2016 Taite Music Prize
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| 2016 Taite Music Prize | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | The best NZ album released in 2015 |
| Sponsored by | |
| Date | 20 April, 2016 |
| Venue | Galatos |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Hosted by | Emma Smith & Wallace Chapman |
| Act | The Leonard Charles Casiotone Orchestra |
| Reward | $10,000 |
| Winner | Personal Computer, by Silicon |
| Highlights | |
| IMNZ Classic Record | E Tu, by Upper Hutt Posse |
| Website | indies.co.nz |
The seventh annual Taite Music Prize was presented on 20 April 2016 at a ceremony in Auckland, organised by Independent Music New Zealand (IMNZ). The winner of the main award was Kody Nielson for the Silicon album Personal Computer. The IMNZ Classic Record award went to landmark hip hop single, E Tu, released by Upper Hutt Posse in 1988.
Winner
The ceremony and its main award share the "Taite Music Prize" name. Sometimes called the Taite Main, this award recognises New Zealand's best album of the previous year (2015). The winner, Personal Computer by Silicon (Kody Nielson), was selected by a panel of expert judges including Emma Smith, who co-hosted the award ceremony, and Peter McLellan.[1][2]
Criteria for the award include artistic merit, creativity, innovation and excellence. The winner received $10,000 from Recorded Music NZ and free recording time in Red Bull Studios, a year's supply of Red Bull, and two magnums of beer from Moa Brewing.[1]
Silicon's Personal Computer was announced as the winner in a prerecorded video by 2015 winners Jakob.[3] Kody Nielson wasn't at the ceremony but later said that winning felt "weird, because the other albums nominated are huge".[4]
Judge Emma Smith said that Personal Computer was, "singular vision, beautifully executed, that speaks to now. And it's funny."[1]
Nominations and finalists
An open call for nominations ran from 15 December 2015 - 28 January 2016,[5] and a total of 52 albums were entered. This list went to a vote of all IMNZ members, which found eight finalists. They were announced in February.[6]
The shortlist included two previous winners, SJD (2013) and UMO (2012), as well as future winners Princess Chelsea (2023) and Anthonie Tonnon (2022).[7] The Phoenix Foundation were listed for a third time in only the seventh year of the prize.[8] First-time nominees Nadia Reid and Marlon Williams would go on to make three and four finals respectively (as of 2026[update]).[9]
As well as being a finalist (and winner) for his solo project, Silicon, Kody Nielson also worked on the Unknown Mortal Orchestra album Multi-Love.[10]
| Artist | Album | Result |
|---|---|---|
| The Phoenix Foundation | Give Up Your Dreams | Nominated |
| Princess Chelsea | The Great Cybernetic Depression | Nominated |
| Nadia Reid | Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs | Nominated |
| Silicon | Personal Computer | Won |
| SJD | Saint John Divine | Nominated |
| Anthonie Tonnon | Successor | Nominated |
| Unknown Mortal Orchestra | Multi-Love | Nominated |
| Marlon Williams | Marlon Williams | Nominated |
