ARIA Music Awards of 2012


The 26th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were a series of award ceremonies which included the 2012 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine Arts Awards and ARIA Awards. The latter ceremony took place on 29 November at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and was telecast on channel Go! at 7:30pm. The final nominees for ARIA Award categories were announced on 3 October as well as nominees and winners for Fine Arts Awards and Artisan Awards. There was no peer judged "Single of the Year" category this year due to replacing it to "Song of the Year", although the "Album of the Year" category returned. The Highest Selling Single and Album categories were removed as they were in 2010.
For the third time in ARIA Awards history, public votes were being used for the categories, "Song of the Year", "Best Australian Live Act" and "Best International Artist"; and for the first time for the category "Best Video", which was moved from the Artisan Awards. The nominees for "Song of the Year" are the ten highest selling Australian single releases during the eligibility period. Sales from different releases by the same artist cannot be aggregated, and artists are only allowed to be nominated once, even if they have more than one song in the top ten. Songs must also have been released as singles during the eligibility period. The nominees for "Best Australian Live Act" were selected by a Judging School specifically formed for the purpose. The nominees for "Best Video" were selected by the ARIA Voting Academy. The nominee pool for the "Best International Artist" was drawn from the artists whose recordings make up the top ten highest selling international releases, based on album and related single sales during the eligibility period.
The ARIA Hall of Fame inducted Yothu Yindi on 29 November at the same ceremony as the ARIA Awards.

Performers

Pre-show

from the Northern Territory, Yothu Yindi, were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Lead singer, M. Yunupingu, reflected on their early years, "It was very different times in those days. We were black people coming into a white world that was sceptical of our people, but through our music we were able to open minds to Aboriginal Australia and where we as a race of people were going.”

Nominees and winners

ARIA Awards

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
Album of the YearBest Group

  • Gotye – Making Mirrors
  • *360 – Falling & Flying
  • *Missy Higgins – The Ol' Razzle Dazzle
  • *The Jezabels – Prisoner
  • *The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap
  • The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap
  • *Boy & Bear – "Big Man"
  • *Cold Chisel – No Plans
  • *Hilltop Hoods – Drinking from the Sun
  • *The Jezabels – Prisoner
    • Best Male ArtistBest Female Artist
  • Gotye – Making Mirrors
  • *360 – Falling & Flying
  • *Angus Stone – Broken Brights
  • *Guy Sebastian – "Battle Scars"
  • *Keith Urban – "For You"
  • *Matt Corby – Into the Flame
  • Kimbra – Vows
  • *Jessica Mauboy – "Gotcha"
  • *Lanie Lane – To the Horses
  • *Missy Higgins – The Ol' Razzle Dazzle
  • *Washington – Insomnia
    • Breakthrough Artist – ReleaseBest Independent Release
  • 360 – Falling & Flying
  • *Alpine – A is for Alpine
  • *Lanie Lane – To the Horses
  • *Matt Corby – "Brother"
  • *San Cisco – Awkward
  • The Jezabels – Prisoner
  • *Dappled Cities – Lake Air
  • *Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp – Songs of the Southern Skies
  • *San Cisco – Awkward
  • *The Bamboos – Medicine Man
    • Best Adult Contemporary AlbumBest Blues & Roots Album
  • Missy Higgins – The Ol' Razzle Dazzle
  • *Darren Hayes – Secret Codes and Battleships
  • *Husky – Forever So
  • *Josh Pyke – Only Sparrows
  • *Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp – Songs of the Southern Skies
  • Jeff Lang – Carried in Mind
  • *Angus Stone – Broken Brights
  • *Lanie Lane – To the Horses
  • *Mia Dyson – The Moment
  • *Paul Greene & The Other Colours – Behind the Stars
    • Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal AlbumBest Rock Album
  • DZ Deathrays – Bloodstreams
  • *Buried in Verona – Notorious
  • *Frenzal Rhomb – Smoko at the Pet Food Factory
  • *House Vs. Hurricane – Crooked Teeth
  • *Sleepmakeswaves – ...And So We Destroyed Everything
  • The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap
  • *Children Collide – Monument
  • *Cold Chisel – No Plans
  • *Oh Mercy – Deep Heat
  • *The Jezabels – Prisoner
    • Best Urban AlbumBest Country Album
  • Hilltop Hoods – Drinking from the Sun
  • *360 – Falling & Flying
  • *Katalyst – Deep Impressions
  • *The Bamboos – Medicine Man
  • *The Herd – Future Shade
  • The McClymonts – Two Worlds Collide
  • *Beccy Cole – Songs and Pictures
  • *Catherine Britt – Always Never Enough
  • *McAlister Kemp – Country Proud
  • *Troy Cassar-Daley – Home
    • Best Children's AlbumBest Comedy Release
  • The Wiggles – Surfer Jeff
  • *Bananas in Pyjamas - Playtime!
  • *Dirtgirlworld - Dirtgirl Rocks The Planet
  • *Hi-5 - Sing It Loud
  • *Rhys Muldoon - I'm Not Singing
  • Buddy Goode – Unappropriate
  • *Anthony Salame – Is This thing On?
  • *Arj Barker – Joy Harvest
  • *Sammy J – Skinny Man, Modern World
  • *The Beards – Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard
    • Best Pop ReleaseBest Dance Release
  • Gotye – Making Mirrors
  • *Guy Sebastian featuring Lupe Fiasco – "Battle Scars"
  • *Jessica Mauboy – "Gotcha"
  • *Kimbra – Vows
  • *San Cisco – Awkward
  • Ivan Gough and Feenixpawl featuring Georgi Kay – "In My Mind"
  • *Havana Brown – When the Lights Go Out
  • *Hermitude – HyperParadise
  • *Knife Party – Rage Valley
  • *Sneaky Sound System – From Here to Anywhere
    • Song of the YearBest Video
  • Matt Corby – "Brother"
  • *360 featuring Gossling – "Boys like You"
  • *Delta Goodrem – "Sitting on Top of the World"
  • *Guy Sebastian – "Don't Worry Be Happy"
  • *Hilltop Hoods featuring Sia – "I Love It"
  • *Jessica Mauboy featuring Stan Walker – "Galaxy"
  • *Justice Crew – "Boom Boom"
  • *Reece Mastin – "Good Night"
  • *Ricki-Lee – "Do It Like That"
  • *Timomatic – "Set It Off"
  • Missy Higgins – "Everyone's Waiting"
  • *360 featuring Gossling – "Boys like You"
  • *Alpine – "Hands"
  • *Hilltop Hoods featuring Sia – "I Love It"
  • *Jackson Firebird – "Cock Rockin'"
  • *Hermitude – "Speak of the Devil"
  • *Kate Miller-Heidke – "I'll Change Your Mind"
  • *Lanie Lane – " That's What You Get "
  • *Bluejuice – "Act Yr Age"
  • *The Rubens – "My Gun"
    • Best Australian Live ActBest International Artist
  • Gotye
  • *360
  • *Cold Chisel
  • *Dirty Three
  • *Hilltop Hoods
  • *Hoodoo Gurus
  • *Kate Miller-Heidke
  • *The Bamboos
  • *The Jezabels
  • *The Living End
  • One Direction
  • *Adele
  • *Bruno Mars
  • *Coldplay
  • *David Guetta
  • *Ed Sheeran
  • *Florence and the Machine
  • *LMFAO
  • *Michael Bublé
  • *The Black Keys
    • was nominated for and won all six awards.
    was nominated for four awards and won two.
    was nominated for three awards and won two.
    was nominated for five awards.

