The Hawai'i Music Awards, one of two music-industry organizations that honor achievement in Island music, is going digital.

Johnny Kai, organizer of the awards, said that digital recordings sold on Web sites will be eligible to compete in the upcoming awards season.

"Many in the music industry realize we will all have to find ways to start accepting digital recordings and the music industry moves to the internet," he said in an announcement that will broaden and likely change the direction of the voters. The Hawaii Music Awards decides winners through online voting.

There will be two categories for digital releases: album and singles.

The guidelines for submissions for tunes that are available only via the Internet:

• Digital albums and singles must have album graphics and liner notes, which may be sent as an attachment.

• The product must be for sale online through such companies as CDBaby,

Amazon, iTunes.

• Songs on MySpace are eligible if they are available for sale, not a free download.

• If an album or single also is available in a traditional store, it would not qualify as a digital release.

• The Hawaii Music Awards will require the digital release to have bear UPC sticker.

Inquiries may be directed to johnnykai@aol.com.