was reading online that even attending the ceremony is kinda expensive:
>> Prize idiots <<
Mercury nomination - not all great
One of this year's Mercury Prize nominated
acts gave us an insight into the award night.
"It's not cheap being nominated for the
Mercury Prize. £300 a head to just attend.
And not including booze. The whole 'not
for profit' line they spout starts to
look a bit hollow, particularly when you
pay £200 just to even enter your record
in the first place.
"We ended up smuggling in booze, and getting
tap water from the toilets. The food,
predictably, was g-rim. Oh yes, and we stopped
counting tables at 75. Must have been nearly
100, each seating 12 suckers like us. At
£300 a head someone, somewhere off-camera
walked away with a cheque significantly
higher than the £20,000 prize.
"A classic music industry con trick...?"
Want the real Mercury results? Who do the artists
think would win in a fight between a baboon and
a badger?
http://tinyurl.com/ov288e