Last year was an eye opener for me. I attended the Boston Music Awards for the first time in years and was greeted with a gathering of often times siloed, genre based communities that make up the vast jigsaw puzzle board of the greater being of Boston music. It was a true pleasure to witness artists from genres I normally don’t cover or properly appreciate in my own backyard from the fueled energy of Worshipper to the rhymes and beats that dotted the set Dutch ReBelle unleashed on the audience. I was greeted at this event with much of a family feeling despite being from a smaller niche of the larger music landscape around the city. I saw old friends and made new ones and feel better for it as a result. There is a turning point that 2015 saw where the BMAs recognized any faults (however small they may have been) and aimed their passion and drive to what matters most: the artists and the community. The BMAs a big old party to celebrate the arts and artists in the city and it looks as if they are aiming even higher for 2016 with a move to the House of Blues by Fenway.

Tickets are on sale now for an early bird price and you can pick them up via the facelifted site of the BMAs with history and past winners and a sneak peek at the new awards (P.S. its totally badass looking).

More from the fine folks at the BMAs:

The Boston Music Awards today announced that the 2016 ceremony will take place at House of Blues, Boston. The Lansdowne Street venue will host the awards on December 8, 2016 — performing artists will be announced in the coming weeks and early bird tickets are on sale to the public now. [Password: BMA2016]

The new venue for 2016 is the first move by new owner, Paul Armstrong, CEO of Redefined, who earlier this month increased Redefined’s ownership stake to 100%, taking over from previous co-owner Jake Brennan. Brennan, who produced the event from 2008-2015, will remain involved in the Awards working alongside Redefined to co-chair the Boston Music Awards advisory board.

Additionally, Redefined have today launched a brand new website that, for the first time, digitally captures the entire 29 year history of the awards — including past winners, exclusive archive materials, Hall of Fame inductees, and media dating back to 1987.

“As one of the longest running music awards shows in the United States, there is naturally a lot of history to look back on” said Redefined CEO, Paul Armstrong. “We wanted to bring the awards into the digital age and give them a platform that shines a light on them properly. This is an obvious first step, but one that hadn’t been delivered until now. We’re delighted to share this history with not only Boston, but the world.”

BostonMusicAwards.com will continue to be updated throughout the year with new and never before seen content. It will also become the voting platform for future awards, starting with the 2016 Boston Music Awards.

Boston Music Awards 2106 — Key dates:

June 28th. New website and venue announced.
July 12th. The Nomination Committee will be open to new members. Applications accepted online.
August 1st. Ballots sent to Nominating Committee.
September 19th. Ballots closed.
September 21st. Nominees Announced. Public voting begins.
November 20th. Voting closes.
December 8th. Winners announced at House of Blues.