Today the Finnish Music Publishers Association (MPA Finland) presented their annual awards for the seventh time. Among the winners in six categories were music industry pioneer Tapio Korjus as well as composers Veli Kujala and Inka Niemi.

Manager, booking agent, record label founder and music publisher Tapio Korjus was awarded this year’s “Export award” by the Finnish Music Publishers Association. All four nominees in the category were nominated by Music Finland. Korjus was chosen as the winner for the following reasons: 

“Last year, Tapio Korjus negotiated to bring the international professional event WOMEX to Finland and his company Rockadillo Productions Oy was the local organizer of the event in Tampere in October 2019. WOMEX is the largest professional event in world music, which turned the attention of the world music scene to Finland. Organizing the event was an act that will have a positive effect in positioning Finnish music at the center of the international market. Organizing WOMEX is a culmination of Korjus' long and successful career in music, which extends to the fields of record companies, publishing and live music."

Read our recent feature interview with Tapio Korjus.

The awards' yearly genre-free category was this year named "Ambient Music Composer of the Year" and the winner, NIEMI, was chosen out of four nominees by the jury consisting of members Tuuli Saksala, Mervi Vuorela, Mirva Merimaa and Måns Strömberg (aka dj Bunuel).

“NIEMI is a sound work that you don’t have to label when you listen to it. It’s a soundscape to lull into. The tones of folk music can be heard in the songs, but with Inka Niemi's personal, modern touch. And the fact that the language of the lyrics speaks in modern times is extremely charming, ” explained Tuuli Saksala (Yle Musiikki), a member of the jury.

This year’s "Contemporary Composer of the Year" award went to Veli Kujala, while the highly regarded "Song of the Year" prize was given for Hei rakas, a song written and performed by singer-songwriter BEHM (Rita Behm). The "Pop Music Maker of the Year" award was given to Vilma Lähteenmäki.  

The prizes of the Finnish Music Publishers Association in the amount of EUR 2,000 were awarded on 7 September in Helsinki, with no invited guests present.