American Music

The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the Fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired. It is the first of the Big Three music award shows held annually (the others being the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Music Awards). Until the 2005 edition, both the winners and the nominations were selected by members of the music industry, based on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Since the 2006 edition, winners have been determined by a poll of the public and fans, who can vote through the AMAs website.