Rules and Guidelines

The submission window to enter the Artists In Music Awards Season IV is now accepting registration for membership and Nomination submissions. Click on “Submit” to register.

Categories Defined

Artists In Music Awards and the Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts categories include (The AIMAs reserve the right to add or delete categories during the season and present awards for which no nominees were named):

Adult Contemporary – AC is a varying degree of contemporary rockAlternative – genre of rock emerging from the independent scene
Blues – Roots music originating from the “South” characterized as a melodic rhythmic style
Broadcast - For Radio or Television shows for this category may be a one-time episode, a series of live shows, podcast, syndicated, or local broadcast covering a wide range of genres from reality, talk radio, sports, and music. Each TV or Radio show entry must be at least 22 minutes in length.
Christian/Gospel – music inspired by religious faith
Contemporary Art - Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators fall within this category
Country – Country music is an American music style of folk that originated in the American West and Southern States.
Director - film or TV director in control of a project's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision.
Educator – Educator of the Year candidates must demonstrate exceptional or innovative traits in the field of the Arts. Definition of Arts – representing the visual arts, theatre, radio, television, or music field. Nominees must have held a teaching role for at least three or more years in their field of expertise.
Electronica/Dance – Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is derived from electronic machines. This category also represents House, Electro, Techno, Dubstep, Trip Hop, Dance, and Glitch Hop genres
Feature Film – A feature film is any film or movie with a running time that exceeds 45 in lengthGraphic Arts – A type of fine art defined as but not limited to two-dimensional, calligraphy, drawing, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy, and computer graphics
Jazz - a type of improvisational music that incorporates common including brass, piano, woodwind, and percussion instruments.
Latin – Music that represents Rock En Espanol, Salsa, Tango, Merengue and Brazilian music, as well as traditional rhythms like Andean music, Puerto Rican Bomba, Cuban Son and Musica Llanera.
Literary Writer – Distinguishable written pieces of writing based on creativity, narrative, rhetoric, and artistic intent. Eligible work includes published or unpublished works, and digital compositions related to Essays, Biographies, Screenplays, News stories, Novels, Short Stories, and Novellas.
Mural & Urban Arts – Mural is a Latin term which means, “Wall”. Much different than graffiti art, Mural & Urban art is any wall art that is visible to the public that has a community or social statement.
Music Video – a filmed dramatization and interpretation of a recorded song using visual imagesPhotographer – a professional or amateur that takes photographs as a freelancer, paparazzi, and/or for commercial use.
Poetry – the art of rhythmic composition to create literary art
Pop – Popular music that follows distinct verse-chorus structure employing catchy hooks with repetitive choruses and melodic rhythms to appeal to a mass audience.
Record Producer– a professional who works with recording artists and overseas the creativity and technical aspects of recorded material whether a single song or album
Reggae – A style of music that originated in Jamaica mixing native styles combining Rhythm & Blues, Calyspo, and Ska elements
Rock – a popular genre originating from Rhythm & Blues and Rock N’ Roll with influences varying from Jazz and Classical instrumentation, but music mostly revolves around the basic set up of an electric guitar, supported by a bass, and a drum kit.
R&B – Rhythm & Blues was derived from early forms of jazz and blues by popular African-American folks during the 1940s worked its way into pop culture after the 1950s.
Screen Actor/Actress – Best Screen Actor/Actress award is an outstanding lead performance or significant role in a featured or short film
Short Film – A short film is a film shorter than 45 minutes, including credits
Singer Songwriter – a person who writes and performs his or her own songsTeen – Music that is generally focused on teenage audience, but does not necessarily mean that Teen artists are teenagers.
Theatre Actor/Actress – a person that acts in a dramatic or comedic live stage performance
Theatre Production - the technical aspect of a live theatre/stage production, including staging, rigging, screnery, lighting, design, costumes, make up, props, management, and sound.
Urban/Hip Hop – Two different cultures of music including rap, musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music originally created by DJs isolating the percussion breaks of popular songs, sometimes with two turntables to extend the breaks.

