My Bloody Valentine have slammed the nomination process behind the Barclaycard Mercury Prize.
The shock return of My Bloody Valentine ended two decades of silence, with new album 'm b v' providing fans with enough evidence to show that the wait had been worthwhile.
Yet the album was snubbed by the Mercury panel. The final shortlist for this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize overlooked the band, despite near universal critical acclaim.
In an interview with The Guardian, leader Kevin Shields explained that he believed his group had been "banned" by the panel. "Isn't Mercury a phone company or something, anyway? What's that got to do with music?" he said. "We're banned by them, and do you know why? Because we're not on Amazon or iTunes. That's one of the qualifying criteria. You have to have major distribution or be on iTunes or Amazon."
As the Guardian point out, the guitarist could have a point. The rules for the Mercury state that qualifying albums must have "a digital and physical distribution deal in place in the UK". Since My Bloody Valentine sold their new album through their website – bypassing any label pressure – this could mean that 'm b v' is ineligible for the award.
"We released our record, mbv, independently," the guitarist continued. "It's interesting to learn that to be as independent as we are is … virtually illegal". Finishing, Kevin Shields stated: "It's not a real record. Our album's not a real album because it's independent. The corporate-ness has got to such a point where we've essentially been told that we don't exist. So, technically, that album doesn't exist. OK? It's not allowed to exist according to the Mercury prize."
Clash online editor Mike Diver recently took a close look at the Barclaycard Mercury Prize and argued that extensive change was needed. Find that feature HERE.
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