BBC RADIO 3 AWARDS FOR WORLD MUSIC 2006

BBC RADIO 3 AWARDS FOR WORLD MUSIC 2006

Pioneer GB Limited is delighted to become the first ever event sponsor of the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music, which take place at London's Brixton Academy on Friday 7th April 2006.

The BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music are now in their fifth year and have quickly become established as one of the highlights of the music year. Previous winners include veterans such as Khaled, Youssou N'Dour, and Ibrahim Ferrer, while crossover artists such as Mariza, Tinariwen, Nitin Sawhney and Manu Chao have also taken home a “planet” award.

The Poll Winners Concert on April 7th is a gala event with many of the winning artists taking part. Tickets are available from the box office at Brixton Academy or online. Last year's concert, held at the Sage, Gateshead, featured powerful performances from Khaled, Lhasa, Kaushiki Chakrabarty, Chango Spasiuk and Ivo Papasov, among others. The show was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four, and was available as a webcast at bbc.co.uk/radio3.

The names of the winning acts are announced live on BBC Radio 3's World Routes at 3pm on Saturday February 25th in London. They can also be found on at bbc.co.uk/radio3 from that date. The website is the home of the Audience Award vote where, until January 31st , members of the public can choose their favourite world music performer from the nominees selected.

The Awards consist of 10 categories :

Africa

Asia/Pacific

Americas

Europe

Middle East & North Africa

Newcomer

Culture Crossing

Club Global

Album Of The Year

Audience Award

To commemorate the event, Union Square Records will release an album of Awards for World Music CD on 27th March featuring all of the nominees. It will be available through all record retailers nationwide and online.

The continued success of the Awards for World Music helps to increase profile and spread the work of some of the most talented musicians the world has to offer. Tune in to BBC Radio 3 on Saturday February 25 th at 3.00pm to hear who the winners are - and again at 7.30 pm on Monday April 10th to hear the Poll Winners Concert, recorded live at the Brixton Academy. Television viewers can also experience the concert on BBC Four (transmission details still to be confirmed).

Link to BBC site – www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic
Link to Union Square site – www.unionsquaremusic.co.uk
Link to Brixton Academy site – http://www.brixton-academy.co.uk

Please contact: For BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music:
Sally Reeves on 01223 395133 or sallyreeves@btinternet.com or Sian Davis on 020 7765 5887 or sian.davis@bbc.co.uk

For Pioneer:
Carole Love on 01753 789760 or carole_love@pgb.pioneer.co.uk