| 1994 ARIA Music Awards | |
| Venue: | State Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Network: | Network Ten |
| Most Wins: | The Cruel Sea (5) |
| Most Nominations: | The Cruel Sea (10) |
| Previous: | 1993 |
| Next: | 1995 |
The Eighth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) was held on 30 March 1994 at the State Theatre in Sydney.[1] [2] Radio and TV personality Richard Stubbs hosted the ceremony and was assisted by presenters to distribute 26 awards.[1] [3]
In addition to previous categories, new categories for Best Alternative Release and Best Pop/Dance Release were presented for the first time.[3] A Special Achievement Award was presented to former Go-Set music journalist and pioneer radio DJ, Stan Rofe.[1] [3] The ARIA Hall of Fame inducted Men at Work.[1]
The Cruel Sea won five categories for their album The Honeymoon Is Over (1993) and its title track. According to Australian music journalist, Anthony O'Grady, they displayed "a churning rumble of swamp boogie, surf instrumentals and punk iconoclasm, not immediately radio's hottest wish list."[3] Speculation that they would not turn up proved unfounded.[3] The group's guitarist Dan Rumour finished an acceptance speech with, "The press said we'd clean up at tonight's awards, so you can help us by stacking the chairs and emptying the ashtrays as you leave."[3] Newspapers reported the following day that, at an after-party, the band's lead singer Tex Perkins had been injured during a scuffle with a drunken guest and that, separately, two of the group's trophies had been stolen.[3] [4]
The ARIA Awards ceremony was hosted by TV personality Richard Stubbs.[3] Presenters and performers were:
| Presenter(s) | Performer(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Agro | Peter Andre | |
| Magda Szubanski | ||
| Kate Ceberano | Peter Blakeley | |
| John Clarke, Bryan Dawe | ||
| Diesel, Deni Hines | d.i.g., Grace Knight | |
| Alex Dimitriades, Toni Pearen | ||
| Mick Doohan, Elle McFeast | ||
| Peter Gabriel | ||
| Gina Jeffreys, Willie Nelson | Tommy Emmanuel | |
| Jimeoin | ||
| k.d. lang | John Farnham, Richard Marx | |
| Wendy Matthews | ||
| Molly Meldrum | Hoodoo Gurus | |
| Don McLean | ||
| Urban Cookie Collective | Things of Stone and Wood | |
| Anthony Warlow | You Am I | |
Nominees for most awards are shown, in plain, with winners in bold.
The Hall of Fame inductee was: