What are the major differences between the Hawaii Music Awards and the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards?
The voting process is the dominant difference. The Hoku is a membership-selection process, and the Hawai’i Music Awards is the People’s Choice or sometimes referred to as the popular vote. The goals of the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards are industry-based; the Hawai’i Music Awards is an Internet-based marketing project to support music education, the music community and economic development for the state of Hawai’i. Do you ever see the day when the two will become one? We are already one when it comes to supporting music from Hawai’i. In the years we have been doing this, we see the benefits of providing more ways for local artists to gain visibility. Having two award events with winners selected by two different processes gives artists a second chance, or perhaps a chance to be recognized for the first time.
