Mercury Music Prize 2012 nominations: How it will impact sales

The 12 finalists for the Mercury Music Prize 2012 were announced in London last night (Wednesday, September 13). The shortlist, chosen from over 250 submissions, was revealed by BBC 6 Music DJ Lauren Laverne at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden.

This year’s nominations include Plan B's Ill Manors, the soundtrack to the London-born rapper and actor’s crime drama film of the same name, South London indie rockers The Maccabees’ third album, Given To The Wild, BBC Sound Of 2012 award winner Michael Kiwanuka’s Home Again, and London singer / songwriter Ben Howard’s Every Kingdom.

The annual awards ceremony, which seeks to celebrate recorded music by British and Irish artists, is noted for shining the spotlight on some lesser known acts, too. The music on the album is the only thing taken into account, offering a level playing field to artists of all genres and styles.

Some of this year’s (currently) lesser known nominees include Leeds-based jazz act Roller Trio’s debut self-titled album, folk singer Sam Lee’s Ground Of Its Own, and SBTRKT collaborator Jessie Ware’s Devotion.

While the Mercury Music Prize isn’t necessarily about big selling albums, a by-product of being nominated is often a dramatic uplift in sales. During the nominations period last year, nominated releases enjoyed sales increases from between 5 to 75%, with smaller titles such as Ghostpoet’s Peanut Butter Blues And Melancholy Jam and King Creosote And John Hopkins’ Diamond Mine benefitting the most.

The current sales of 2012’s nominees (as of midnight on Saturday, September 8) based on Official Charts Company sales data, is as follows. OfficialCharts.com will be tracking the progress of each artist up until the winner is revealed on November 1. Be sure to check back to see how the Mercury Music Prize 2012 has impacted their sales, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

© 2012 The Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.