World Music Awards: Quantity doesn't always equal Quality
Monday, November 10, 2008
Another year, another World Music Awards. The WMAs are unique in a way, insofar that they award purely on the basis of record sales. So it doesn't matter how many people came to watch you play, or how many column inches you've got in the tabloids, or how much the critics of obscure websites have textually knocked one out over your album - if you ain't got the till receipts to back you up, you ain't getting a gong. Unsurprisingly, Coldplay were the big winner. No, we don't think they deserve to be called a Rock Act either, but they still got the gong for it.
Well, the actual awards ceremony took place last night in Monaco, so here are your 2008 winners:
Best Pop Female: Leona Lewis
Best Pop Male: Kid Rock
Best Pop/Rock Female Artist: Amy Winehouse
Best Pop/Rock Female Artist: Kid Rock
Best Rock Act: Coldplay
Best R'n'B Artist: Alicia Keys
Best New Artist: Leona Lewis
Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist: Lil' Wayne
Best DJ: DJ Laurent Wolf
Diamond Award: Ringo Starr
Outstanding Contribution To The Arts: Beyonce
Special Achievement Award: Mariah Carey
Outstanding Contribution to the Industry: LA Reid
World's Best Selling Recording Act: Coldplay
There were individual awards for the top-selling act in each country whose sales figures were used, but I'm not typing all those out. If you're that bothered, go check out the official WMA website.