Pictured in our office’s trophy room, a selection of some of the famous music trophies we craft. From left to right: the SOCAN, ACM, Hip Hop Honors, iHeartRadio Music Award, AMA, Billboard Music Award, NBC’s The Voice trophy.
SOCAN
SOCAN is a professional society in Canada made up of composers, authors and music publishers. In collaboration with SOCAN, we created this first of its kind trophy. The award is designed such that it can be turned on its side and be played as an instrument with the built-in, removable percussion tool. The five round shapes are called crotales and were manufactured by the famed Canadian instrument manufacturer, Sabian. These crotales are changed each year to new tones.
Academy of Country Music (ACM)
The ACM is an iconic form that transcends generations and genres. Each year the very best country music talent vie for this striking honor. The form is that of a cowboy hat, extruded into a column and mounted on an angled base. This central column is finished in a light gold color with a subtle, satin finish. This contrasts beautifully with the mirror-finish, black nickel base.
Hip Hop Honors
The VH1 Hip Hop Honors are not presented every year, but are instead presented as much larger-scale programs. The last event honored women in hip hop and included performances by industry titans and included covers of iconic hits. The custom trophy for this program is a truly artful award. The form is crafted from solid, aeronautical-grade aluminum that is machined to produce the hand-assembled final form of intersecting extrusions of the words “HIP” and “HOP.” 24 karat gold plating adds a subtle yet impactful contrast for this award.
iHeartRadio Music Award
The iHeartRadio Music Awards show is a prestigious music program that celebrates and recognizes musicians for top performance on iHeartMedia platforms. Unlike programs that vote on winners, this awards show uses hard numbers to determine the winners. The awards show started in 2014 and includes such categories as top song, artist and album for each of a wide range of genres. This is another point of differentiation as it makes the show appealing to music lovers of all types. The trophy includes the brand’s iconic logo on a base that is actually an extruded version of the program name such that the words “iHeartRadio Music Awards” can be seen when the trophy is turned upside down.
American Music Award (AMA)
The American Music Awards, started in 1974, is a different sort of ceremony. The program was started in 1974 as a replacement when ABC lost the rights to air the Grammys. Instead of winners being chosen by industry insiders and elites, the decision was put in the hands of the public. The trophy for the program is crafted in high-end Lucite acrylic with the top “spike” formed in clear and mounted on an opaque black base. The spike has a prismatic quality that makes it appear as if it were crafted from high-end crystal. This is the outcome of using Lucite, which is a specially formulated, luxury version of acrylic. The benefit of using this material over crystal is a weight savings – crystal can be prohibitively heavy for larger pieces.
Billboard Music Award (BBMA)
The BBMA’s recognize musical artists based on annual performance on the Billboard Music Charts. The honors include top song, artist and album for each of a number of different musical genres as well as two fan-voted categories. The trophy was change for the 2017 program to include the Billboard logo more prominently as well as the signature microphone. The final, gold-plated form is mounted atop an elegantly tapered black base.
The Voice
NBC’s The Voice is a singing competition that has proven a wild success. The custom trophy pictured above was created to honor the winner each year and give competitors a covetous physical award to lust after. The large hand makes a peace symbol that is also reminiscent of the brand’s signature “V.” The form also includes a large microphone. The trophy is plated in a high-end silver chrome finish that gives it true stage presence.
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