Specialty Awards Qualifications

David Siqueiros Lifetime Achievement Award - Candidates must have demonstrated outstanding achievement, have a distinguished body of work, and have made a recognizable contribution in the field of Art, Music, Theatre, Film, and/or Broadcasting field. Voting: Board of Judges– 70%, Voting Membership – 30%
Artist of the Year - The top 3 to 5 artists with a combination of most judges votes, voting members votes, and public votes are eligible. Artists music also to have demonstrated outstanding overall achievement with a distinguished body of work. Voting: Board of Judges– 70%, Voting Membership – 30%
Album of the Year - Nominees must have a full length LP or 5-song EP to be eligible.Voting: Board of Judges– 70%, Voting Membership – 20%, Public 10%
Performer of the Year - Past performers are automatically eligible for this category. All nominees in this category must have live performance recordings easily accessible to be eligible. No minimum number of videos are required, but the more, the better, to evaluate and increase your chance at winning. Voting: Board of Judges– 70%, Voting Membership – 20%, Public 10%

Voting, Judging, Elimination, Winners, Dates

Voting polls are open to the public from June 15, 2014 at 12:01am PST through July 15, 2015 at Midnight PST.
FINAL ROUND Judges round will begin on June 15, 2015 at 12:01am PST to August 15, 2015 at Midnight PST.
NOMINATION EVENT - Final Nominations Certificates to be handed out at a special live event - TBA
AWARDS CEREMONY - Trophies to categories winners will be handed out on a date to be determined during a live televised event in Los Angeles, CA.
Votes are counted with a percentage of voting based on a 70% Board of Judges count, 20% Voting Members count, and 10% Public count.
Categories with fewer than 3 total submissions are subject to elimination.Nominees may be eliminated with no votes or too few total votes.
Artist(s) with a combination of too few fan votes, no member votes, zero judges votes, the category may result in fewer than 5 Final Nominees. Categories with 3 or less artist submissions are subject to elimination. (To prevent elimination from your category, it is vital to promote to your fans to gain votes during the entire voting process).
Categories that are eliminated from the Final Nomination ballot, artist(s) will be listed under "Honorable Mentions" and are not eligible to receive an engraved trophy.
Late submissions with no chance of receiving fan or member votes are solely weighed based on judges discretion.
Judges will vote in a separate private voting ballet for each individual category. Artists with ZERO judge votes during the judges round may be subjected to elimination. In some cases, multiple judge and member votes my go in favor of 4 or fewer artists. In these circumstances, the artist with the highest number of fan votes will receive a Provisional Final Nomination.All categories will be reduced to 5 or fewer Final Nominations.
On Saturday, August 18, 2015, the Top 5 Final List of Nominees in all categories will be announced.
Responsibility of judges - Each judge and voting member are required to listen and evaluate nominee’s materials for a fair evaluation. For music artists, judges must review a minimum of 3-recorded songs and at least 1 music video (live or recorded performance).
All voting Members and judges must fairly review all submitted materials pertaining to films, artwork, photos, and literary works.
The Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts discourages judges and members from “voting for whom you know”.

How to Perform at a Artists In Music Awards Event

All AIMA Alumni, past Breakthrough Series performers, and Final Nominees are eligible to be considered to perform. During the initial submission process, artists will be asked if interested in performing. If "yes", the awards committee will review the artist’s recorded music and live performance videos. There is no guarantee an artist will be selected. The artist will be contacted directly with a formal invitation to perform at one of Artists In Music Awards or Siqueiros Foundation of the Artist Event. Nomination Event and Awards Ceremony performers will be selected based on past live performances and may be invited to perform at one or more events. Discounts Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts Members will receive special discounts on general admission and VIP tickets. Some events are free and pricing is subject to change. Box office prices may vary depending on locations. There is absolutely no guest list at the awards ceremony.

