Dear labels. Releasing in May does not necessarily increase your chances of a nomination.

Hello music releasing friends of the record label persuasion.

Today is the deadline for albums to be considered for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. The qualifying period is June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011.

It has come to light that some labels, artists and managers think that releasing your record at the end of this qualifying period helps your chances at a nomination, given the reasonable hypothesis that a May release puts a record to the top of mind of our jurists.

We just want you to know that the facts do not necessarily bear this out.

Here is a tally of release months vs. Polaris nominations. These number are based on the past five years of Polaris Short Lists.

Short List records release from the previous qualifying year (26):

June (3)
July (2)
August (6)
September (7)
October (7)
November (0)
December (1)

Short List records released from the current qualifying year (24):

January (3)
February (3)
March (8)
April (4)
May (6)

Winner release dates: August, October, May, September, March.

As you can see, it doesn’t really matter too much when you release a record. And November is wide open. Do keep that in mind when you are planning your next Polaris-worthy recording.

Keep up the good work, keep releasing quality music, and good luck with the Long List on June 16th.

Sincerely,

Polaris Music Prize.