The Monkeys scores Music & Sound Grand LIA for Sydney Opera House ‘Play it Safe’ at LIA 2024
The Monkeys, Part of Accenture Song has won the Music & Sound Grand LIA and a Gold Statue for Sydney Opera House ‘Play it Safe’ as the first LIA winners are announced following three days of rigorous judging in Las Vegas.
Says Carol Dunn, managing director, Barking Owl, Los Angeles and LIA Music & Sound Jury President: “It was so big and bombastic you were impressed by it. You know someone hated it but understood why it was being given the Grand LIA.”
Play It Safe was written in collaboration with Australian actor/playwright Tim Minchin, and features performances from each of the Sydney Opera House’s eight resident companies, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Cameos from Australian performers such as Jimmy Barnes, William Barton, and Elma Kris also paid tribute to the House’s pivotal role in the Australian arts community. The final song comprises over 800 audio tracks arranged by Elliot Wheeler – a musical journey from quiet self-doubt to a joyous explosion of pure self-expression. The music video, directed by Kim Gehrig, was released online and quickly reached 1.8 billion people with 662 pieces of media coverage. The track was also released by Tim Minchin on Spotify, where it has received over 100,000 plays to date. From Australia to the other side of the world, its message resounded: if we ignore the little voice in our heads that tells us to ‘play it safe’ – there’s no limit to what we can achieve.
Bronze statues in the Music & Sound category went to Howatson+Company for Mastercard ‘TOUCH‘; BRING – Universal Music for Brands Sydney for The Coca-Cola Company ‘(Can’t Get You) Off My Mind‘ featuring Tones And I, Young Franco, CHAII; Rumble Studios Sydney for ROLLiN’ ‘Smooth‘ and Level Two Music Melbourne for Telstra ‘This Is Footy Country‘.
The Music & Sound Jury arrived at the decision to award 38 Statues including 4 Gold, 13 Silver, and 20 Bronze Statues. They also awarded 19 Finalists.
The Creativity in B2B category saw Special score a Bronze Statue for The Dylan Alcott Foundation ‘Shift 20 Initiative‘.
The Creativity in B2B jury went on to award the Grand LIA to FCB New York’s “Spreadbeats” for Spotify. The jury awarded a total of 27 Statues including: 1 Grand LIA, 9 Gold, 8 Silver, and 9 Bronze statues, as well as 9 Finalists.
Says Barbara Levy, president of LIA: “This year, we are seeing a lot of strong work in many categories. The judges spent three days deliberating, discussing and deciding which work should be awarded. We are seeing a lot of surprising ideas that will still be inspiring for years to come.”
As the quest for the world’s best creative work heats up, more industry icons arrive in Las Vegas to judge entries in the Non-Traditional; Production & Post-Production and Music Video; Digital and Use of Social Media & Influencers; and Design and Package Design categories. Stay tuned over the next few days as more winners and finalists are announced as each jury completes judging.
VIEW THE MUSIC & SOUND WINNERS
VIEW THE CREATIVITY IN B2B WINNERS
VIEW THE CREATIVITY IN PR WINNERS
VIEW THE AMBIENT & ACTIVATION WINNERS
VIEW THE BILLBOARD WINNERS
VIEW THE POSTERS WINNERS
VIEW THE PRINT WINNERS