Hot Off The Presses: San Diego Music Awards To Return 3/21/2017

Leave it to Kevin to send a press release at 11pm on a Tuesday night...

REFORMED SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

SET TO RETURN ON MARCH 21, 2017

SDS Events is proud to announce the return of the San Diego Music Awards, the annual awards gala that recognizes the diverse achievements of the talented San Diego music community. The 26th version of San Diego's premier local music event is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. As in the past, a portion of the proceeds from the event will continue to benefit the San Diego Music Foundation, in partnership with the Taylor Guitars for Schools program.

The event has been reorganized. "After 25 years, it was time for change. I was asked to step in to once again produce the event," said awards show founder Kevin Hellman, who had retired after the 2015 event. "I'm pretty excited to once again have the opportunity to continue what we started 25 years ago. It's already been alot of fun putting the team back together. We are planning to once again produce a great event, one which will make a difference in our community."

The 2017 San Diego Music Awards will be held at House of Blues, located at 1055 Fifth Ave, in downtown San Diego - a new location for the event. The new venue will allow for both VIP seating, reserved seating and also general admission tickets. In additional to the new venue, a major change for 2017 will be a brand new award trophy. Hellman adds, "With the new venue, it's a new era for the event. It just seems to be the right time to create and present a brand new San Diego Music Award."

Over the past 25 years, awards have been presented to San Diego artists including Jason Mraz, Jewel, P.O.D., blink-182, Slightly Stoopid, Switchfoot, Pierce the Veil and countless others. And while the event has and will always focus on homegrown music, the main goal of the event is to keep music education alive in public schools in San Diego County. As such, proceeds from the San Diego Music Awards will once again be used to purchase and place "Baby Taylor" guitars into elementary, middle and high schools in San Diego County, via the non-profit San Diego Music Foundation, in partnership with El Cajon's Taylor Guitars. To date, over 75 schools have participated in the Taylor Guitars for Schools program.

Additional event details will be announced on Sunday, January 15, 2017, including performers, nominees, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, plus several affiliated events. Event tickets will go on sale on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 3pm, via the official event website, sandiegomusicawards.com.