The Fast Forward to Forever Giveaway

It's finally here. The first giveaway of the year. We operate on a shoestring here at Night Beat HQ, so we have to work at restocking the prize closet. We finally have done so, and I have got some real doozies for you, if I do say so myself. We have four winners from #PlatVnyl5 including the Album of The Year. Let's take a look at the Prizes.

The rom-com line is "You Had Me at Hello". In the music world that translates into "Discovered by Kirk Franklin". The Pure Platinum emanating from the Gospel Genre doesn't come from Wall Street but The Walls Group. A family band consisting of four siblings Darrell, Rhea, Paco, and Ahjah (That's Brother, Sister, Brother, Sister, in descending order of age). Their sophomore release is called Fast Forward, though you wont want to do that to their album. They open with the question "If I talk about Jesus, can I get some love on the radio" Give it a listen and you will be screaming out YES, YES, YES.

Scandinavia has been doing its best to contribute to the Christian Music scene for quite a while, at least since Jerusalem began to Rock out in Sweden in 1975. Yeah, I know, Evie, but I'm trying to forget that. Lately we have a lot of Scandinavian Influence with David and Jonathan Thulin, Blindside, and Even Icon For Hire. Yeah, a whole lot more than ABBA came from there. Icon For Hire is a domestic band, but lead singer Ariel (pronounced R-E-L) was born in Sweden. Icon For Hire started as an independent rock band from Decatur,  Illinois before being discovered by Midas (aka

Brandon Ebel of Tooth and Nail Records). Their Scripted debut had overtones of Skillet and other bands and took the rock world by storm.They played warped tour. And their self titled sophomore release won best Rock Album. They took an even harder louder turn this time around and it paid off big time.

Nothing is harder than Metal, and for those of us in a certain age group Metal Means Melodic Metal, none of that thrash growls for us. Harmonies rule. And when it comes to Heavy Metal Harmony, there is only one name on the top - STRYPER. The album that propelled them to the top of the list was called To Hell With The Devil. The title alone sent shivers down the spine of Christian College Administrators. It was a stand alone album for almost three decades. Until 2013, when No More Hell To Pay came out. It was a fitting completion to the first album and I thought of it that way. But they upped their game once again and are going for the Trilogy. Fallen comes out this Fall (no pun intended).  As to the title, I almost want to say "from your mouth to God's ear". The last Christian album entitled Fallen went multi-platinum and shot its Artists to Rock Stardom. Of course they also got kicked out of the kingdom for their promotional efforts. One out of two ain't bad, though. NMHTP picked up the Platinum Vinyl Award for Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album of The Year.

And now we come to the big release. Album of The Year. This year the award went to the Modern Worship genre, which was a big surprise. Some albums just wont be denied, however. Majestic (Live) by Kari Jobe was one of those albums. It is one of the rare worship albums that make you feel like you've been transported directly to the throne. The song and video for Forever really moves you. It cleaned up at the Awards. Modern Worship Song, Video, and Album, and Album of The Year among others. As opposed to the other albums in the sweepstakes, the winner here will get the Deluxe Edition, which includes several videos, including Forever.

I have gone on long, but this is the best Sweepstakes I have put together, and it is fitting for the 5 year Anniversary of The Platinum Vinyl Awards. Just Enter below. You Wont be disappointed.

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MVM Special Edition: #PlatVnyl5 VMA-Video of The Year

The end of the #PlatVnyl5 Video awards is upon us. Only one award before the coveted Video Of The Year is handed out. Video by a Female Artist is first. The nominees were: Forever by Kari Jobe; Heartbeat by Beckah Shae; No Better U by V.Rose; Running With The Boys by Lights; and When The Crazy Kicks In by Francesca Battistelli. And the winner was: Running With The Boys
Finally we come to Video Of The Year.  We had 7 entries in this category, where we usually try to keep things to five for the videos. The nominees were: Felix Culpa by Kings Kaleidoscope; Forever by Kari Jobe; Heartbeat by Beckah Shae; Heartbeat by Sumerlin; Ready, Aim by Mali Music; Relief  by Wolves At The Gate; and When The Crazy Kicks In by Francesca Battistelli. And the #PlatVnyl5 Video of The Year is and was: Forever.

