A Brief History of the Pollstar Awards

Every year since 1984, POLLSTAR has invited an exclusive group of industry professionals to consider nominations in specific categories for the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards.

In 1989, the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards were presented in the first official awards ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

In the years since, the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards party has evolved into a much-anticipated yearly event. Awards and categories have changed to honor colleagues, friends and repetitive winners. The Bill Graham Promoter of the Year honors the memory of the legendary promoter who revolutionized the concert industry. In 1999, The Best Small Outdoor Concert Venue Award was renamed the Red Rocks Award to permanently reflect the many awards the outdoor venue has received.

Historic moments and memorable locations have marked the Awards as notable landmarks such as the Wiltern Theatre, House of Blues, Universal Amphitheatre, Gibson Amphitheatre, Pantages Theatre, Kodak Theatre, Club Nokia and Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York have hosted the annual event. The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and SF Masonic in San Francisco hosted in 2015 and 2016. The Novo by Microsoft L.A. Live hosted the 28th Pollstar Awards in 2017.