2007 PEARL AWARDS

On Friday, September 28, 2007 the 10th annual Pearl Awards were presented to a sold out crowd on the Brigham Young University campus. In response to members' requests for more time to socialize--but a shorter evening overall--the event was held for the first time in an "awards dinner" format. It was a wonderful opportunity for nominees, members and guests to catch up with friends and colleagues and to celebrate the collective efforts of our industry over the past year.

The evening featured performances by nominees Jenny Jordan Frogley, Jason Deere, One Clear Voice (Tanya Barkdull, Johanne Frechette Perry, Tammy Robinson, & LaRene Tinney), Steven Sharp Nelson, Marshal McDonald, Cherie Call, and Joshua Creek (Jeff Hinton, Quint Randle & friends), who provided exceptional entertainment. Award presenters included Jessie Clark Funk, Clive Romney, Julie de Azevedo, Corbin Allred, and FCMA board members Jeannine Lasky & Earl Madsen.

As a result of the overwhelming volume and quality of submissions this year, the Board of Directors added seven new awards categories to the line-up: Devotional Recorded Song, Motivational Recorded Song, Singer-Songwriter or Folk Recorded Song, Contemporary Inspirational Recorded Song, Children's Recorded Song, Children's Album and Classical Instrumental Album. With a total of 37 awards to be presented throughout the evening, a new format was adopted to streamline the process. In lieu of being announced live, nominees were listed in the program and shown on large video screens while the presenters opened the award envelopes and announced the winners. Winners stood for a round of applause rather than come to the podium for a speech. Shorter awards segments allowed time for additional, meaningful presentations.

A highlight of the evening was the launch of the FCMA Scholarship Program with the inaugural scholarship awarded to a very deserving Kathryn Sorber, BYU Media Music student. Ron Simpson, FCMA Director of Education, also paid tribute to industry greats Merrill Bradshaw and A. Laurence Lyon, both of whom were recognized posthumously with awards presented to Janet Bradshaw and Donna Lyon.

In a moving presentation showcasing current FCMA service initiatives, Tammy Robinson, FCMA Director of Service, assisted by board members Todd McCabe & Earl Madsen, introduced the Shropshire Foundation - an organization founded by music educator Liz Shropshire, who takes music classes to children in war-torn areas like Kovoso, Uganda and Northern Ireland. The FCMA is partnering with the Shropshire Foundation to donate musical instruments and funds with which instruments and supplies can be purchased in the local areas. Members are encouraged to find out how they can help with these efforts by visiting the service page of this site. Information will be updated regularly.

Eligible submissions for the 2007 Pearl Awards were released during the two-year period beginning January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006. A group of FCMA nominating committees selected five nominees from the submissions entered in each award category and FCMA voting members selected the winners. Voting was done for the first time online, making the process much more convenient for voters, who were able to review nominated material (complete with artwork and photos) while casting their ballot. The current FCMA voting membership is the largest in FCMA history and this year's Pearl Awards received the highest voter turnout of any award year. Winners include both industry veterans and first-time nominees.

Additional event coverage:

Provo Daily Herald

A link for the gallery of photos of the 2007 Pearl Awards will be posted here soon.

To send feedback for the 2007 Pearl Awards event and voting process, please send an email to: info@fcmaonline.org.


FCMA JUKEBOX UPDATE

Last year we announced the upcoming launch of the FCMA Jukebox - a place for members to upload their original music to then be voted on by listeners and ranked according to popularity. The idea was to give local label reps, artists and producers who are looking for material a place where they can hear the current top ten demos from our membership. The announcement was met with a lot of enthusiasm from our members and we have been excited to move forward.

We have now been working for over a year to create technology for our website that will allow password-protected uploads and voting, integrated with the other online features we are developing. After meeting with a number of design and programming teams, we have discovered that unfortunately it is a much more significant investment than we'd originally thought. However, we still believe in the concept and are committed to creating a pathway for putting great new music from our members in front of the decision makers who can turn solid material into cuts. We already have ten label reps and independent producers committed to listening to the current Jukebox Top 10 each time they're looking for songs.

We'll be fleshing out the Jukebox later in the year. Thank you for your patience--and keep writing great songs!