And that concludes the blog announcement of the #PlatVnyl5 Music Video Awards. All that really remains is to update all the awards on the winners page. Keep it locked here, though, because #PlatVnyl6 has turned the final corner, and we are racing toward the close of the eligibility year. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

MVM Special Edition: #PlatVnyl5 VMA Part Four

We are finishing up the Genre Based Videos today and beginning to move into the General Field Section as it is commonly called. We begin with Hard Rock/Metal Video of The Year. And the nominees were: All Rise by Wovenwar; Chaos Theory by War of Ages; Lamb of God by Bloodgood; No More Hell To Pay by Stryper; and Relief by Wolves at The Gate. And the winner is a Relief.
The Rock Video of the Year award wraps up the #PlatVnyl5 Genre based Video Awards. The nominees were: Battle Dancing Unicorns With Glitter by Five Iron Frenzy; Disconnected by Veridia; Heartbeat by Sumerlin; Painkiller by The Letter Black; and Radical by Disciple. And the winner is Heartbeat by Sumerlin.

We move on to the General Field selection. The first award here was Video by A Male Artist; and the nominees were: Good by Dave Barnes; I Found You by Anthony Evans;
I'm Turnt by Lecrae; Ready, Aim by Mali Music; and In Crowd by Rapture Ruckus. And the winner was: Ready, Aim.
That concludes this post. The final two video awards will be announced tomorrow. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

MVM Special Edition: #PlatVnyl5 VMA Part Three

We are moving right along through the Video Awards Announcements here on the blog. Today we begin with Dance-Synthpop Video of The Year. The nominees for #PlatVnyl5 were: Heartbeat by Beckah Shae; #LITO by Press Play; Love Somebody by Charmaine; Running With The Boys by Lights; and Sway With Me by Archer's Rise. And the winner was Heartbeat by Beckah Shae.

The nominees for Electronic-Industrial Video of The Year were: Crash Down by Satellites and Sirens; Headphones by Color Theory; In Crowd by Rapture Ruckus; It Must Be Hope by Salt of The Sound; and BZRK by Family Force 5. And the winner was BZRK

The nominees for Hip Hop/Rap Video of The Year were: Dreams by Rachael Messini; I'm Turnt by Lecrae; Nothing I Can't Do feat Trip Lee and Lecrae by Tedashii; Ready, Aim by Mali Music; and Vital Lens by Beautiful Eulogy. And the winner was: Ready, Aim by Mali Music.

Looks like we can leave the genre video's behind us tomorrow. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

MVM Special Edition: #PlatVnyl5 VMA Part Two

Welcome Back to or special edition of Music Video Monday. We are recapping #PlatVnyl5 here, especially the Video Music Award section. Last time we did Adult Contemporary/Inspirational and Modern Worship. This time we shall do three: Gospel, Alternative and Pop Video of The Year.

Gospel/R&B Video of The Year was new this year. We usually didn't have any real music videos from this genre, just a bunch of live TV appearances, which isn't the same thing. This year we did. I hope that means things are changing. The nominees were: I Found You by Anthony Evans; Love on the Radio by The Walls Group; That's Me by Canton Jones; Whole World by Seth and Nirva; and You Paid It All by Wess Morgan. And the winner is: Love on The Radio by The Walls Group.

Alternative Video of The Year had a good mix of up and coming and retiring artists. The nominees were: Felix Culpa by Kings Kaleidoscope; Love Alone Is Worth The Fight by Switchfoot; Speak by Everything In Slow Motion; Stranger Ways by Anberlin; and Travelers Song (Piano and String Sessions) by Future of Forestry. And the winner was Traveler's Song.

Finally the nominees for Pop Video of The Year were: Am I Trending by V.Rose; Do Life Big by Jamie Grace; Heaven by Group 1 Crew; No Better U by V.Rose; and When The Crazy Kicks In by Francesca Battistelli. And the winner was When The Crazy Kicks In.

