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The 2004 BRIT Awards with MasterCard, the biggest and most anticipated music awards ceremony in the UK, will take place for the fifth consecutive year at London's Earls Court 2 on Tuesday February 17 2004.

Last year millions of UK viewers and music fans tuned into ITV to watch an innovative and spectacular show as The BRIT Awards went out 'as live' on the same night.

With unforgettable performances from the best of British and International talent including Justin Timberlake & Kylie, Coldplay, Pink, Tom Jones, Ms Dynamite, Avril Lavigne, Blue and David Gray, the Awards were a triumph for rock band Coldplay who picked up Best Group & British Album. Robbie Williams received British Solo Male, with the big International awards going to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem and Pink.

In 2004 the ITV network have once again committed to another huge build up to the awards with 'BRITS Are Coming' programmes on ITV1 and additional BRITS coverage on ITV2, including a live transmission from the Nominations Launch Party.

The date for this launch has just been confirmed as Monday January 12 2004, with the event taking place at a brand new location, The Park Lane Hotel in London's Piccadilly.

It is here that all the UK's media and top artists gather with anticipation to discover who has been included and excluded in the most talked about nomination shortlist of the year.

Lucian Grainge, co-chairman of the BRIT Awards and Chairman & CEO of Universal Music commented “It is a great privilege to have been invited to be co-chairman of the 2004 BRIT Awards. For me, the best part of the job is to work with artists of all genres and to play a part in the creative process. It will be my focus to reflect this in the BRIT Awards. I am confident that the show will ooze new talent and reflect the sheer depth of quality in British Music at the moment.”

The BRIT Awards Academy will be casting their all important votes with the polling day set for Thursday December 11 2003.

The Academy is made up of 1200 specially invited members from different sectors of the music industry. Only 6% of the academy is represented by the major record labels and their associated companies, with the remaining 94% coming from Independent record companies, retailers, music critics & music press, music TV and Radio producers & presenters, music publishers, artist managers, concert promoters & venues, NUS representatives and DJs.

For the sixth consecutive year MasterCard is set to sponsor The BRIT Awards and the prestigious British Album Award. This is part of a pledge of MasterCard's continuing support of the music industry, which will see their involvement in the BRITS continuing right up to 2005.

The Nominations Launch Party for The 2004 BRIT Awards will be held at The Park Lane Hotel on Monday January 12 2004.

The 2004 BRIT Awards with MasterCard will be held at Earls Court on Tuesday February 17 and broadcast on ITV 1.

For further information contact:

Print: Bernard Doherty/Lucy Hopkins @ LD Communications
T: 020 7439 7222 E: lucy.hopkins@ldpublicity.com
TV & Radio: Claire Jarvis/ Maria Barham @ LD Communications
T: 020 7439 7222 E: maria.barham@ldpublicity.com

The BPI has hosted the music industry 'Oscars' since 1977. There have been 24 shows to date (with no shows between 1978 and 1981). The show was formerly known as the British Record Industry Awards (or BPI Awards) and renamed the BRIT Awards in 1989. The ‘BRIT’ in BRIT Awards originates from the ‘British Record Industry Trust’. The BRIT Awards is a charity event and donates its proceeds to the BRIT Trust each year.