MORE THAN 2 MILLION VOTES CAST TO DATE
MATT & KIM, CHIDDY BANG, MUMFORD & SONS, LIL B, LUPE FIASCO AND FOSTER THE PEOPLE SLATED TO PERFORM WITH APPEARANCES BY KE$HA, CEE LO GREEN, B.o.B, WIZ KHALIFA, ROBYN AND THEOPHILUS LONDON
CHIDDY BANG ATTEMPTING TO BREAK GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR LONGEST FREESTYLE RAP DURING LIVE STREAM EVENT
MTV Music Group today announced the performers, presenters, and host city for the inaugural O Music Awards, www.omusicawards.com, @MTVOMA, a multiplatform franchise and award event that celebrates and honors the art, creativity, personality, technology and migration of music into the digital space. Beginning Monday, April 25th, MTV Music Group will begin a weeklong celebration of digital music culminating with an hour long live online event at 11pm ET/ 8pm PT at OMusicAwards.com. The O Music Awards will span multiple platforms and screens including MTV.com, VH1.com, and LogoTV.com, mobile web and the MTV News app and MTV’s international websites across more than 150 territories, and include heavy integration with social media.
Since voting began on April 6, more than two million votes have been cast in a myriad of categories that include Best Fan Cover, Innovative Music Video, Fan Army FTW, Funniest Music Short, Innovative Artist, and Must-Follow Artist on Twitter.
“The goal for the O Music Awards has been to create a conversation and debate around the artists, tech gurus, platforms and personalities impacting digital music, powered by the fans.†said Dermot McCormack, Executive Vice President of Digital for MTV Music and Logo Group. “Generating more than two million votes and counting in less than two weeks underscores the passion and imperative need for a celebration of achievement and innovation in the growing digital music space.â€
With an iconic surprise location in Las Vegas serving as the backdrop, the O Music Awards will showcase a variety of artist performances and appearances by web celebrities and innovators. The weeklong party will kick off Monday,April 25. Each day, MTV Music Group will name two or more of the fan voted award winners culminating with live award event. Awards will be presented in a multitude of ways, including live streaming, viral videos, announcements on social media and winner acceptances via digital video conferencing. In addition, the O Music Awards Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts will push winner announcements across the social web in real time.
The main event on April 28th will jump start at 11:30am PT as Chidera “Chiddy†Anamege of the alternative hip hop group Chiddy Bang attempts to set the Guinness World Records®title for the ‘Longest Freestyle Rap’ while also simultaneously breaking the ‘Longest Marathon Rapping’ record. Fans will be able to watch every minute of the world record attempt at OMusicAwards.com and can discuss on Twitter via #RapWorldRecord.
“I’ve been freestyling since I was 14 years old and this is definitely me putting myself to the test. I really think I can break the record but regardless this is going to be a dope moment. I am ready to just go and go!†said Chidera “Chiddy†Anamege.
The award event will begin when a flash mob will descend upon a surprise iconic Las Vegas location that will serve as the backdrop for the festivities. Matt & Kim will kick off the show and be featured predominately throughout the live event. Additional  performers include Chiddy Bang, Lil B, Lupe Fiasco, Mumford & Sons with Edward Sharpe and Old Crow Medicine Show, and Foster the People, who will perform at the central hub in Las Vegas, as well as other locations from around the country. Presenters include Ke$ha, Cee Lo Green, B.o.B, Wiz Khalifa, Robyn and Theophilus London.
Throughout the live event, fans will have multiple camera feeds to select from, including a feed of the awards show, as well as separate feeds featuring the attempt to break the world record, as well as an audience cam.
Lady Gaga and Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator lead with 3 nominations each, followed byKanye West,The Flaming Lips and Nicki Minaj with two nominations apiece.Additional nominated artists include Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Justin Bieber, Lil B, Wiz Khalifa, Robyn, OK Go and Katy Perry Other notable nominees include Antoine Dodson/Gregory Brothers (Funniest Music Short), The Lonely Island (Funniest Music Short), Funny or Die (Funniest Music Short), Gorilla vs Bear (Best Independent Music Blog), The Hype Machine (Best Music Discovery Service), Pandora (Best Music Discovery Service), Tiny Desk Concerts (Best Performance Series) and Marshall Jones (Best Music Hack).
The inaugural sponsors of O Music Awards are adidas, Ford, FUZE®, L’Oreal and T-Mobile. Each advertiser will present one or more award categories and be featured prominently throughout the live event.
Following the live event, on Friday, April 29th, the final three awards will be announced. The O Music Award website will continue to spotlight and herald innovation in the digital music space and will periodically continue to award recipients based on fan demand.
“We’ve designed this entire experimental experience to embody and reflect the medium it is celebrating,†added McCormack. “In the spirit of digital culture, who knows when the next O Music Awards will show up? One thing is certain, it will not be conventional!â€