The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) has consistently been an advocate for the growth, innovation and unity of Scotland’s music industry. Our projects, programmes and collaborations are at the heart of our mission to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music community.
Core Projects Igniting Development and Innovation
At the SMIA, our mission is brought to life through producing and supporting key projects and programmes focused on:
- Enhancing the sustainability (business and environmental) of Scotland’s music industry.
- Stimulating both domestic and international growth.
- Advancing industry-wide development and innovation.
The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award
The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is Scotland’s national music prize; celebrating Scottish music, and the cultural impact and contribution of outstanding Scottish albums.
Placing artistic merit before sales history, genre or record label affiliation, The SAY Award dispenses with categorisation, opting instead for the creation of a bold, unifying platform from which Scotland’s most outstanding albums – across all genres – can be celebrated, discovered and championed. With previous Longlist titles featuring hip-hop, rock, alternative, traditional, folk, classical, dubstep, reggae, pop and jazz, The SAY Award accommodates Scottish music in all its influential, inspiring and idiosyncratic glory.
Wielding a £20,000 prize for the winner, 9 runner-up prizes of £1,000 each and a design commission which highlights the enduring links between music, art and design in Scotland, The SAY Award is respected by artists, valued by the industry and is responsible for both a surge in musical discovery and an explosion of impassioned debate on social media.
In 2021, two supporting awards were introduced to accompany the main album of the year prize; the Modern Scottish Classic Award (recognising an outstanding album from Scotland’s past) and The Sound of Young Scotland Award (facilitating the creation of a debut album from a young and emerging Scottish artist). Learn more about The SAY Award.
The SMIA Summit
In 2021, the SMIA piloted a series of digital events for our members as part of the inaugural SMIA Summit. The programme focused on discussing findings from our ‘Moving Forward: Approaches to managing Brexit for the Scottish Music Industry’ research paper (published in March 2021), as well as areas relating to music export to support the development of our Scottish Music Export Office Feasibility Study.
The pilot demonstrated the significant value in a strategic event looking at the development of the Scottish music industry as a whole; economically, socially and culturally.
The SMIA Summit offers an annual opportunity for us to engage, consult and collaborate with our membership, the wider sector and key stakeholders to discuss, debate and resolve a vision for the development of Scotland’s music industry; articulated through the creation of a Scottish Music Industry Roadmap.
We’ll soon be announcing details of the SMIA Summit 2024. If you haven’t already, join as a member to be the first to know.
Scottish Music Industry Roadmap
Following the SMIA Summit 2024, we will work to deliver a Scottish Music Industry Roadmap.
The roadmap will be a strategic action plan for Scotland’s music industry development over the next three–five years; designed by taking into account the experience, insights and ideas discussed during the SMIA Summit from our ever-growing membership of music practitioners.
The roadmap will provide a unified vision and plan for how Scotland’s music industry can, will and should develop; one that takes into account the wide range of challenges facing our diverse industry landscape, and one which is creative, strategic, ambitious and needs-led.
Vital Partnerships Elevating Our Music Industry
In our commitment to advancing Scotland’s music sector, we proudly partner with several industry events and initiatives. These include:
- MMF Accelerator: A programme aiding emerging music managers and independent labels through mentorship and business tools.
- Resonate: A prominent music industry conference in Glasgow that emphasises collaboration and knowledge exchange.
- Wide Days: Scotland’s leading music convention focused on innovation and industry education.
For more information about this work or to collaborate directly with the SMIA, check out our Partnership Page.
Join the SMIA Community
Promoting unity and shared progress, the SMIA extends an invitation to everyone in the Scottish music sphere. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or a music industry professional, we invite you to join our membership and help shape the future of music in Scotland.