That finishes this post. See You all Tomorrow. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

MVM Special Edition: #PlatVnyl5 Video Awards

Welcome to a very special edition of Music Video Monday. #PlatVnyl5 is finally here. Though all results will be posted on the blog, the live blogging will be reserved for the videos. We will announce two winners each day

First up is Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Video of The Year. The five nominees for the award were: Good by +Dave Barnes ; Hope In Front of Me by +Danny Gokey ; I Can Just Be Me by +laurastorymusicVEVO ; Satisfied by About A Mile; and Stand In Awe by Jon Thurlow. And the winner of the #PlatVnyl5 Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Video of The Year is Hope In Front of Me

Our second group of nominees for this post was for Modern Worship Video of The Year. The nominees were: Endless Praise by +Planetshakers ; Forever by +Kari Jobe ; Freedom Fall by WARR Acres; My Lighthouse by +Rend Collective ; and Survival Plan  by +Rachel Faagutu and +Wallace Faagutu .

The Winner was (of Course): Forever

Two more tomorrow. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

An Event To Cherish Forever: #PlatVnyl5

The Ceremony is in the bag. The awards have been (virtually) handed out and I could not be more pleased. Five Years. You have dreams when you start things but you're never really prepared for the hard work or the payoff. Such was the case here. I always knew the awards system was biased in favor of a few artists, and the musical variety was pathetic. It was the Amy and Smitty Show. But I was just a college DJ, what could I do?

Fast Forward to 2015. The Platinum Vinyl Awards, first launched in 2010, is now in its Fifth Year of Existence. Though a physical statuette is still not a reality,and neither are the celebrity presenters, the event has quickly risen to be one of the top Awards Ceremonies for CCM and the Fringe on the net. Doves? Don't make me laugh. Now encompassing 57 categories in Video, Album, Song and the General Field. Variety? How does 12 genres strike you? A new general field award dedicated to EP's. Big things are coming up.

On to #PlatVnyl5. Every so often a release comes along which will not be denied, and it dominates the awards. Such was the case this year. Worship Leader Kari Jobe released Majestic (Live), and while the first listen didn't exactly wow me, the album grew. Then there was the video for the song Forever. In the end the artist and album garnered 6 wins: Modern Worship Video of The Year; Live Recorded Album of The Year; Modern Worship Album of The Year; Modern Worship Song of The Year; Video of The Year and Album of The Year. That would be enough to make this a breakout year. But while all that was going on Lindsay McCaul quietly racked up four trips to the podium of her own: Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Alum of The Year; Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Song of The Year; Female Vocalist of The Year; and Song of The Year for One More Step. Add to that the return of Bloodgood, the consistency of Stryper and new artists Salt of The Sound and you have a year that will be talked about in the music industry for quite a while. If this is how it is now, I can't wait for #PlatVnyl6. 

We will have the announcements of the video awards on the blog and the full results will be posted on the winners page soon. I hope to soon have a big giveaway as well. Stay tuned. Things are just beginning to heat up here. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Music Video Monday: Bringing NYVES to a Gunfight

Welcome to an all new edition of Music Video Monday, where we play the best Music Videos from the best in CCM and the Fringe and GRAC. If it's great, you'll see and hear it here.

We begin with a "new" artist. Actually, they have been around for a year or so. The name is +ILIA Music . They are a hot new sound out of Little Rock, Arkansas. Before you say "Can anything good come out of Little Rock?" I would remind you that it is the same city that produced Evanescence, so there is a good musical heritage. This is Young Diaries, off their album Reborn.
They say to never bring a knife to a gunfight. Well, they must never have heard of NYVES. They can be forgiven, because they are new. Again, sort of. It is an electronic side project from Ryan Clark, lead vocalist of Demon Hunter. This is Return

Finally, a video from the ongoing concept. They are still not ready for prime time in my opinion, but they are growing on me as they progress. This is Handmade.

