Mat McHugh Attacks ARIA Ticket Cost

What would an ARIA awards be without controversy? As guests for tonight's awards were readying themselves for the event, Beautiful Girls' Mat McHugh attacked ticket prices in a spray on Facebook.

Past ARIA nominee McHugh wrote, "Did you know the ARIA's charges artists (including nominees) 400 bucks for a seat !!"" He went on to explain what this cost can mean to an artist: "If you're on a record label that means they pay (loan you the money) and it comes out of your album profits (at about a dollar a record you'd have to sell 400 hundred of them per seat)."

He also pointed out how tough the cost can be for independent artists: "If you're independent it means that you have to pay for yourself and your partner. $800 dollars for some average food and an award that's worth about 3 bucks."

However McHugh stopped short of dismissing the awards outright, adding: "I love and respect all of the nominees and think they make amazing music. I just don't need a bunch of music industry 'players' validating them by patting them on the back. Their music is validation enough."

That should give the industry folk something to talk about while waiting at the bar for drinks tonight.