Premios Gardel


The Premios Gardel a la Música are Argentina's annual music industry awards presented by, the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. According to the CAPIF website, "The awards distinguish the best of Argentine music, recognizing the talent of Argentine artists in diverse genres and categories". The honorees are chosen by a jury consisting of musicians, journalists and other members of the media, event producers, sound engineers, and personalities linked to music. The awards are the Argentine equivalent of the American Grammy Awards and the British BRIT Awards. The Premios Gardel have been described as the "most important prize in the country's music business".

History

The awards are named after Carlos Gardel, one of Argentina's earliest and most well-known popular music performers.
The awards were organized by CAPIF with the first ceremony held in 1999 for music released between June 1, 1997, and November 30, 1998. The jury for the first awards comprised 500 members.
In 2003, the voting committee was made "truly independent from the record companies, whose staffs can no longer vote," according to then-CAPIF executive director, Gabriel Salcedo. The jury increased to 1,500 members, including artists, producers, and journalists of "every musical genre". In the past, the Gardels were viewed as a "pat on the back" from the industry to its favorite, best-selling artists, but the revamped voting was viewed as giving transparency to the selection process and a new-found credibility to the awards themselves.

Categories

The first awards in 1999 were presented in 25 categories.

Categories - 1999

Argentine MusicLatin MusicMercosur MusicSpecial Awards
Best Female Pop AlbumBest Female Artist AlbumBest Artist AlbumDistinguished Career
Best Male Pop AlbumBest Male Artist AlbumGolden Gardel
Best Pop Group AlbumBest Pop Group Album
Best Rock Artist AlbumBest Rock Group Album
Best Rock Group AlbumBest New Artist Album
Best Folklore AlbumAlbum of the Year
Best Tango Album
Best Tropical/Bailanta Album
Best Tropical/Bailanta Group Album
Best Children's Album
Song of the Year
Best Producer
Best New Artist
Best Video
Best Video Director
Album of the Year

In 2004, the Personality of the Year Award was inaugurated, with the winner determined by a special committee. The first winner of this award was Argentine singer-songwriter-musician Diego Torres.
By 2005, awards were presented in 30 categories, including two new ones, Music DVD and Recording Engineer.
By 2010, awards were presented in 35 categories.
By 2019, awards were presented in 45 categories.

Categories - 2019

Best Female Pop Artist AlbumBest Female Folklore Artist AlbumBest Tropical Group AlbumBest Urban/Trap Music AlbumBest Song - Duet/Collaboration
Best Male Pop Artist AlbumBest Male Folklore Artist AlbumBest Cuarteto Artist AlbumBest Urban/Trap Music CollaborationSong of the Year
Best Pop Group AlbumBest Folklore Group AlbumBest Cuarteto Group AlbumBest Film/Television Soundtrack AlbumBest New Artist
Best Alternative Pop AlbumBest Alternative Folklore AlbumBest Romantic/Melodic Artist AlbumBest Concept AlbumRecording of the Year
Best Female Rock Artist AlbumBest Chamamé AlbumBest Singer-Songwriter Artist AlbumBest Boxed SetAlbum of the Year
Best Male Rock Artist AlbumBest Female Tango Artist AlbumBest Children's AlbumBest Cover Design
Best Rock Group AlbumBest Male Tango Artist AlbumBest Classical Music AlbumBest Short Video
Best Alternative Rock AlbumBest Tango and/or Instrumental Orchestra or Group AlbumBest Jazz AlbumBest Long Video
Best Hard Rock/Punk AlbumBest Female Tropical Artist AlbumBest Instrumental/Fusion/World Music AlbumRecording Engineer
Best Electronic Music AlbumBest Male Tropical Artist AlbumBest Reggae/Ska AlbumProduction of the Year

Gardel de Oro

The most important prize awarded is the Gardel de Oro, which, since 2003, is given to a person who wins the Album of the Year. The Gardel de Oro has been given annually since the Premios Gardel were inaugurated in 1999.
The following Gardels de Oro have been awarded since 1999:
Year AwardedRecipient
1999Sandro
2000Mercedes Sosa
2001León Gieco
2002Charly García
2003Charly García
2004Babasónicos
2005Bersuit
2006Andrés Calamaro
2007Gustavo Cerati
2008Andrés Calamaro
2009Luis Alberto Spinetta
2010Gustavo Cerati
2011Divididos
2012Escalandrum
2013Abel Pintos
2014Abel Pintos
2015Axel
2016Luis Alberto Spinetta
2017Abel Pintos
2018Charly García
2019Marilina Bertoldi

Venue

The first awards ceremony was held at the Teatro Coliseo in Buenos Aires on April 14, 1999.

Television broadcast

Prior to 2005, the awards ceremony aired live on Argentine TV network Canal 13. In 2005, the broadcast moved to TV network Telefe. In 2018, Televisión Pública Argentina began broadcasting the awards ceremony.