That does it for this week. Next week is a special edition of Music Video Monday. How special?, you ask. Next Monday at 7pm Eastern Time the #PlatVnyl5 Award Ceremony will take place, and you can finally find out who was named the best of the year. We will be sharing the winners on the blog all next week, so stay tuned. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

#PlatVnyl5: The Nominations Are In

The nominations are over. #PlatVnyl5 moves into the final judging period and the winners will soon be announced. The world waits with baited breath. Excluding compilations, there were 130 nominated artists, though featured appearances may have inflated the total by a few votes.

There were 55 categories, a record. The awards are spread over four fields: Album, Song, Video and General. Heading into the finals, British Expats Ben and Anita Tatlow, aka Stockholm's Salt of The Sound, lead the nomination pack with a record setting 11 nominations. Due to multiple nominations in a category, however, the maximum times they can step up to the virtual podium is 7.

They can be beat by the second place nominee holder, Kari Jobe of Gateway Church in Southlake, TX. Her 9 nominations for Majestic (Live) and its signature song Forever were all individual category nominations, so she has the opportunity to make 9 trips for 9 nominations. The album certainly lived up to its name. I confess at the first it didn't impress me, going only by Amazon clips. Once I saw and heard the video I changed my tune and upgraded it from 4.5 to a perfect 5 emeralds. It is a formidable hurdle for the others.

Tied for Second with 9 nominations is someone who probably will never be on the same stage with Kari Jobe. Metal Pioneers Stryper. Since they also had multiple nominations for two albums, they will only be eligible for 8 wins, which is pretty good considering.

Salt of The Sound led the debut artists, but they had a lot to crow about. Taking out the leader, the others had 34 entries between them. Rockers Veridia and Folk-Rock/Worship For The Fatherless were in second place with 6 apiece.

Though there is still no hardware and only a virtual venue as well (no pretty presenters or speeches), things are heating up and word is getting around. I give God all the glory for the growth of these awards, as I really am flying by the seat of my pants on this. And while all this is going on #PlatVnyl6 is halfway through the nomination period. Never a dull moment. 

I may be spotty on the blog. (Big Surprise) as it is my Birthday. No I won't tell you how old I am. So until next we meet, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

The 45th Dove Awards Recapped: Album of The Year

The Dove Awards were recently announced, and the time has come for me to give the whole thing a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I know, a thumbs down is always more fun. Things are a bit more problematic this time around. There are a lot of #PlatVnyl5 albums in the mix, and it's tough to comment when those awards are in progress. If you ask me they did it on purpose.

We begin with the Album of The Year Awards. The Platinum Vinyl Awards is the only one of the two to still have a General Field Album of The Year. The Dove's are Song Only in that regard. Of course with the genres the Dove's also have a bunch of junk like southern gospel and country which will not cross this desk, but I digress.

45th Dove Awards Recap

Album of The Year vs. Platinum Vinyl Awards

Praise and Worship Album of The Year corresponds with our Modern Worship Album of The Year. The nominees were Home by Kim Walker-Smith and Skyler Smith; Kingdom Come by Bryan and Katie Torwalt; Majestic by Kari Jobe; Passion: Take It All; and We are Young and Free by Hillsong Young and Free.  Of the 5 nominees only Kim Walker-Smith was in the #PlatVnyl4 pool, and did not make the finals. The other four releases, including winner Kari Jobe, are in the pool for #PlatVnyl5. I can not comment except to say that Jobe's album got a Perfect 5 Rating during the eligibility year.

Special Event Album of the Year goes against Compilation of the Year. They gave the award to The Cathedrals, enough said.

Children's Music Album of The Year has four of the five albums in the current eligibility year. Well really three, but I have to check out a veggie tales release that I haven't heard of.

Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of The Year goes against our Gospel/R&B Album of The Year. Three of the five albums in the final are in the current award year. The winner Tye Tribbet and Greater Than, was an album in the original #PlatVnyl4 pool but did not make the cut to the finals. Help by Erica Campbell; Love Never Fails by Micah Stampley and Power and Authority by Sherri Jones-Moffett are all in the current pool.

