Spotify is to sponsor the NME Awards 2013 as official digital music partner, as the music streaming service aims to boost its subscribers.
This step marks the next phase of the partnership between the publication and the music service, following a year which saw the NME app launch on Spotify and a collaboration to host the NME Spotify Signing Tent at Reading & Leeds festival.
Further extending its relationship with NME, Spotify will provide the soundtrack for 2013’s NME Awards, giving music fans the opportunity to listen to playlists featuring NME nominated bands and exclusive artist playlists.
Spotify will also be the official sponsor of the Best New Band award, previous winners of which have included Bombay Bicycle Club, Hurts and The Vaccines.
The partnership will be supported on various NME platforms and on the NME app on Spotify which will run throughout the NME Awards season – including the regional NME Awards Tour, the London NME Awards Shows which take place during February featuring various artists at a number of venues around the capital, and the NME Awards night.
Nikki Lambert, European marketing director, Spotify, said: “As one of the most respected music editorial voices in the world, we are very excited to continue to strengthen our relationship with NME through our partnership with the 2013 NME Awards. We’ll be showcasing and celebrating the nominated bands and sharing some exciting exclusive music content over the coming weeks and months.”
The NME Awards event takes place on Wednesday 27th February 2013 at East London venue, Troxy, honouring some of the biggest and best artists today and celebrating the best in new music.
A new venue for 2013’s NME Awards, Troxy too has a rich music heritage and has become known for hosting some of the hottest live music events in London. The 1930’s art deco building, which originally opened as a cinema, still has many of its original features.
NME editor Mike Williams said: “I’m incredibly excited to be able to announce that the NME Awards 2013 will be held at The Troxy, one of London’s oldest, coolest and most iconic venues. It’s no secret that East London has been buzzing for a few years now, but with the afterglow of the Olympics still burning bright and a renewed sense of pride in all things British, now is the time for the NME Awards – itself a British institution – to drop anchor in one of the London’s most richly historic and culturally vibrant areas. Here’s to five months of intense planning of the best Awards event in the calendar!”
Atif Malik, events manager at Troxy, added: “To be working with the NME Awards in 2013 is a brilliant moment for Troxy. There is a lot of synergy between the awards and the venue’s music heritage. Troxy has played host to Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Beady Eye, New Order and Garbage and we’ve just confirmed the one-off London show for Stereophonics as well as Richard Hawley days before the awards. The NME Awards will be a massive milestone in Troxy’s history and one that we are very excited about.”
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