*vote by habit*
in the category of theframes/gemmahayes/damien rice etc... there are two types of fan/voter... the old skool- who supported these acts in the early to mis nineties, when there wasn't such a prosperous music scene, and when singer-songwriting didn't seem so tired, and many still have the fighing instinct to support these acts, even though they don't need anymore (or in the case of theframes... i wonder do they even deserve it anymore). then there's the newbies... initiates to the world of the irish gig-scene, people who REALLY had no taste for music until coming across the more mainstream live scene, and who may either see music in a fashion-accessory sense, or who have yet to plumb any great depths in exploring it.
combined, yes, the usual acts will dominate the votes... but votes are about consensus & majorities... not about a minority aspiration for something interesting, inovative and adventurous... frankly... if everyone agreed that coldspoon conspiracy & simple kid should have featured more, then we'd already be having a backlash against their domination... that's what being an "alternative" fan is about... hating whatever is winning, hoping for the underdog... then being pissed off when they're not the underdog anymore.
