The inaugural 2006 awards were held at Blacket Hotel in Sydney on 29 November 2006 and sponsored by V energy drinks.
[1] The following awards ceremonies were held between October and December in Melbourne, Victoria from 2007 to 2015.
[6] From 2017 to 2019, the South Australian Government's newly established Live Music Events Fund promised funding to the Awards and concurrent music conference, to take place in Adelaide, South Australia.
The events took place in July, along with Music SA's Umbrella: Winter City Sounds, a program of live music across Adelaide, and a couple of food and wine festivals in the city.
Judges choose their three favourite releases across the following categories: There are also specialist voting academies for:[11]