After mixed reviews of the first BBC Music Awards last December, the ceremony returns this year at the Birmingham Genting Arena to celebrate another year of music, especially artists and performances seen on BBC platforms over the last 12 months.
So far, nominations have been announced for three of the top awards and there is the promise of Live music from a range of artists, from Mumford and Sons and Faithless to Rod Stewart and Little Mix. The category of Best British Artist sees Adele, Jamie XX, Florence and the Machine, Foals and Years and Years take on last years winner Ed Sheeran.
Over in the International Artist category there is no Pharrell this year but there are nods for Foo Fighters, Hozier, Major Lazer, Prince, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.
Will it be more BBC than music?
There has been criticism of the last BBC Music Awards where viewers felt that the programme was a little self-serving – more about the 'BBC' part than the 'Music'. The ceremony last year was essentially an excuse to say “look how amazing our platforms are and where your license fee is going”, with a few awards and performances thrown in; this year's event looks set to be no different as it is broadcast across BBC 1, Radio 1, Radio 2 and online.
The other clue here is the fact that award for live performance is called the BBC Live Performance Award, which means that all nominees have to be performances seen on BBC channels.
The nominees this year include Adele at the BBC, Florence and the Machine at Glastonbury, ELO's Radio 2 concert, Lionel Ritche at Glastonbury, Radio 1's Ibiza prom and Radio 1 Xtra's prom.
There is no doubt that the BBC can put on great events that draw people in, such as Glastonbury, all the different radio sessions and the proms, and there will be high hopes that this year's awards' programme can leave a better impression than last years.
There is of course one final consideration for the BBC with this yearly event: if red button services are to be suspended, how are viewers going to enjoy all of those Glastonbury sets and exclusive sessions next year?
