There are plenty of awards for iPhone apps and mobile apps in general, but Billboard sees an empty niche when it comes to music apps on mobile gadgets. That’s why the music chart and news service announced the Billboard Music App Awards on Tuesday.
For the first time, Billboard will set out to pay homage to the gods of… mobile music apps. Not desktop apps, mind you, just apps for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and Nokia platforms. A “panel of industry visionaries” will whittle down apps to the finalists, which will be announced on September 1, 2010. All app makers are encouraged to apply for consideration at MobileEntertainmentLiveFall.com.
Billboard’s award categories are Best Artist-Based App, Best Music Streaming App, Best Music Engagement App, Best Music Creation App, and Best Branded App. To be eligible, an app must have been released between July 1, 2009 and July 30, 2010.
Winning apps will be announced at the Mobile Entertainment Live!: The Music App Summit on October 5. Select finalist apps will be featured in a pre-show section of Billboard magazine, and their developers will be able to demo their apps in person in Billboard’s “App Lounge” at said summit.