Australian Music Prize 2009

An absent Lisa Mitchell took out the 2009 Australian Music Prize – and the $30,000 that accompanies it – in a ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Fri 12 Mar for her album Wonder, marking a series of firsts for the awards. While the platinum-selling Warners release wasn't the first major-label release to take the gong (Augie March's SonyBMG effort Moo, You Bloody Choir won the second AMP award in 2006), she is the first solo artist and first female to take out the prize (the other winners, incidentally, were Eddy Current Supression Ring for Primary Colours in 2008, The Mess Hall's Devils Elbow in 2007 and The Drones for the inaugural AMP in 2005for Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of your Enemies will Float By– so Ms Mitchell is in pretty exquisite company). 

As for the all-industry ceremony itself, the biz – who, in great Australian music industry tradition, had a lot of trouble keeping quiet for the speeches – were entertained by Perry Keyes and Red Bull Award In Recognition of Outstanding Potential winners Oh Mercy before the formalities began. MTV personalities MCs Jane Gazzo and Kyle Linahan gamely persevered as the antsy crowd awaited the result, although attention was paid during the speeches from SPA's LeighTreweek (who called on the federal government to look to protect live venues as per the National Trust, as places of cultural importance) and the PPCA's Stephen Peach (railing against the move to eliminate Australian music quotas on radio). Then the AMP's founder Scott Murphy called upon "the Federal Member for Kingsford Smith, and global member for Midnight Oil" to give the keynote.

Peter Garrett's speech was passionate and enthusiastic – as befits the man – and got in a plug for his Music in Schools program – as befits a politician: and given his acknowledgement that talent and passion is never the problem in the Australian music industry, but access to resources and support is, let's see how he takes the challenges from Treweek and Peach to protect our venues and airwaves. AMP judges Deb Conway and Holly Throsby then unveiled the winner, who delivered a pre-recorded thank you via video from the UK, where she's currently on tour – and everyone geared up for the afterparty. It could have been a tighter affair, sure, but the AMP neatly represented the Australian music industry in general. It's a bit messy, a bit disorganised, but hell: we do good work.

The Australian Music Prize 2009 Shortlist:

Oh Mercy, Privileged Woes

Black Cab, Call Signs

Kid Sam, Kid Sam LP

Lisa Mitchell, Wonder

Urthboy, Spitshine

The Mess Hall, For the Birds

Sarah Blasko, As Day Follows Night

Lucie Thorne, Black Across the Field

Bertie Blackman, Secrets and Lies

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