* 2010 is a big year for The BRITs celebrating 30 shows of presenting the best in music.
* The BPI, the trade body that represents the British recorded music industry, has hosted the UK music industry’s biggest awards show since 1977
* Formerly known as the British Record Industry Awards (or BPI Awards), the show was renamed The BRIT Awards in 1989
* The ‘BRIT’ in BRIT Awards originates from the ‘British Record Industry Trust’ and with the show’s proceeds going to charity - a mammoth £11.2million to date has been donated to the BPI’s charitable arm The BRIT Trust
* First Ever BRIT Awards performance - Procul Harum was the first band to ever perform at the Awards in 1977 with a ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’
* Total Number of BRIT Awards since 1977 - there have been 414 awards given out between 1977 and 2009.
* The BRITs 2010 will be broadcast across TV and Radio in over 100 countries around the world from Ecuador and Argentina to the Middle East, Malaysia and Japan.
BRIT Award Hosts
Chris Evans is the longest serving host presenting the Awards 4 times: 1995, 1996, 2005 & 2006
2010 - Peter Kay
2009 - James Corden, Mathew Horne and Kylie
2008 - Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne (along with Kelly and Jack)
2007- Russell Brand
2006 - Chris Evans
2005 - Chris Evans
2004 - Cat Deeley
2003 - Davina McCall
2002 - Zoë Ball and Frank Skinner
2001 - Ant & Dec
BRIT Awards Live
2010 is the fourth consecutive year the Awards will be broadcast LIVE on ITV1.
Previously, the show has been pre-recorded ever since the now infamous 1989 event hosted by Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood.
The Legends
The 1977 awards were intended to recognise the legends of UK music rather than just the past year in music as they have been since 1982
The Beatles are the only act to have received the Outstanding Contribution award twice in 1977 and 1983 although Sting won with The Police in 1985, and again as a solo artist in 2002. Paul McCartney won the Outstanding Contribution Award as a solo artist in 2008. Continuing the Beatles theme, producer Sir George Martin - best known for his work on Beatles recordings won Best Producer Award in 1977 and was honoured with the OCA in 1984.
The Outstanding Contribution Award is the gift of the BPI and this year goes to Robbie Williams.
John Lennon and Freddie Mercury are the only artists in BRIT history to receive posthumous awards (Lennon Outstanding Contribution in 1982, Mercury in 1992)
BRIT Awards Voting
The Academy is made up of more than 1,000 specially invited members from across the breadth of the UK music industry: music critics, music composers, online & student press, major & independent record companies, retailers, music TV and radio producers & presenters, music publishers, artist managers, live concert promoters, NUS representatives and DJs.
Less than a quarter of the academy's membership is drawn from the recording industry, and despite the popular misconception that "BRIT Bosses" dish out the awards, only 12% of the voting academy are drawn from major record companies. All academy votes are collected online, and are counted and verified by official scrutinisers ERS (Electoral Reform Services).
Fifteen Awards will be dished it The BRIT Awards 2010 with MasterCard.
11x British, 4 x International
British - Male, Female, Group, Album, Breakthrough, Single, BRITs Performance of 30 Years, BRITs Album of 30 Years, Producer, Critics Choice and OCA
International - Male, Female, Breakthrough, Album
Five Awards are voted for by the public - British Breakthrough Act (voted for by Radio 1 listeners), British Single (voted for by UK Commercial radio station listeners), BRITs Performance of 30 Years (voted for by TV viewers of the BRITs Hits 30 show through itv.com/brits and gm.tv), International Breakthrough Act (voted for by viewers of MTV) and BRITs Album Of 30 Years (voted for by Radio 2 listeners)
* the newly revamped BRITs website - brits.co.uk has for the first time unlocked the BRIT Awards footage archive. Over the past year, the BRITs team has been busy digitising the past 30 years of photos, footage and performances in order for brits.co.uk to become the official home of everything you ever needed to know, see or hear about the BRITs.
