PAL Commentary: This should be a no-brainer
Current mood: pugnacious

If you are a band with a lead singer, you are not an instrumental band.

I promise that when crunching numbers for BEST INSTRUMENTAL BAND category, I cross reference the top vote-getters with the vocalist category.

Is this clear? Lead singer = NOT an intrumental band.

love,
Poll Answer Lady, over and out.

5:55 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Bands Write: When does polling ends and how do we know if we won?
Current mood: fermented

Q: Voting ends on the 31st, right? Is there any chance it will be extended?

A: Yes, it ends on the 31st. No, it will NOT be extended. No way. Nyet. Nein. Nae. No no no no nononononono.

Q: Are winners announced in March right before SXSW? I don't exactly remember from last year. St. Patricks Day killed many parts of my brain. Green beer = evilness.

A: The winner are announced at the Austin Music Awards show. They are not notified they are winners. They are, however personally invited to attend the Music Awards by me.

P.S. Watch that green beer. Poll Answer Lady recommends the Protestant whiskey, Bushmill's.

yer PAL

11:32 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Bands Write: Is it considered stuffing if I ....?
Current mood: Helpful, for a change

Q: I am preparing my email blast to announce this and encourage folks to vote in the Music Poll. I know that part is on the up and up. My question concerns live shows. Is it considered ballot stuffing if I offer a copy of the Chronicle and pre-addressed/stamped envelope to my fans at shows? I certainly don't want to get into trouble there.

A: Basically, yes, we consider that stuffing. Mail-in votes are so few these days and we've always known that if we get a bunch of envelopes with the same stamp and handwriting on the address etc, it's obvious that someone has made an effort at block voting. That might result in having only a portion of the votes counted. However, were they to fill out the envelope themselves, that would tell me it was an individual effort. (I actually do look at the envelopes and all the ballots.)

I'm not suggesting you do this but I am surprised that enterprising bands don't simply set up a laptop at gigs and solicit people to vote on the spot though it's probably not as fast as having them scribble votes on paper. Bands who offer suggestions for voting in multiple categories can benefit a lot from the effort because not only do folks take your suggestions but it inspires them to think of their own favorites too.

To me, the best way to get votes is make it easy for your fans to vote. Remind them weekly, provide a good link for them, suggest additional names for other categories etc. Make good use of MySpace - a big change in Poll voting came two years ago when MySpace band campaigns made a huge difference. And talk about it at gigs

love,
Poll Answer Lady

4:34 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Bands Write: What about out-of-state voting?
Current mood: recumbent
Category: Music

Q: Hey - can people from out of Austin vote as well? We're putting out a lot of myspace bulletins and some out of state people are asking.

A: Yeah, sure. I got no problem with that. But bear in mind I read ALL ballots so no funny business, eh?  :)

Poll Answer Lady

4:13 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Poll Answer Lady: About New Bands ....
Current mood: annoyed

The fewer rules applied to the Austin Chronicle Music Poll the easier it is for your PAL to give the benefit of the doubt. One rule that always stands in the Best New Band category is this:

This sounds incredibly simple on the surface but let me reiterate it another way: If you were noted in last year's Top 10 Best New Bands, you are not a new band any longer.

4:43 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

AMA Poster Show Saturday Night

As part of the Austin Music Awards show's 25th anniversary, the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture is presenting the Austin Chronicle Austin Music Awards Poster Exhibit, Saturday night March 3 beginning at 7:09pm.

The Museum is located at 1516B S. Lamar (parking around the corner on Collier Street). 3 Balls of Fire kick off the music at 7:30pm with David McCoy & the Real afterward. Come see what the fun has been about for the last 25 years!

9:57 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Hey, we got enough votes to win one category, how come we didn't win Band of the Year?
Current mood: dorky

Okay, for the answer to this you have to suspend what you think you know about poll tabulation. Let's say that Band A collects 709 votes to place #1 in Best World Music Band. Let's say those votes also got their members to place #9 in Bass, #8 in Drums but not at all in Male Vocals or Electric Guitar or Band of the Year. How does that happen?

It happens because categories such as Band of the Year and Male Vocals are heavily voted categories, much more so than World Music. Bass and Drums are reasonably voted too but not as much as Electric Guitar. Here's a sample breakdown with vote numbers (these are strictly guesswork and not actual ballot numbers):

BAND OF THE YEAR
1. Band B (6,546 votes)
2. Band M (5,042 votes)
3. Band T (4,753 votes)
4. Band G (4,603 votes)
5. Band S (4,394 votes)
6. Band E (3,277 votes)
7. Band L (3,109 votes)
8. Band R (2,070 votes)
9. Band K (1,846 votes)
10. Band Q (1,089 votes)

WORLD MUSIC
1. Band A (709 votes)
2. Band P (584 votes)
3. Band J (566 votes)
4. Band S (403 votes)
5. Band N (392 votes)
6. Band U (355 votes)
7. Band C (340 votes)
8. Band F (294 votes)
9. Band H (167 votes
10. Band O (141 votes)

Now see why Band A's 709 votes wouldn't get them placed in Band of the Year but could take the World Music Category?

Another factor to consider is that not all voters use the straight ticket approach. In other words, they may vote for your vocalist and bassist but vote for the drummer and guitarist from another band and the keyboard player from a third.

You're welcome to comment on these posts. I'll try to answer them in a timely manner.

9:54 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Are There "Trick" Categories?
Current mood: helpful
Category: helpful Music

No, but there are two that are tricky. If you are voted as Best None Of The Above band, you can't win another performing band category because you are none of the above. Also, if you win or place as Best New Band one year, you are ineligible the next because you ain't new any longer. This one should be obvious but still I get asked about it.

mm

9:08 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Update: Volunteering for the 2007 Austin Music Awards

2:19 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Poll time!
Category: Music

Music Poll 2007

Yes, it's January and the Austin Chronicle Music Poll is in the current issue. I'm shaking the pom-poms to say "yeah, get out there and vote for your favorite Austin bands and releases" with the caveat that I SEE EVERY BALLOT THAT COMES IN. Last year, that meant I looked at 13,000 ballots. Oh yeah. So I know a stuffed category when I see it.

So. Hie thee to the nearest Chronicle stand or cut and paste this URL to vote: http://www.austinchronicle.com/musicpoll/

And don't forget the Hall of Fame category!

love,
Margaret

P.S. I have been asked what it takes to get a band nominated. Actually, we don't nominate bands except in the Hall of Fame category and even then we have a fill in the blank section. So, gather your fan force and hit those ballots!

2:14 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment