Missed opportunity

Bibiza and Wanda made their mark on the Amadeus Awards 2024

Hubert von Goisern, high-flyers Bibiza and Wanda were the big winners of this year's Amadeus Awards.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Amine Sabeur, Andreas Graf, David Mayrhofer, Amadeus)

The glitz and glamor factor at the Amadeus Awards has never been higher. At the presentation of the Austrian music awards in Vienna's Volkstheater, high-flyers Bibiza, Wanda and RAF Camora were the big winners. In terms of organization and execution, there is still a lot of catching up to do.

However, it cannot be said that the organizers of the Amadeus Award have not learned any lessons from the previous year. Austria's most prestigious music prize was awarded in stages in advance in 2023, robbing the traditional ceremony in Vienna's Volkstheater of its most important quality: excitement. The criticism from musicians and the media was well received, and this time the excitement was once again exploited to the full. And indeed: honest joy on stage is something quite different from mere off-stage fade-ins of the artist with the award - accompanied by a knowing grin. This year, the awards were presented in the splendid setting of the evening program, bringing back some of the glamour.

Prizes without winners
At least when the respective winners were present in person. Wanda scooped the awards for "Song of the Year" ("Bei niemand anders") and "Live Act of the Year", RAF Camora delivered the "Album of the Year" with "XV" and also won in the "Hip-Hop/Urban" category, while AUT Of ORDA picked up their first Amadeus in the "Pop/Rock" category. What all the award winners have in common is that they were not on show. Wanda are currently on tour in Switzerland and Germany, AUT Of ORDA with Paul Pizzera, Daniel Fellner and Christopher Seiler (who won another Amadeus in the "Jazz/World/Blues" category with Ernst Molden and the Frauenorchester) gave a concert in Innsbruck and RAF Camora is still recovering from the sudden hearing loss he suffered in winter.

Bilderbuch, Christina Stürmer, Rainhard Fendrich, Wolfgang Ambros and the cult legends Opus, who, as mastermind Ewald Pfleger humorously announced on Facebook, were not even invited for various reasons. Our Song Contest hopeful Kaleen, on the other hand, made a brief appearance on the red carpet - but then had to go to ORF for the live recording of "Die große Chance" on the Küniglberg. The same broadcaster that, to the incomprehension of many, only broadcasts the entire Amadeus Awards from 10.55 pm on ORF 1, i.e. once again with a significant time delay, instead of presenting the event live and in full bloom on the cultural channel ORF 3. The fact that "Die große Chance" is programmed at odds with the Amadeus also testifies to the unkindness with which the public broadcaster approaches the music award.

Missed presentation opportunity
The increasing criticism from outside not only concerns the lack of star power at the event itself, but the television programming in particular is met with widespread incomprehension. For years now, the Amadeus Awards have increasingly only taken place in the artist and musician bubble and are not perceived by the general public. Once again, the opportunity has been missed to stage the broad and extremely successful domestic music scene with a proudly swelling chest and a strong TV partner in such a way that the whole country has the opportunity to get an accurate picture of the flourishing scene. The event could be programmed more flexibly away from the rigid April date in order to avoid the absence of top stars in future.

Melissa Naschenweng was there.

(Bild: APA/FLORIAN WIESER)

Unfortunately, Bibiza's rocket launch, which has now been chiseled into awards, went somewhat under the radar. The Viennese artist is creeping to the top of the scene with giant strides, and his concert at the open-air site of the Vienna Arena, scheduled for May 17, has been sold out for months. There are already rumors that he could play a particularly important role in the line-up at the domestic festivals in 2025. Of the total of six nominations, the Viennese was able to turn two into awards - as "Songwriter of the Year" for the catchy tune "An Ode to Vienna" and for "Best Sound" for the album "Wiener Schickeria", which quotes all the greats of the homeland (from Falco to Wanda to Bilderbuch), but creates its own melange from them and thus brings the next splash of success to the world.

The will would be there
The "FM4 Award", which went to Bipolar Feminin, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which this year went to the folkloristic but not at all folksy world musician Hubert von Goisern, were known in advance. At the evening gala, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen presented the award to a standing ovation from the guests in attendance. The live performances consisted of a total of eight different parts. Among others, Chris Steger played "Leb dei Lebn", Melissa Naschenweng "Kompliment", while Avec performed her new song "It's A Problem" for the first time ever. The pop, rock and hip-hop performances by several artists were also thoroughly adequate. The will for a worthy event would be there at the Amadeus Awards, but something must finally be done with it. The local music scene more than deserves it.