Here's where things get a little difficult. Inspirational Album of the Year would seem to correspond with our Adult Contemporary/Inspirational Album of the Year except for those pesky /Contemporary awards this group has. This time it seems to match up with three of the five in this years original eligibility year. One I couldn't find anywhere so it gets tossed. Michael W. Smith won for Hymns. It did not make the pool for contention. I Dream of You by JJ Heller is in the Children's Music Pool and The Folk Pool, exclusive to the PVA's.

Pop/Contemporary Album of The Year most likely corresponds to Pop Album of the Year, at least it does this year around. The Winner of the category was Mandisa with Overcomer. It was a #PlatVnyl4 album but did not make the finals for its category. The other four albums are #PlatVnyl5. Ellie Holcomb and As Sure As The Sun and Thrive by Casting Crowns did not make the pool. The two that did were If We're Honest by Francesca Battistelli and We Are Young and Free by Hillsong Young and Free. 

Rock/Contemporary Album of The Year can be anything from Pop to Rock and they already have a Rock Category. (There Are NO Metal Awards). This year the category approximates Alternative Album of The Year. 3 of the 5 came from #PlatVnyl4. Everfound's self titled release did not make the pool and I am Mountain by Gungor and Inland by Jars of Clay did but did not make the final 7.  The Two #PlatVnyl5 contenders in this grouping are Switchfoot and Fading West in Alternative and Needtobreathe's Rivers In The Wasteland, which is in the rock pool.

Rock Album of The Year had three of the five nominees in the #PlatVnyl4 pool: Fear Inside Our Bones by The Almost which did not make the finals, and Rise by Skillet and the self titled album by We Are Human, both of which made the final 7 but neither of which won. That honor went to John Elefante this year. Skillet won the category in the doves. The #PlatVnyl5 contenders here are Scott Stapp's Proof of Life and Red's Release The Panic: Recalibrated Edition.

The final genre Album Award to compare was Rap Album of the Year, which corresponds to our Rap/Hip Hop Album of The Year. It was an all #PlatVnyl5 category which makes things real difficult. 100 by KB; Minorville by Derek Minor; Neverland by Andy Mineo; and Royal Flush by Flame all are in the initial pool. Only Invader by Rapture Ruckus did not make it in.

That does it for the album wrap. Song and General Field are yet to come. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Gospel

Gospel Music tied with Alternative this quarter with a whopping fifteen entries into the pool, and a nice mix of new and established artists to boot. That's just the way I like things. Now things can get back to normal, though Normal is Overrated. Here's to closing out the quarter in a big way.

Gospel/R&B

• Bethany Devine - Daily Confessions
• Deitrick Haddon -The Best of Deitrick Haddon
• Shawna Harris - God Is Able
• Brent Jones - Joy Comin
• Canton Jones - God City USA
• Tasha Page Lockhart - Here Right Now
• Rachael Messini - Honestly
• VaShawn Mitchell - God My God
• Smokie Norful - Forever Yours
• Paul Porter - F.R.E.E.
• Kierra Sheard - Graceland
• Isaiah Templeton - Roll in the Dirt
• The Walls Group - Fast Forward
• Michelle Williams - Journey to Freedom
• Zie'l - Pronounced Zy-el

Rachael Messini is the former Rachael Washington of The Washington Projects with her brother Je'kob, whose latest album is in the running for PV6. I am really excited about The Walls Group. When a small group can have that choir sound, it is exciting. Haven't been this psyched about a Gospel Group since Forever Jones.

That does it for the 4th Quarter. Time to get the judging started. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Alternative

I've decided to go with Chronological Order here, so of the two I am starting with Alternative. Each genre got 15 nominees to the pool, that's two finals worth IN ONE QUARTER ALONE. Pardon the shouting but that's how big this is. So without further ado:

Alternative

• Anberlin - Lowborn
• Bellarive - Before There Was
• Climbing Blind - Burn
• Colony House - When I Was Younger
• Esterlyn - Love
• For King and Country - Run Wild, Live Free, Love Strong
• Golden Youth - The Kingdom
• Gungor - I Am Mountain (Deluxe)
• Gungor - I Am Mountain (Bonus Material)
• House of Heroes - Smoke EP
• Jars of Clay - 20
• John Mark McMillan - The Borderland Sessions
• Needtobreathe - 60/50 Oceanway: The Live Room Sessions
• Switchfoot - The Edge of the Earth: Unreleased Songs from the film Fading West
• Tenth Avenue North - Islands

