Golden Melody Award for Traditional Arts and Music

Taiwanese Music Awards

The Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music (GMATAM) honors individuals and groups engaged in traditional arts, music, and opera performance in Taiwan. Initially organized by the Government Information Office, Executive Yuan, it transitioned to the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, Ministry of Culture. It's now overseen by the National Center for Traditional Arts, a division of the Ministry of Culture.

## History

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### Background

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The Government Information Office, Executive Yuan, initiated the Golden Melody Awards in late 1988, with the inaugural event taking place the subsequent year.[1] The awards were established to elevate the quality of popular music, inspire those in music production, and serve as Taiwan's premier music honor.[2]

### Initial Stage

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Since 1989, the Golden Melody Awards have been held regularly every year. Over the seven years, the Government Information Office, Executive Yuan, had undergone many discussions and reviews. To increase efficiency and reduce the costs of human and financial resources, and to broaden the horizon of the Golden Melody Awards, other music genres, such as classical music, folk music, local theater, folklore, talk performance, and children's music were included in the awards in addition to popular music.[3] Therefore, starting from the 8th awards in 1997, the musical album category of “Golden Tripod Awards” and the “Golden Melody Awards” were merged, and the awards were re-designed by dividing the individual awards into the “Popular Music Category” and the “Non-Popular Music Category.”[4]

Since the 12th Golden Melody Awards in 2001, the category formerly known as “Non-Popular Music Category” was renamed the “Traditional and Artistic Music Category” to prevent the public from misunderstanding that non-popular music is a music genre that has fallen out of favor.[5] In 2012, following the dissolution of the Government Information Office and the establishment of the Ministry of Culture,[6][7] the operation of the Golden Melody Awards, which the Government Information Office previously presented, was integrated into the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, Ministry of Culture.[8] Since 2014, the Golden Melody Awards have been divided into two separate honors. The “Pop Music Category” continued to be held by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development.[9] At the same time, the “Traditional and Artistic Music Category” was handed over to the National Center for Traditional Arts, in charge of judging and awarding. It has been officially renamed the “Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music.”[10]

### The Name and the Numbering of the Awards Remain Unchanged

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The original “Golden Melody Awards” (GMA) held a special place in the hearts of people in Taiwan as the most representative music award. Therefore, when the Golden Melody Awards was restructured in 2014, the Ministry of Culture took steps to preserve its historical significance and brand name. They formally named the category of “Traditional and Artistic Music Category” as “Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music” (GMATAM), retaining the essence of the old name “Golden Melody Awards”.[11][12] Simultaneously, the years of the awards were numbered consecutively from the 25th year of the GMA. Furthermore, other awards categories were restructured into two main fields: the “Publishing Category” and the “Theatrical Performance Category.”[13][14]

### Developments

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In 2015, to elevate the international profile of the Awards and to enhance the visibility of Sinophone music and traditional performing arts, the criteria for the 26th Awards were revised, removing nationality restrictions for the “Publishing Category,” except for the individual award in the “Theatrical Performance Category.”[15][16] In 2017, at the 27th Awards, the “Performer of the Year” category was added, and the age limit for the “Best Individual Newcomer” award was decreased, ensuring a more comprehensive and inclusive promotion of artists in the Theatrical Performance Category.[17][18]

The Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music have undergone continual review and improvement year after year, with the competition format and award criteria evolving in tandem. In 2019, the original “Best Creation Award” was segmented into three distinct awards: “Best Composition,” “Best Lyrics,” and “Best Arrangement.”[19] For the “Theatrical Performance Category,” new accolades, namely the “Best Theatre Script” and the “Best Musical Design,” were introduced, accompanied by some renaming of existing categories.[20][21] 2021 witnessed the introduction of the “Best Director” award.[22] 2022 heralded the addition of the “Jury Award” and the “Best Performance by a Leading Puppeteer,”[23] while the “Best Performer” and the “Best Performance by a Leading Puppeteer” underwent revisions, ensuring that they weren’t restricted to a solitary recipient.[24] Moreover, the “Best Individual Newcomer” was rebranded as the “Best Youth Performer.” In 2023, the “Publishing Category” was renamed the “Music Category.”[25]

