Iowa Music Awards held on Oct. 29

Antonio “Tone Da Boss” Chalmers, is CEO of T1 Entertainment, based in Cedar Rapids, is the force behind the upcoming Iowa Music Awards. Chalmers, who has been in the music business for 20 years, said Iowa doesn’t have big awards shows like the Grammys, BET and the Source, but Chalmers wanted to create something special for the Iowa artists who will be honored in the second annual event he founded.

“I felt that we deserved it,” he said.

Award categories include music, podcasts, video, and photography. Last year’s program had 150 nominees. An academy of seven reviewers across the state listens to each submission and decides on the nominees and winners.

The Iowa Music Awards will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort Event Center, south of Iowa City. Order tickets at Iowamusicawards.com. Tickets, which range in price from $25-$100, will also be available on the day of the event.

The awards show debuted in 2022. He created the program because he realized many artists don’t receive much recognition or awards, which is something he had experienced in his career.

“It’s kind of like we gave this our all, and there was no real thank you or pat on the back or good job,” he said. “I didn’t want other artists to feel that way.”