Anberlin is going out on top of their game, and that's good for all of us. And Gungor is going to start something with their bonus material release. It makes all of us who buy the original album happy when we can get a deluxe edition without the repeats. Gotta have Gospel to finish. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Modern Worship

We have come to the final three. If you've been following things you can do the math and figure out who the big winners are. I already said we had a tie for first. Modern Worship is a big winner every quarter. It's one of the most overrun genres in Christian Music. What Hath Hillsong Wrought? I won't waste any more space. Here is the list.

Modern Worship

• Bluetree - Worship and Justice
• Lincoln Brewster - Oxygen: A Worship Album
• Cadence - Home
• Covenant Worship - Kingdom
• Desperation Band - Banner
• Steffany Gretzinger - The Undoing
• Hillsong Worship - No Other Name Deluxe
• Justin Jarvis - Atmospheres
• New Hope Oahu - Victorious
• Kathryn Scott - Sing on The Battlefield
• Rhyan Shirley - High Above
• Dustin Smith - Coming Alive
• Summit FutureNow - The Now and The Not Yet
• Jaye Thomas - Here is My Worship

I can be a bit nitpicky. I didn't like No Other Name by Hillsong, yet with the Deluxe edition I think they hit the right notes. I liked New Hope Oahu better this time around, yet I still wish there was a bit more Holy Ho (as in Don Ho). They're in Hawaii for goodness sake. A little local color would be nice from time to time. The final two are next: Alternative and Gospel. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Rap

We are down to the Final Four, and two of them are tied for first. First up is Rap, and is sibling Hip-Hop. A very good quarter for them, with 13 releases, which is a very lucky number. Hey, the more the merrier when it comes to entries. So without further ado:

Hip -Hop/Rap

• Adia - Behind Enemy Lines
• Mr. Del - Hope Dealer 2
• J-Giles Son - Employed by The King
• Lecrae - Anomoly
• Canton Jones - God City USA
• Rachael Messini - Honestly
• Da T.R.U.T.H. presents Mixed Bag - Normal is Overrated
• NF - EP
• Phanatik - The Art of Battle Rap: Puns and Punchlines, V.1
• Red Coalescence - Killers
• Shope - EP
• Swoope - Sinema
• Various Artists - Pass The Mic: The Rise of Christian Hip-Hop

That concludes Rap for the Quarter. Next up is Modern Worship. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Rock

Rock Music is next as we announce the 4th Quarter Pool Releases for #PlatVnyl5. From here on in we have at least a finals in each genre. At the end we would have 2 finals worth of entries.

Rock Music

• Boiling Point - More
• Disciple - Attack
• Colton Dixon - Anchor
• Flyleaf - Between The Stars
• Guardian - Almost Home
• Sarah Kelly - My Corner of Heaven
• Thousand Foot Krutch - Oxygen: Inhale
• MxPx - MxPx Acoustic Collection
• Manafest - The Moment
• Remedy Drive - Commodity
• Willet - Searchlight

There were two Perfect 5's in this genre as well this quarter, Disciple and Remedy Drive, so we have our work cut out for us. Next up is Hip Hop and Rap. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Pop

We move on with our announcements of the #PlatVnyl5 pool entries for the 4th Quarter. Pop Music was next on our genre ladder with eight entries. Since our aim is to whittle each genre down to seven entries, when a quarter has that number you know we will have a lot of judging to do.

