release must be commercially available within the specified period for a given year. Material must be previously unrecorded, thus ruling out most live albums. A recording can be nominated within multiple categories, but only one genre category (for example, an album could not be simultaneously nominated for Best Pop Release and Best Dance Release). Rereleased recordings are not eligible and compilations are not eligible.

Artists must either be Australian citizens, or have applied for or attained permanent resident status and have resided in Australia for at least six months within the specified period. For bands, at least half the members of the group must meet this requirement. If a recording refers to both an individual and a band (for example, Dan Kelly & the Alpha Males), it must be nominated only the basis of the individual or the band, not mixed or both.

Some categories have further requirements as specified below: Album/Single of the Year: Recording must appear in the ARIA Top 100 Albums or Singles chart respectively during the specified period. Breakthrough Artist (Album/Single): Artist must not have previously reached the final five nominations in any ARIA awards category for any release, or have been in a group that has done so, or have a previous release in the Top 50 release charts. Best Rock Album: "Recording must be directed toward Contemporary Rock, Modern Rock and Active Rock formats." Best Adult Contemporary Album: "Recording must be directed toward Adult Contemporary formats." Best Pop Release: "Recording must be directed toward CHR/Top 40 formats." Best Independent Release: Recording must be released and funded by an ARIA member that is not a member of a multinational corporation. Best Music DVD: Compilations may enter this category. Content must be at least 60% original. The release must be eligible to appear on the ARIA Music DVD chart (this means most "bonus disc" releases are unlikely to be eligible). Best Comedy Release: Compilations are acceptable. Album, single and DVD releases are all eligible. Content must be 100% original. Best Children's Album: Compilations are acceptable (but content must be 100% original, having been recorded specifically for that album). Form and content must be aimed at a pre-teen audience. Best Dance Release: Compilations are acceptable. "Artists working primarily within the dance genre, eg: House, Techno, Trance, Hardcore, Garage, Breakbeat, Drum & Bass, Disco and Electronica are eligible. In the case of a remixed album or single, the production team(s) and the original recording artist(s) must both meet the artist eligibility criteria, and the release must qualify for inclusion in either the ARIA Album or Single chart." Best Urban Release: "Artists working primarily within the urban genre, eg: rnb, hip-hop, soul, funk, reggae and dancehall, are eligible. In the case of a remixed album or single, the production team(s) and the original recording artist(s) must both meet the artist eligibility criteria, and the release must qualify for inclusion in either the ARIA Album or Single chart. The ARIA member must also nominate whether the production team or the original recording artist would be the recipient of the award." Sales awards: A company may enter up to five recordings in a category. For these categories, the recording does not have to be first released during the specified period, so these categories are two of the few where recordings can be nominated more than once.

Judging process

Sales awards are judged by an independent audit. The Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement awards are awarded at the discretion of the ARIA Board. Genre categories are judged by "voting schools" that consist of 40-100 representatives from that genre. The remaining generalist categories are the "voting academy", which consists of 1000 representatives from across the music industry.

Members of the academy are kept secret. Membership is by invitation only. An individual record company may have up to eight members on the academy. The only artists eligible to vote are winners and nominees from the previous year's awards.

During the 2004 ARIA Awards voting former 3RRR DJ Cousin Creep mocked the process by publishing his user name and password for the voting on music site Rocknerd before being banned from the process

The Music Events

MTV Video Music Awards

American Music Award

MTV Europe Music Awards

World Music Awards

ARIA Music Awards