Troy Grant MP Deputy Premier Minister for Tourism and Major Events MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday 26 November 2014 ARIA AWARDS AND ARIA WEEK SECURED FOR SYDNEY UNTIL 2017
Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Troy Grant, today announced the NSW Government has secured the ARIA Awards and ARIA Week exclusively for Sydney until 2017.
Mr Grant said he was pleased to make the announcement as the Australian music industry gathers for the prestigious awards ceremony being held at The Star this evening.
“The NSW Government, through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, will continue to support the ARIA Awards and ARIA Week for the next three years,” Mr Grant said.
“This funding ensures Australia’s pinnacle music industry events remain in Sydney, the nation’s live performance capital and the creative services hub of the Asia Pacific region.
“The ARIA Awards and ARIA Week showcase our Harbour City and its world class performance venues internationally, attracting visitation from across Australia and the world and providing a significant boost to the State’s visitor economy,” Mr Grant said.
ARIA Chief Executive Officer Dan Rosen added, “Australia is now the 6th largest music market in the world and Sydney is one of the major industry capitals of the Asia-Pacific region. The ARIA Awards and ARIA Week have become a global event and a great reflection of how our Aussie artists are conquering the world. We look forward to continuing to work with the NSW Government over the next three years to further cement the ARIAs on the international music calendar.”
The 2014 ARIA Awards Connected by Telstra take place tonight at The Star in Sydney, featuring the biggest performance line-up in the event’s history. International superstars One Direction and Katy Perry will make appearances alongside Australian talent including 5 Seconds of Summer, Chet Faker, Hilltop Hoods, Justice Crew and Sheppard. The iconic television program Countdown and Molly Meldrum will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, the first time a non-recording artist has received this honour.
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said the Awards round out an outstanding program of music events, conferences, industry master classes and forums as part of ARIA Week.
“ARIA Week is a fantastic initiative developed by ARIA in collaboration with Destination NSW that builds on the strong reputation of the ARIA Awards and Sydney’s music industry. It includes high profile events such as the Electronic Music Conference, the Asia Pacific’s premier dance music industry event, which is also supported by Destination NSW,” Ms Chipchase said.
“ARIA Week and the ARIA Awards encourage visitors to come to Sydney to enjoy a week of musical celebrations and take in Sydney’s attractions, and world-class shopping and dining while they are here.”