British alternative rock trio and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke were the big winners last night (Oct. 3) at the fifth annual BT Digital Music Awards in London, each taking hope a brace of trophies.
Yorke’s debut solo album “The Eraser” (XL Recordings), which was shortlisted this year for the U.K.’s Mercury Prize, won for best artist campaign and the best use of mobile with MoBlip.
Muse, another Mercury Prize-nominee, took out the best rock artist title, and their fansite, www.muselive.com, was named best unofficial music site.
Ben Beardsworth, managing director of XL Recordings, said the victories “are down to the record company working closely with the artist to create an original way of doing things.”
XL, an affiliate of U.K. indie powerhouse the Beggars Group, also had a hand in victory with its act the White Stripes, whose album “The Denial Twist” won for best artist promotion.
Also on the night, Regal-signed newcomer Lily Allen won for best pop artist, pop/rock act McFly scooped the best official Web site category and Last.fm claimed the best music community trophy.
The official Website for Live Nation’s Download Festival took out the best event or performance site category. “This is truly a fabulous achievement for our organization,” comments Stuart Galbraith, London-based managing director at Live Nation.
Thirteen of the 19 awards were voted for by the public, with some 500,000 votes cast online. The remaining categories were selected by a music-industry panel.
National U.K. commercial TV network Channel 4 will air the ceremony on Oct. 21.
The awards are supported by the trade body BPI, charts compiler the Official U.K. Charts Company, collecting society Phonographic Performance Ltd, mobile trade group the Mobile Entertainment Forum and indies’ trade body the Assn. of Independent Music.
