The ARIA Music Award for Best Independent Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), an organisation whose aim is "to advance the interests of the Australian record industry."
John Butler Trio hold the record for both the most wins and the most nominations in this category, with three wins from seven nominations, though Ed Kuepper's total nominations also reach seven if his nomination as a member of the Aints is counted. Vance Joy and Dan Sultan are tied for the most nominations without a win with four each. Kuepper is both the only artist to win in consecutive years, which occurred in 1993 and 1994, and the only musician nominated for two acts in the same year, as in 1992 he was nominated both as a solo artist and a member of the Aints.
Winners and nominees In the following table, the winner is highlighted in a separate colour, and in boldface; the nominees are those that are not highlighted or in boldface. Winners are only provided where reliable sources do not mention of nominees.
Year Winner(s) Album/Single title 1989 TISM "Apathy" Eric Bogle Something of Value Flederman Flederman Larry Sitsky Contemporary Australian Piano The Spliffs "Sixteen" 1990 Wild Pumpkins at Midnight This Machine Is Made of People Dubrovniks Dubrovnik Blues Girl Monstar "Surfing on a Wave"/"He's Hell" Sirocco Port of Call Various Artists Rockin' Bethlehem 1991 The Killjoys Ruby Blue Ruin I'm Gonna Smile Girl Monstar "Joe Cool" Roaring Jack Through the Smoke of Innocence Various Artists Rockin Bethlehem: The Second Coming 1992 Not Drowning, Waving Proof The Aints Ascension Def FX Water Ed Kuepper Honey Steel's Gold Underground Lovers Underground Lovers 1993 Ed Kuepper Black Ticket Day The Jackson Code Strange Cargo Def FX Blink (EP) Melanie Oxley and Chris Abrahams Welcome to Violet TISM Beasts of Suburban 1994 Ed Kuepper Serene Machine The Jackson Code Dragging the River Juice Movin' On Dave Steel Cross My Palm Brenda Webb "Little Black Girl" 1995 TISM Machiavelli and the Four Seasons Def FX Ritual Eternal Ed Kuepper Character Assassination Magic Dirt Life Was Better Single Gun Theory Flow, River of My Soul 1996 You Am I Hourly, Daily Custard Wisenheimer Ed Kuepper The Exotic Mail Order Moods of Ed Kuepper TISM "Greg! The Stop Sign!!" Underground Lovers Rushall Station 1997Savage GardenSavage GardenDeadstar"Don't it Get You Down"Dirty ThreeHorse StoriesEd KuepperFrontierlandEvenLess Is More 1998 The Whitlams Eternal Nightcap The Blackeyed Susans Spin the Bottle Karma County Olana The Living End "Second Solution / Prisoner of Society" TISM www.tism.wanker.com 1999 Josh Abrahams Sweet Distorted Holiday Crawlspace "Away" Diana Ah Naid "Oh No (Curbside Lullaby)" Pauline Pantsdown "I Don't Like It" Pre-Shrunk "Triple A Side" 2000 S2S "Sister" Diana Ah Naid I Don't Thing I'm Pregnant iOTA The Hip Bone Connection Skulker Too Fat for Tahiti Stella One Eleven "Only Good for Conversation" 2001 John Butler Trio Three Allan Browne's New Rascals East St Kilda Toodleoo Nitocris Manic Pre-Shrunk Digital Sunrise Stella One Eleven In Your Hands 2002 1200 Techniques "Karma (What Goes Around)" Icecream Hands "Rain Hail Shine" Killing Heidi Heavensent Lisa Miller Car Tape The Waifs "London Still" 2003 The Waifs Up All Night 1200 Techniques "Eye of the Storm" Diesel Hear John Butler Trio Living The Mess Hall Feeling Sideways 2004 John Butler Trio Sunrise Over Sea Butterfingers Breakfast at Fatboys Jebediah Braxton Hicks The Waifs "Bridal Train" Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males Sing the Tabloid Blues 2005 Ben Lee Awake Is the New Sleep Architecture in Helsinki In Case We Die Joel Turner and the Modern Day Poets Joel Turner and the Modern Day Poets Lior Autumn Flow The Waifs A Brief History... 