* Critics Choice Award
2008 saw the introduction of new award category - the ‘Critics Choice’ Award [won that year by Adele], which focuses on new British acts the critics are tipping to break through this year. In 2009 the Award was won by newcomer Florence and the Machine who this year is nominated in 3 categories and whose album hit the number one spot in the UK charts.
The shortlist and this year’s winner Ellie Goulding was chosen by a team of experts made up of music critics from national newspapers, major music magazines and music websites as well as heads of music at major radio and TV stations. The ‘Critics Choice’ Award was open to artists signed to a label who are set to release their debut albums in 2010. The runner ups were Delphic and Marina & the Diamonds
* This year the presenters on the ITV2 Red Carpet and Encore shows are Caroline Flack Rufus Hound Nicole Appleton Melanie Blatt
* The presenter for BRITs Backstage on ITV1 is Peter Andre
* It takes 13 days to build The BRITs stage, production and backstage
* 4500 staff work on the preparations
* 45 trucks transport the set/stage/lights/tables/backstage bar
* 12 forklifts, 4 cherry pickers, 1.3km of temporary walling 1km of barriers and 20000m2 of red & blue carpet are all used to make the BRITs
* The Red Carpet is 30 metres outside and 80 metres inside - the longest for any event in the UK
* 750 people work on the night of The BRITs including technicians, carpenters, steel workers, wardrobe, catering
* To produce 3 BRITs television shows for ITV2 and the main show are 25 cameras backstage and front of house filming on the night
* 40 dressing rooms are required and they are all exactly the same size for all artists.
* 4,000 VIP guests are seated at the tables in Earls Court Arena eating a specially prepared 3-course dinner. The largest amount of people sat for dinner in the UK served within an hour and a half!
* There are a further 5,000 fans in the balcony seats at Earls Court
* Over 1200 lucky guests attend and get to stand directly in front of the BRITs stage
* The worlds media turnout in force with over 200 press tickets and passes allocated and radio/TV crews including Beijing Music Radio - CHINA, RDS - Italy, Eins Live - Germany, Dubai 92 - UAE
Menu For Guests at Tables
BRITs Frittata with carpaccio of courgette, aubergine caviar and black olive nougat (v)
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Sliced ‘British’ beef loaf with shallots, truffle and foie gras with buttered potato puree, root vegetable gateau, pea crush and pan jus
Vegetarian
Portobello mushroom and tofu stack with onion and wilted spinach on potato puree, with root vegetable gateau, pea crush and beetroot balsamic
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Mini Desserts ‘A celebration of 30 years’
Cheeseboard to include:
Cornish Yarg
Hereford Hop
Cashel Blue
Cranberry and apple chutney
Coffee
BRITs Spa
BRIT nominees, presenters and winners will be able to relax and be pampered in the ultimate spa situated amongst the dressing rooms backstage at Earls Court featuring:
• The Sanctuary
• Avon
• Rituals
• Murdock London
• Revlon Manicures
• St Tropez Tan
Charity
A substantial contribution of proceeds from BRIT Awards events are donated to The BRIT Trust. Outside the two main beneficiaries (BRIT School and Nordoff Robbins), this year the BRITs is proud to be supporting War Child, Haiti Fundraising Appeal and Sentebale.
BRIT Awards also donates 12 pairs of balcony show tickets each year which are rotated to charities who apply. Tickets are auctioned at private fundraising functions where a substantial amount of money is raised for that particular charity. This year deserving charities include Cancer Research and the Injured Soldiers Charity Fund.
BRITs After Party
The official BRITs After Party at Earls Court will include:
• A huge inflatable Birthday Cake celebrating 30 Years. The Birthday Party will including cupcakes and tea being served
• A ‘Let’s Dance’ dancefloor spinning 80s and classic tracks and a ‘Knees Up’ dancefloor including a Pearly King & Queen (Pearl being the gem for 30th Anniversary)
• Strictly Bingo with proper cards and big marker pens
• A big dressing up box for guests to glam themselves up
• Crazy Golf
• Fairground dodgems