## References

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1. ^ "金曲獎說明". 財團法人台灣唱片出版事業基金會. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
2. ^ 簡妙如、鄭凱同 (2012). 《豐盛中的匱乏：傳播政策的反思與重構》. 〈音樂是公民文化權的實踐：流行音樂政策的回顧與批判〉 (in Chinese). 台北: 巨流圖書公司. p. 190\. ISBN 9789577324504.
3. ^ 楊惠珺。「傳統暨藝術音樂類獎項在金曲獎的地位與發展」。碩士論文，東吳大學音樂學系，2010。
4. ^ "金曲獎由來". ISRC 國際標準錄音錄影資料代碼查詢系統. 國家圖書館. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
5. ^ 徐玫玲 (2012-05-18). "金曲獎". 臺灣大百科全書.
6. ^ 新聞傳播處 (2012-05-15). "新聞局520走入歷史，今舉辦惜別會，總統及行政院長暨各界貴賓到場致意". 行政院.
7. ^ 洪淳琦 (2012-07-30). "文化部誕生的意義 ── 簡評《文化部組織法》". 共誌.
8. ^ "金曲獎沿革". 文化部影視及流行音樂產業局. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
9. ^ 凌美雪 (2013-06-09). "傳藝金曲大寶庫 彭雙松三代同堂領獎". 自由時報.
10. ^ 徐慧君 (2014-02-26). "脫胎換骨重新出發 第25屆傳藝金曲獎全新上路". 新網新聞網.
11. ^ "文化新聞-第25屆傳藝金曲獎全新上路". 文化部.
12. ^ "傳藝新聞-第25屆傳藝金曲獎入圍暨特別獎名單". 國立傳統藝術中心.
13. ^ 江昭倫 (2014-06-30). "傳藝金曲25公布入圍 樊曼儂、劉文亮獲特別獎". Yahoo!新聞.
14. ^ 楊明怡 (2014-07-01). "【藝術文化】第25屆傳藝金曲公布入圍名單". 自由時報.
15. ^ 林采韻 (September 2015). "第26屆傳藝金曲獎 黃金舞臺「獎」不完". 傳藝Online.
16. ^ 鍾佩芸 (2015-07-02). "傳藝金曲獎入圍名單出爐 上揚唱片創始人獲特別獎". Yahoo!新聞.
17. ^ "師大新聞-民音所呂錘寬教授 獲傳藝金曲獎特別獎". 國立臺灣師範大學. 2016-08-15.
18. ^ "《第27屆傳藝金曲獎》入圍名單". 國立傳統藝術中心. 2016-06-24.
19. ^ 安理實 (October 2019). "傳藝金曲 非「非主流」". 傳藝Online.
20. ^ "第30屆傳藝金曲獎". 傳藝金曲.
21. ^ "葉垂青、王安祈獲第30屆傳藝金曲獎特別獎". Yahoo!新聞. 2019-06-25.
22. ^ TNL 編輯 (2021-08-04). "【音樂】第32屆傳藝金曲獎入圍名單：特別獎得主為廖乾元、廖瓊枝，首設「最佳導演獎」鼓勵幕後創作者". 關鍵評論網.
23. ^ 王祖鵬 (2022-03-15). "傳藝金曲獎因應時代做出重大變革：新增評審團獎、最佳偶戲主演獎，並規劃開放觀眾人氣票選". 關鍵評論網.
24. ^ 曹麗蕙 (2022-04-15). "讓偶戲專業受重視 傳藝金曲獎新增「最佳偶戲主演獎」". 人間福報.
25. ^ 曹麗蕙 (2023-04-12). "第34屆傳藝金曲獎新制上路 「出版類」調整為「音樂類」". 人間福報.