Guardian and Observer clean up at music journalism awards

Radiohead's Thom Yorke on the cover of OMM which won best editor last night

Newspapers The Guardian and The Observer stole the show at last night’s 2008 Record Of The Day Awards for Music Journalism and PR (phew) when they walked away with five gongs. The Word was named magazine of the year.

Caspar Llewellyn-Smith, editor of Observer Music Monthly bagged the editor of the year award for the second consecutive year. The Guardian was celebrated for it’s music content winning best music coverage in a national newspaper and best podcast. The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis was named record reviews writer of the year and The Observer’s Kitty Empire won the 2008 live reviews writer award.

Other winners included Dog Day Press (best independent PR company) and Polydor (best in-house PR department).

The highlight of the eveing came when legendary British music journalism Jon Savage was honoured when he received the outstanding contribution to music journalism award.

Representing the artdesks up and down the country was Pennie Smith who picked up the outstanding contribution to music photography award.

MBC PR co-founder Barbara Charone won the outstanding contribution to music PR awards and

The awards took place at Conway Hall, London.

The full list of the 2008 Record of the Day Award winners is as follows:

• Live Reviews Writer of the Year: Kitty Empire – The Observer
• Best PR campaign for a breakthrough UK Act: Tony Linkin at Coalition PR for Glasvegas
• Best PR campaign for an established UK Act: Lewis Jamieson at Hall Or Nothing PR for Elbow
• Record Reviews Writer of the Year: Alexis Petridis – The Guardian
• Best Music Coverage in a Newspaper: The Guardian
• Business and Technology Writer of the Year: Ben Cardew – Music Week
• Best PR campaign for an established non-UK Act: James Hopkins at Columbia Records for Kings of Leon
• Best PR Campaign for a Breakthrough Non-UK Act: Ash Collins at Toast PR for MGMT
• Best Podcast: Guardian Music Weekly
• Best Editor: Caspar Llewellyn Smith – Observer Music Monthly
• Best Independent PR Company: Dog Day Press
• Best Independent PR individual: Nathan Beazer at Dog Day Press
• Best Digital Publication: NME.COM
• Best in-house PR person: Andy Prevezer at Warner Bros Records
• Best In-House PR department: Polydor Records
• Artist and Music Features – Writer of The Year: Simon Cosyns and Jacqui Swift – The Sun, Something for the Weekend
• Breaking Music Writer: Paul Lester
• Magazine of the Year: The Word
• Best Blog: 20 Jazz Funk Greats
• Best Online PR: Scruffy Bird
• Outstanding contribution to music journalism: Jon Savage
• Outstanding contribution to PR: Barbara Charone – MBC PR
• Outstanding contribution to music photography: Pennie Smith

That classic image of The Clash's Paul Simonon captured by Pennie Smith

If you’re into your music journalism you’ll know who this guy is below (he’s the legendary Beatnik muso Lester Bangs for any of you who don’t):

Discussion:
Are you thinking of a career in music journalism? Are you already writing music pieces? Want you share them? Leave a comment with your experience in the music journalism world here (the editor is a freelancer for Drowned in Sound when it suits him so he’ll be keen to chat on the subject)

Words: Dean Samways