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Cape Town - The South African Music Awards (Samas) announced that the number of entries for this year's ceremony has increased substantially in comparison to last year.
"We received over 700 entries, while in 2016 the number stood at about 470," HM Entertainments revealed in a statement released to the media.
"The overwhelming response is indicative of a burgeoning music industry and is a vote of confidence in the most prestigious music award ceremony in the land.
"In our pursuit of transparency and openness, the office of the Samas has resolved to share all the names of the entrants with the public." the statement went on today.
The music industry submitted entries over a three-month period starting from 1 November 2016 until 31 January 2017. After a stringent vetting process that involved officials from the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) and record company representatives, these potential nominees have been handed over to panels of independent experts drawn from radio, TV, newspapers, blogs and the recording industry for the judging process to begin.
In April the SAMA's will reveal the five nominees in each category as voted for by the panel of judges and verified by independent auditors.
Best Collaboration is the most competitive category with 106 entries.
The Best Produced Album is a battleground with 72 entries from genres as varied as dance, gospel, gqom, rap, jazz and R&B. The Best Engineered garnered 46.
In genre specific categories, the Best Dance Album leads with 27 entries and is followed closely by Best Rap Album boasting 25 entrants. The Best Jazz Album has 15 projects eligible for a nomination.
The Best Maskandi Album which has drawn 13 entries has the genre's most successful talents battling it out for a nod, the same can be said of the Best Traditional Music Album category with its 15 entries.
With 14 entrants, the Best Contemporary Faith Music Album pits some gospel heavyweights against two previous Idols SA winners and a former TV soapie star.
The Traditional Faith Music Album also earned 14 entries.
The Best Alternative Music Album ensures stiff competition with 18 entries.
In the Best Kwaito Album we have seen a slight increase from last year, with a total entries of 6 albums. This hopefully will continue to increase year on year from henceforth.
Remix of the year stands at 16 entries. DVD recordings remain popular with 11 entries in the Best Live Audio Visual Recording.
The newly introduced Best African Artist category attracted 6 entries from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Botswana.
For a complete list of entries please visit www.samusicawards.co.za
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