Pop Music

• Lauren Daigle - How Can It Be
• David Dunn - Crystal Clear
• Group 1 Crew - #Faster EP
• The Lasting Hope - Sunsets and Second Chances
• Moriah Peters - Brave
• Plumb - Need You Now Deluxe
• Brian Weaver - Motion
• Ayiesha Woods - It's time

The only comment that needs to be added here is that both Plumb and Moriah Peters are in the final 7 because they both garnered Perfect 5's. Of course, when the judging occurs there may be more than 7 in the final. Next up is rock. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Heavy Metal

Continuing our 4th Quarter announcements as we close out the pool for #PlatVnyl5 and begin the voting process for a possible Winter or Spring 2015 Awards show. That is the plan. But you can see how #PlatVnyl4 turned out. 

Tied with 7 entrants with Adult Contemporary as the lowest of the Single Genre Posts was Heavy Metal. We don't make the irony, we just cover it. Anyway, with out further ado, Heavy Metal.

Hard Rock/Heavy Metal

• Colossus - Badlands
• Darkness Divided - Written In Blood
• Forevermore - Telos
• Islander - Violence and Destruction
• Stryper - Live at the Whisky
• War Of Ages - Supreme Chaos
• Woven War - Woven War

Up next is Pop Music, which had eight entrants this final quarter. We go up to the big winner, and that will be revealed at the appropriate time. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Award 4th Qtr - Adult Contemporary

We begin with the single genre posts as we announce the 4th Quarter Pool of Entries for #PlatVnyl5. The Plan is to announce the winners sometime in Winter or Spring of 2015. We shall see how that pans out.

Tied for the lowest is Adult Contemporary, which had 7 entries along with Heavy Metal. That's just how the entries fell out. I know that they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Anyway, without further ado.

Adult Contemporary/Inspirational

• About A Mile - About A Mile
• Cody Collier - Breaking Free
• Julie Elias - Love Rain Down
• Lara Landon - There is Grace
• Crystal Lewis - 25 
• Lindsay McCaul - One More Step
• Jenny Simmons - To Be Well

The front-runners here have to be McCaul and Landon, but anything can happen in the final vote. Heavy Metal is next. Until then, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Electronic Dance Remixes

Happy Columbus Day everyone. There, that should tick off a few liberals. Yes everyone, due to the magic of scheduling I am here even though we are not. Today is one of those phantom holidays. Hardly anyone outside of banks and government offices celebrate it, the libs hate the guy and everything he stands for, but no one wants to give up a paid day off. Vacating soapbox now.

We finish up our multi-genre posts for this quarter with the electronic trifecta: Dance, Industrial and the Remix. I won't hold it up any longer.

Dance-Synthpop

• Aaron Bagwell - The Sound of Jesus
• Matthew Parker - Shadowlands 
• Summit FutureNow - The Now and the Not Yet
• Waken - Endless Light

Electronic-Industrial

• Jonas Park & David Bollman - Forward
• Salt of the Sound - Meditations, V1
• Salt of the Sound - Through The Mist EP
• Ian Yates - DNA

Remixes

• Color Theory - The Best Revenge (Rename Remixes)
• Amy Grant - In Motion: The Remixes
• Mandisa - Get Up: The Remixes
• Matthew Parker and Swedish Revolution - Alive Remixes
• David Thulin - Reconstruction 2.2

That's a lot of great music, and the announcements are just beginning. Next up is our first single genre post, and, according to tradition, we go from low to high. Adult Contemporary is first out of the gate with 7 entries. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.

Bad Moon Rising: The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards 4th Qtr - Jazzy Folk Children

The 2014 Platinum Vinyl Awards pool is finally closed, and what a way to end it. We had a slew of entries this time around. Yes that is a highly technical term. 

As always we begin the quarterly wrap by combining the lesser represented genres into a single post. Some of them were Jazz (a new genre), Children's Music, and Folk Music. So without further ado:

Jazz Music

• Hamilton Hardin - Just Wanna Say

Children's Music

• Vineyard UK - Great Big God 5

Folk/Folk Rock

• Lexi Elisha - Rope
• For The Fatherless - For The Fatherless
• Heath McNease  - Fort Wayne (Songs Inspired by the movie)
• Tim Neufeld - The Joy (f/The Glory Boys)

We have kicked things off. This was a big quarter with a lot of releases, and we build up to the big genre. Until next time, I am Awaiting Your Reply.