2006 Hilltop Hoods The Hard Road Ben Lee "We're All in This Together" Gotye Like Drawing Blood The John Butler Trio Live at St. Gallen Lior Doorways of My Mind 2007 The John Butler Trio Grand National Gotye Mixed Blood Hilltop Hoods The Hard Road: Restrung Sneaky Sound System Sneaky Sound System Wolf & Cub Vessels 2008 Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Gurrumul Ben Lee Ripe British India Thieves Lior Corner of an Endless Road Midnight Juggernauts Dystopia 2009Bertie BlackmanSecrets and LiesC. W. StonekingJungle BluesDappled CitiesZoundsSneaky Sound System2The DronesHavilah 2010Sia We Are BornArt vs. Science Magic FountainDan Sultan Get Out While You CanEddy Current Suppression Ring Rush to RelaxJohn Butler Trio April Uprising 2011 Art vs. Science The Experiment Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Rrakala John Butler Trio Live at Red Rocks Tex Perkins & the Dark Horses Tex Perkins & the Dark Horses The Jezabels "Dark Storm" 2012 The Jezabels Prisoner Dappled Cities Lake Air Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp Songs of the Southern Skies San Cisco Awkward The Bamboos Medicine Man 2013 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Push the Sky Away Big Scary Not Art San Cisco San Cisco Sheppard "Let Me Down Easy" The Drones I See Seaweed 2014 Chet Faker Built on Glass Dan Sultan Blackbird Sheppard Bombs Away Vance Joy "Mess Is Mine" Violent Soho "Saramona Said" 2015 Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit Hermitude Dark Night Sweet Light Jarryd James "Do You Remember" Paul Kelly The Merri Soul Sessions Vance Joy Dream Your Life Away 2016 Flume Skin Jarryd James Thirty One King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard Nonagon Infinity Sia This Is Acting Violent Soho WACO 2017 A.B. Original Reclaim Australia Dan Sultan Killer Sia "The Greatest" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) Tash Sultana Notion Vance Joy "Lay It on Me" 2018 Gurrumul Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) Angus & Julia Stone Snow Courtney Barnett Tell Me How You Really Feel DMA's For Now Pnau "Go Bang" 2019 Tones and I The Kids Are Coming Angie McMahon Salt G Flip About Us Julia Jacklin Crushing The Teskey Brothers Run Home Slow 2020 Sampa the Great The Return Archie Roach Tell Me Why DMA's The Glow Lime Cordiale 14 Steps to a Better You Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Ghosteen 2021 Genesis Owusu Smiling with No Teeth Archie Roach The Songs of Charcoal Lane Ball Park Music Ball Park Music Emma Donovan & The Pushbacks Crossover Vance Joy "Missing Piece" 2022 Archie Roach "One Song" Ball Park Music Weirder & Weirder Courtney Barnett Things Take Time, Take Time Genesis Owusu "GTFO" Julia Jacklin Pre Pleasure 2023 Genesis Owusu Struggler Cub Sport Jesus at the Gay Bar Dan Sultan Dan Sultan G Flip Drummer Kylie Minogue "Padam Padam" 2024 Angie McMahon Light, Dark, Light Again Emily Wurramara Nara Kylie Minogue Tension Miss Kaninna "Blak Britney" Royel Otis Pratts & Pain 2025 Ninajirachi I Love My Computer Ball Park Music Like Love Confidence Man 3AM (La La La) Folk Bitch Trio Now Would Be a Good Time Miss Kaninna Kaninna
Artists with multiple wins 3 wins John Butler Trio
2 wins Ed Kuepper Genesis Owusu TISM
Artists with multiple nominations 7 nominations Ed Kuepper John Butler Trio
5 nominations TISM
4 nominations Vance Joy Archie Roach Dan Sultan The Waifs
3 nominations
2 nominations
Notes
References
External links The ARIA Awards Official website