Produced by Pollstar, the leading trade publication for the live entertainment industry, the 30th annual Pollstar Awards will conclude the Pollstar Live! conference, held February 11-13 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

Presented by Live Nation on February 13th, the Pollstar Awards honors and recognizes the most successful artists, executives, venues, events, and companies in the thriving global live entertainment business.

Pollstar Awards’ nominees for the “Major Tour of the Year” award include epic treks by Beyoncé & Jay-Z, Bruno Mars, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and U2.

Also nominated for various awards are such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Elton John, Panic! At the Disco, Pink, Travis Scott, Luke Bryan, Shania Twain, J Balvin, Kenny Chesney, Luis Miguel, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Billy Joel, Greta Van Fleet, and Celine Dion, among many others. For a complete list of nominees, see below.

The nominees were selected by a panel of more than 2,000 agents, managers, promoters, venue operators, and professionals who work in the live entertainment industry. With the largest, most diverse nomination committee in the history of the awards, Pollstar also announces several changes to the program for the 30th anniversary event, both in terms of award categories and in the methodology calculating winners. These changes are geared to increase relevancy, recognize the evolution of the industry, and acknowledge the standard-bearers for the preceding touring year.

“For 30 years, the Pollstar Awards have been the definitive recognition for achievement in the touring industry, and we are honored and privileged to again recognize the elite artists, venues, and executives in the world of live entertainment,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, parent company of Pollstar. “This is a thrilling time to be in the business of live, and we remain inspired by the level of professionalism, creativity and fan engagement exhibited by those who make up our nominees for the 2019 Pollstar Awards, and across the industry.”

While the Pollstar Awards will remain predominantly an industry peer-voted honor, Pollstar will for the first time weigh actual box office performance (gross revenue and ticket sales) as factors in determining winners for many awards. Also, certain executives and artists must be affiliated with specific tours, venues and events from the preceding touring year in order to maintain relevance to the year being considered.

Pollstar has also continued its focus on the artists, with new awards added in 2018 based on genre, and adding categories for a wider range of acts that make important contributions to the overall touring economy, including “Best Residency,” “Best Support/Special Guest,” “Best Non-Music Tour,” “Best Brand Partnership,” “Best Touring Musician,” and “Best Soft Ticket Act.” Beyond the nominees listed below, Pollstar will soon announce special awards for lifetime achievement and philanthropy, and engage fans with the first fan-voted award in the history of the event.

In recognition of the 30th anniversary (and in an effort to not take itself too seriously), Pollstar will also celebrate the larger-than-life personalities and unique nature of the business via such irreverent categories as “The Unavailable,” “Best Hang,” “Most Dreaded Phone Call,” and the “Back In My Day” awards. The entire slate of awards are geared toward presenting a compelling ceremony that salutes the touring industry’s illustrious past while celebrating its current vitality and promising future.

“The changes made for the 2019 Pollstar Awards reflect our ongoing efforts to present the most relevant and accurate representation of the ‘year in touring’ and the highest achieving artists and professionals that make up this dynamic, passionate business,” said Ray Waddell, president of OVG’s Media & Conferences division. “We also wanted to try and have some fun because, while this industry is definitely made up of the hardest working men and women in show business, they also know how to have a good time.”

The 2019 Pollstar Live! Conference & Awards runs Feb. 11-13, beginning with a day focused on production with Production Live! (programmed this year with legendary production guru Jake Berry) followed by two days of insightful sessions, keynotes, Q&As and presentations on the most relevant topics facing the global live business.