    Fine Arts Awards

    Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
    Best Classical Album

    Best Jazz Album
  • Sarah McKenzie – Close Your Eyes
  • *Barney McAll – Graft
  • *Grace Knight – Keep Cool Fool
  • *James Morrison – Snappy Too
  • *Bernie McGann – Wending
  • *Steven Rossitto – Night & Day
    • Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album
  • Triple J – Straight to You – Triple J's Tribute to Nick Cave
  • *Jane Rutter – An Australian in Paris
  • *RocKwiz – The RocKwiz Christmas Album
  • *Jon English & the Original Cast of the Rock Show – The Rock Show
  • *Various Artists – The Sapphires Original Soundtrack
    • Best World Music Album
  • Joseph Tawadros – Concerto of the Greater Sea
  • *Dead Can Dance – Anastasis
  • *Nicky Bomba's Bustamento – Intrepid Adventures to the Lost Riddim Island
  • *Sarah Calderwood – As Night Falls
  • *Warren H Williams & the Warumungu Songmen – Winanjjara: The Song Peoples Sessions

    • Artisan Awards

    Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.
    Best Cover Artist

    • Frank de Backer and Wally de Backer – Gotye – Making Mirrors
    • *Carlo Santone – Gurrumul featuring Sarah Blasko – Bayini
    • *Christopher Doyle – The Jezabels – Prisoner
    • *Debaser – 360 – Falling & Flying
    • *Rennie Ellis – Oh Mercy – Deep Heat
    Engineer of the Year
  • François Tétaz – Gotye – Making Mirrors
  • *Lachlan Mitchell – The Jezabels – Prisoner
  • *Matt Fell – Tim Freedman – Australian Idle
  • *Scott Horscroft and Phillip Threlfall – 360 – Falling & Flying
  • *Wayne Connolly – Josh Pyke – Only Sparrows
    • Producer of the Year
  • Styalz Fuego – 360 – Falling & Flying
  • *Chong Lim – Sarah McKenzie – Close Your Eyes
  • *Lachlan Mitchell – The Jezabels – Prisoner
  • *Lanie Lane – Lanie Lane – To the Horses
  • *Virginia Read – Sally Whitwell – The Good, the Bad and the Awkward