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Legendary Los Angeles band Jane’s Addiction are to receive the Godlike Genius Award For Extraordinary Services To Music from the editors of NME magazine.
 
Members of Jane’s Addiction, the first American band voted to the prestigious award, will be on-hand to receive their honors in person at the inaugural American version of the NME Award Show, to be held at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on 23 April.

Formed in 1985 by singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery, Jane’s Addiction has been chosen to receive the Godlike Genius Award in recognition of the fact that the band has done more than any other to introduce American alternative music to the mainstream, founding the touring Lollapalooza Festival and giving what Perry Farrell refers to as the “alternative nation” a real cultural focus and voice.

Their four albums – Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking, Ritual De Lo Habitual and Strays – set the marker for expansive, explosive and intellectually restless rock while their legendarily incendiary live performances have seldom been matched in the intervening years. They are, according to NME, truly Godlike. 

NME Editor Conor McNicholas said today: “When we were in the planning stages of bringing the NME Awards to America, Jane’s Addiction were always in our thoughts. They are exactly the sort of once-in-a-lifetime inspirational, aspirational, no-holds-barred, genre-busting, risk-taking, pioneering group which sums up what the NME Awards is all about. Breath-taking live, phenomenal on record, they blazed a trail for alternative music from which others have truly benefited over the past 20 years and it is with the very greatest pleasure that we acknowledge and honour their contribution to making music which makes the world a better, more exciting place to live in.”

The Godlike Genius Award is traditionally the centerpiece of the UK NME Awards. Past recipients include U2, Paul McCartney, The Clash, New Order, Primal Scream, Ian Brown of The Stone Roses, Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays, Michael Eavis (owner of the Glastonbury Festival) and legendary Deejay John Peel.

The Awards will be streamed live from the El Ray Theatre on Myspace.com. More news concerning performances at the NME Awards and recipients of The Classic Album and Inspiration Awards will be announced in the next few days.

About NME

Published weekly since 1952, NME is the longest-running and most respected music magazine in the world, always providing its readers with the most exciting, incisive and authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music. About NME.COM: NME.COM has earned worldwide respect for its rock music news and features, which are updated around the clock. Launched in 1996, NME.COM is famous for its groundbreaking music news, breadth of reviews and in-depth features. The IPC Ignite website scooped the Best Music Magazine award for the second year in a row at the BT Digital Music Awards in October 2007, which remain the UK's only awards that are completely dedicated to digital music.

About the NME Awards

Dating back to 1953 (a year after the launch of NME), the NME Awards is the most important annual event for British fans of cutting-edge music. Over the years, NME Awards events have hosted memorable performances from some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll history, including: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, New Order, Ian Brown and Primal Scream.

About Goldenvoice and AEG Worldwide

Goldenvoice produces hundreds of concerts and festivals each year all over the US including Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Stagecoach, and the new All Points West Festival in NY. AEG Worldwide is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. It owns or operates some of the world’s best arenas and theatres, numerous sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), The David Beckham Academy, and a collection of companies dedicated to producing, promoting and presenting world-class live entertainment.

About MySpace

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the first ranked web domain in terms of page views, MySpace is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind and is committed to providing the highest quality member experience. MySpace will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off. MySpace’s international network includes localized community sites in the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, Latin America, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NME PLEASE CONTACT: Nicola Woods, NME, at 0044 20 3148 6779 or email nicola_woods@ipcmedia.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MSYPACE CONTACT: Dani Dudeck, MySpace, at 310-969-7148 or email ddudeck@myspace.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GOLDENVOICE OR NME AWARDS USA PRESS CREDENTIALS PLEASE CONTACT: Hannah Kampf/ Scoop Marketing at 213-639-6160 or hkampf@solters.com or Erik Stein/ Scoop Marketing at 213-639-6162 or estein@solters.com