American Music Awards

The American Music Awards show is one of four annual major US music awards shows (the others being the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony). The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys. While the Grammys are awarded based on votes by members of the entertainment industry, the AMAs are determined by a poll of music buyers. The "big three" established awards shows (AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, and Grammys) compete for prestige and television ratings, with the Grammys nominally rewarding quality and both the AMAs and Billboard Music Awards rewarding popularity. The only other major difference between the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards is that the AMAs do not currently have an award for Best Single/Record but the Grammys and Billboard Music Awards do.From its inception in 1973 until 2003, the AMAs have been held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November beginning in 2003 so as not to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards).

Billboard Music Awards

The Billboard Music Awards, held annually in December, is one of four major US music awards shows presented each year (the others being the American Music Awards, the Grammys, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony). The BMAs have been held annually since 1990, and like the AMAs, this awards show honors winners based on popularity—in this case, based on Billboard's year-end music charts, with awards for top selling album/artist/single in a particular genre.

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, make up the rest). However, the Grammys, usually held in February, (last of what are considered the "big three" music awards shows, including the BMA and AMA shows) are considered the approximate equivalent to the Oscars, in the music world. Like the Oscars, the Grammys, which currently have 105 categories within 30 genres of music (such as pop, gospel, and rap), are voted upon by peers - voting members of the Recording Academy - rather than being based upon popularity (as with the BMAs and the AMAs). Of the "big three" music awards shows, the Grammys are the highest rated. The eligibility period for the Grammys begins October 1, which results in September being considered the Christmas sales period for the music industry R&B Categories * Best Female R&B Vocal Performance * Best Male R&B Vocal Performance * Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male or Female * Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals * Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance * Best R&B Instrumental Performance * Best Urban/Alternative Performance * Best Rhythm & Blues Recording * Best R&B Song * Best R&B Album * Best Contemporary R&B Album

Radio Music Awards

The Radio Music Awards is for best artists and songs of the year in mainstream, urban and rhythmic(combined), alternative and active rock, rock, adult hit and country music as determined by Mediabase, the medium's leading source for tracking airplay. The major difference between Billboard Awards and Radio Awards is RMA is based on the 40 Charts which are Mainstream, Adult Contemparary, Rhythmic and Country Top 40. Billboard awards are not based on Top 40 charts but genre charts Thought of by the music industry as the Golden Globes of music award shows because of its casual party-style.

World Music Awards

The World Music Awards (founded in 1989) is an international awards show that annually honors recording artists based on their worldwide sales figures, which are provided by the various organisations including record companies and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year. Originally beginning as an alternative to the Grammy Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards is now a respected pop culture awards show in its own right. The statues given to winners of the award are often called "Moon Men" because the statue is of a astronaut on the moon, one of the earliest representations of MTV.

Soul Train Music Awards

The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show aired on various television networks in national syndication that honors the best in Black music and entertainment

BET Awards

The BET Awards were established in 2001 by BET to celebrate and honour all of the favorites of Black music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year.