Juno performers Three Days Grace.

"These shows complement each other," says Leisa Peacock, manager of awards and events at the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). "Other shows focus on the alternative and underground whereas the Junos . . . try to include everything that's going on in Canadian music."

In recent years music journalists have criticized CARAS for producing Juno shows that fail to celebrate Canada's finest talent.

They blasted CARAS last year for granting prime performance spots to non-Canadian acts Coldplay and Black Eyed Peas, and recruiting the Canadian, but not musicalIy-inclined Pamela Anderson to host. International music critics praised Canadian independent rock acts like the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. But, former Canadian Idol contestants were better represented in major Juno categories like artist and album of the year.

The word on the street Requires FlashPlayer

The nomination criteria are partially to blame for this last discrepancy. Most Juno nominations are determined by expert panels of journalists, radio DJs, music educators and retailers.

But the nominations for major categories — international album of the year, album of the year, artist of the year, group of the year, new artist of the year and new group of the year — are based on sales.

To be more inclusive this year, CARAS changed the nomination process for pop, rock and instrumental albums of the year from a sales-based to a jury vote system.

But sales-based categories remain the ones most often presented during CTV's broadcast. This year's show, broadcast April 1 from Saskatoon, should offer high exposure to host, and five-time nominee Nelly Furtado, as well as show performers and nominees Billy Talent and k-os.

"We always try to balance the performers to reflect our mandate, which is to promote and celebrate excellence in Canadian music," Peacock says. "So we celebrate the bigger stars and promote the up-and-comers as well."

One way CARAS promotes up-and-comers is by broadcasting a live performance from an artist supported by the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR). FACTOR, a major Juno Awards sponsor, receives government funding to help finance Canadian music production. This year's FACTOR-supported Juno nominees include acoustic act City and Colour, and Patrick Watson, an indie rocker, influenced by classical music.

The critics' choice

Such efforts aren't enough to break the Junos from its growing reputation as a popularity contest, says Vancouver Province music journalist Tom Harrison. When voting to determine this year's nominees for new artist and new group of the year, he was disappointed with the 17 top-selling CDs the Junos sent him to choose from for each category. The process, he says, serves to support mainstream artists and their major labels over independent artists.

Harrison also voted to determine the nominees of last year's first ever Polaris Music Prize, a cash prize voted for by music journalists and broadcasters. Jurors submit their top five choices for Canadian album of the year, based completely on artistic merit, with no consideration of genre or sales.

Polaris' shortlist of nominees included Vancouver's New Pornographers, Victoria's Wolf Parade, and eventual winner Final Fantasy of Toronto. Harrison says this shortlist, which was dominated by independent acts, reflects different values than the Junos.

"Polaris comes down to what is the most creative, interesting music around," he says. "It's more about creativity than money."

Praising independence

Meanwhile, both fans and critics vote to determine the winners of the Canadian Independent Music Awards, which are part of Canadian Music Week. The seventh annual show will take place March 7 in Toronto to honour the year's best independent releases.

Canadian Music Week showcases artists like k-os, three-time 2005 Canadian Radio Music Award nominee.

Bessie Bullard, producer of the show, says although it isn't televised, fan interest boosts awareness for the show, nominated artists and performers. She says independent artists are also being recognized to a greater degree at awards like the Junos because music fans are listening to them.

"They're the ones downloading the songs from these bands and going out and buying their CDs, requesting their songs on the radio and checking out their shows," she says. "If it wasn't for the public there wouldn't be an independent scene."

Despite the criticism, Peacock says about 70 per cent of Juno nominees are not signed to major record labels. She points to categories such as alternative album of the year as recognizing buzz-worthy artists that don't necessarily have huge record sales.

CARAS evaluates its nomination process each year, she says, to ensure the awards best represent the Canadian music scene. For now, this involves recognizing both financial and creative successes.

"We're celebrating what's happened over the past year," she says. "So we aim to balance art and commerce."

Related Links 2007 Canadian Independent Music Award Nominees 2006 Polaris Music Prize 2007 Juno Award Nominees Canada Music Fund FACTOR Success Stories