Nomination Event & Award Ceremony Dates & Locations

NOMINATION EVENT - Final Nominations Certificates to be handed out on the Red Carpet during the Finale

AWARDS CEREMONY - Trophies to categories winners will be handed out in person at a location in Los Angeles, CA. Location - TBA

Prizes

Grand Prize - $4,500 PR Package to the Artist of the Year: The Grand prize winner will receive the LA “IN” PR grand prize valued at $4,500. LA “IN” PR is a full-service PR firm that can get you top-level media recognition!

$500 Prize to Album of the Year: You will receive the MusicSUBMIT prize pack. This special promotion package promotes your music to 1,100 radio stations, music magazines, music blogs and music podcasts to help you get the word out!

$500 Prize to Performer of the Year: You will receive one full month of Publicity representation, compliments of IndependentMusicPromotions.com.

Artists in Music Awards Trophy - All Category winners will receive one beautiful custom engraved AIMA or Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts trophy at no charge. Each duplicate trophy is an additional $110.

Artists in Music Awards Nomination Certificates - All Final Nominees with receive a certified AIMA and SFOTA Nomination certificate at the Nomination Event. Final Nominees that do not collect their Nomination Certificates at the Nomination Event can elect to receive their certificates in person at the Awards Ceremony.

More prizes to be announced

Other Benefits

All Final Nominees names will appear in the official Artists In Music Awards event program that will be distributed to all Guests, VIP ticket holders, media personnel, and publicists. Companies and Nominees may elect to purchase ads or make donations to be featured in the event program. Email us HERE for more details on event advertisement rates.

Selected artists may be featured on the official radio show of the Artists In Music Awards and played on KGUP 106.5FM “The Emerge Radio Networks” and/or on The Great Unknowns Presents and/or on InDspotlightFM and/or featured on other affiliate radio stations and/or publications. Some artists may also be interviewed and featured on All Indie Magazine, the official blog of the Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts. Media, Press photographers, and radio personalities attend every Artists in Music event. Award nominees and performers are frequently discovered by A&R reps, magazine writers, bloggers, radio hosts, and a variety of other industry professionals.

Specific Prize Details

The Grand Prize from LA “IN” PR includes: • 90-day representation • One initial consultation and two additional monthly meetings • Assist with website editing • Blog and website updating • Create artist page on www.lainpr.com • Assist with daily social media promotions • Create custom list of music bloggers and media in artist's genre and locations • send three press releases over a course of 90-days • Press release distribution to custom list of music bloggers and media • Follow-up phone calls to press after press release is sent • A podcast interview that artist can post on social networks • Prize winner will receive special discounted rates for continued services. (Cash value $4,500)

IndependentMusicPromotions.com is full-service music company that provides marketing campaigns and guaranteed review packages for independent bands and artists of all genres. All of IMP’s services are strictly based on gaining high amounts of press (reviews, interviews, features, video publicity, blog posts, magazine pieces) for chosen bands and solo artists in both physical and digital media. Intensive effort and research has gone into finding efficient independent music review sources and top level publications and building strong alliances with writers and editors across the globe. (Cash value $500)

MEDIA

Media is always welcome to cover our events. Any Media personnel interested in covering any of our shows, Nomination Event, or Awards Ceremony, please contact us HERE for media clearance.

Submission Rules and Eligibility

It is not required to submit new material. Participants may submit previously submitted materials or new materials.

It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure authorization and permission from the owner(s) of any and all trademarked content or materials included within the submitted Film or music materials. The Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted and trademarked content or materials within or relating to the submitted material, including any content or materials that are or may become the basis for any third party claims for copyright trademark infringement, trademark dilution or unfair competition. The Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Participant, any materials with any unauthorized inclusion of trademarked content or materials. In the event that any claim, dispute, action or proceeding shall be brought or asserted by any person or entity that alleges that the material makes unauthorized or unlawful use of any trademarked content or material, Participant shall fully indemnify and defend the Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that any of them may incur in connection therewith.

MEMBER PRIVILEGES & CONDITIONS

Membership with the AIMA and SFOTA comes with special privileges including exclusive access to special events, FREE shows, workshops, discounts on premiere affiliated art exhibits and award events, plus voting privileges on AIMA categories.

For a limited time, Registration is only $29 per year for Season IV members!

MEMBERSHIP LEVELS

Individual - $29 per year
Small Corporation - $110 (up to 5 members)
Large Corporation - $250 (more than 5 members)
*Large Corporation membership is recommended for large record labels

Membership is subject to any and all rules adopted by Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts, including our privacy policies and practices, and they may be amended from time to time without notice.

RENEWING, ADDING OR CANCELING MEMBERSHIP

The member must authorize renewal or cardholder changes, including additions or deletions, and is responsible for the membership.
You will NOT receive a renewal notice or new card by mail each year.
Members that sign up with auto-pay, registration fees never change.
Renewal fees are automatically withdrawn on date your membership expires to following year.
If you cancel the auto-pay feature, you will need to re-register as a new member and are subject to rate increases with additional processing fees.
Members who signup with auto-pay their membership will not receive a renewal notice in the mail. You will receive notification through Paypal via email.
Small Corporation or Large Corporate Memberships will be emailed a cardholders request form after payment has been processed to enroll all members.
You will not receive new membership cards each year.
Small Corporation Members may add up to four additional cardholders to their membership - $110
Large Corporation Members may add more than 5 additional cardholders to their membership - $250
For lost or stolen card, there is a $12 for replacement ID membership cards.
There are no refunds for canceled memberships, for any reason

Additional Rules

Responsibility of Judges & Voting Members - Each judge and voting member are required to listen and evaluate nominee’s materials for a fair evaluation. For music artists, judges must review a minimum of 3-recorded songs and at least 1 music video (live or recorded performance).

All voting Members and judges must fairly review all submitted materials pertaining to films, artwork, photos, and literary works.

The Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts discourages judges and members from voting for only "whom you know”.

TV or Radio Broadcast and Producer of the Year, judges will vote based on the entire body of work or by work submitted. Radio show participants may include News Reports, Sports reports, Traffic Reports, PSA's, Interviews, Segways, Commercial Advertisements, or Talk Show samples. Please submit your best clips of at least 60 seconds in length, but no longer than 60 minutes.

Board of Judges Disciplinary Review Artists In Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts frown on illegal activity or unethical behavior. The Board of Directors at the Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts and Artists In Music Awards Board of Judges may be called into action for resolution regarding any illegal activity or unethical behavior. Illegal activity or unethical behavior may include but not limited to bribing, voting fraud, scandals, and kickbacks.

Final Nominee must be present to win - The Artists In Music Awards does not mail certificates or trophies. Out of respect to the Foundation and to all competing artists, all artists must be present to receive Nomination Certificate(s) or Award trophy(s) unless authorized with prior written approval. This is to the benefit of the artist’s career and to the benefit of the AIMA and the Foundation. If an artist is unable to attend the Nomination Event or Awards Ceremony, the artist may elect to have a representative receive award(s) on the artist’s behalf or receive their nomination certificate(s) on the day of the Awards Ceremony. Only one artist per year is authorized to be absent from accepting an award in person during the awards ceremony, however all absentee requests must be emailed or mailed to the corporate office. Artists must notify the AIMA office immediately or the artist may be subject to disciplinary review for possible disqualification. If disqualified, the artist voluntarily or involuntarily forfeits the award to the runner up.

All disciplinary review decisions are decided by a 2/3 majority vote. Board of Directors of the Artists in Music Awards and the Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts will have final discretion.

FAQ

Can I vote more than once? Fans may only vote once during the preliminary and final rounds.

Do I lose any rights to my music or written material? No, you do not. Artists will retain all rights to ALL your materials. Artists in the awards program may have the option for further licensing opportunities.

I submitted and paid the Membership fee, does that guarantee me a Top 5 Final Nomination? No. Only five artists are eligible in each category can be named the Top 5 Final Nominees. Final Nominations are secured through voting process.

Why is there a Registration fee? The registration fee pays for your membership, but this small fee plays a crucial roll in the existance of this organization. The registration/membership fee amount helps defer the costs of operation, booking event locations, event insurance, nomination certificates, trophies, and operational costs associated with the Red Carpet events and the Award Ceremony.

If I am eliminated or decide to withdrawal my membership, can I get a refund? There are no refunds allowed on memberships, event tickets, and/or cover charges.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member at the Artists in Music Awards and Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts, bringing you the biggest and brighest Artists of tomorrow, today!

Did we answer all of your questions? If not, send us your questions or correspondence HERE

Conditions

Participant agrees to release and indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor(s) and the organizer from any and all claims that any advertising, presentation, web content or any other material subsequently produced, presented, and/or prepared by or on behalf of Sponsor(s) or the contestant infringes on the rights of organizers work as contained.

Limitations of Liability and Release

No liability or responsibility is assumed by Sponsor(s), Donor(s), or organizers resulting from any user’s participation in or attempt to participate in the Artists In Music Awards and/or “Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts” or hereinafter “awards program”, or ability or inability to upload or download any information in connection with participating in the Contest. No responsibility or liability is assumed by the Sponsor(s) or organizers for technical problems or technical malfunction arising in connection with any of the following occurrences which may affect the operation of the awards program: hardware or software errors; faulty computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network, electronic, wireless or Internet connectivity or other online communication problems; errors or limitations of any Internet service providers, servers, hosts or providers; garbled, jumbled or faulty data transmissions; failure of any e-mail transmissions to be sent or received; lost, late, delayed or intercepted e-mail transmissions; inaccessibility of the Web Site in whole or in part for any reason; traffic congestion on the Internet or the Web Site; hacking, theft, virus, bugs, worms; or destruction of any aspect of the Contest, or loss, miscount, misdirection, inaccessibility or unavailability of an email account used in connection with the Contest. Sponsor(s) and organizers are not responsible for any typographical errors in the announcement of prizes or these official Rules, or any inaccurate or incorrect data contained on the Web Site. Use of Web Site is at user's own risk. Sponsor(s) and the organizers are not responsible for any personal injury or property damage or losses of any kind, which may be sustained to Nominees and/or performers resulting from participation in the awards program. By participating in the awards program, the participant agrees to release and hold Sponsor(s) and organizers harmless from any and all claims, damages or liabilities arising from or relating to such participants in the awards program. By accepting a prize in the awards program, Winners agree that the Sponsor(s) and organizers shall not be liable for any loss or injury resulting from participation in the awards program, acceptance or use of any prize.

Additional Prize Disclosures

Sponsor(s) reserve the right to substitute a prize or prize element of equal or greater monetary value (whether in cash or otherwise) if a prize or prize element cannot be awarded as described for any reason. If any prize is returned as undeliverable or is forfeited or refused, this may result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected as a potential winner, if time permits. All federal, state, provincial, local and other tax liabilities, including but not limited to sales and use taxes, goods and services taxes, excise taxes, income and U.S. withholding taxes, customs duties, fees and like amounts in connection with a Artist’s or Artist Member’s prize, acceptance or use of a prize herein will be the sole responsibility of each Band or Band Member, as applicable. If a potential winner is not a “U.S. person” (as defined by U.S. tax law), Sponsor(s), or Donor(s) is required to withhold U.S. federal withholding tax from the prize (and pay such amount directly to the United States Internal Revenue Service), then, except as provided above with respect to any International Tax Assistance Award, such potential winner will be required to pay to the Sponsor(s) the amount of the legally required withholding before the potential winner can receive the applicable prize or, at Sponsor(s)’s option, the amount of any credit issued or cash awarded as part of the prize may be reduced by the amount of the legally required withholding. If required, failure to pay such amount within the deadline established by the Sponsor(s) or Donor(s) will result in the disqualification of the potential winner. Notwithstanding such payments, each winner shall be solely responsible for the payment of any taxes due as a result of winning a prize. All prize values are in U.S. dollars, except where noted.

SEASON IV

Rules and Guidelines