The Record of the Year was an award voted by the United Kingdom public. For many years it was given in conjunction with television programmes of the same name. The first show ran in the early evening on a December Saturday just before Christmas with the ten finalists represented as either live performances or filmed inserts or dance routines; then the phone lines were declared opened and the second show, an hour or so later, at prime time and also live, went around the TV regions revealing the votes and culminating in the announcement of the winner. It became one of the highest rated music TV ceremonies in the UK, boosting sales of CDs and then downloads in the crucial fortnight before Christmas every year. For that reason, it was much respected by the industry, labels, publishers and retailers. It was the only music award in the UK to be chosen by the public. The award began in 1998 and was televised on ITV for eight years before being dropped in 2006 after disagreements over the phone voting element. Since then, it had been an online poll, administered through the Record of the Year website. In 2013, the online poll was axed, signaling the end of the award. Winners The most frequent winner was Irish boy band Westlife, with four awards (1999, 2000, 2003 and 2005), two of which were consecutive. The only other artist to win multiple awards was American singer Lady Gaga, with two awards (2009 and 2011). The 2008 winner, "Rockstar" by Canadian band Nickelback, was the first winner from North America. The only artist to receive multiple nominations in the same year was American rapper Pitbull, who was nominated as both a lead and featured artist in 2011, although he never won. Year by year 1998 Presenter: Denise van Outen The ten finalists were: 1999 Presenter: Denise van Outen The ten finalists were: 2000 Presenter: Denise van Outen The ten finalists were: 2001 Presenters: Ant & Dec The ten finalists were: 2002 Presenters: Ant & Dec The ten finalists were: 2003 Presenter: Cat Deeley The ten finalists were: 2004 Presenter: Cat Deeley The ten finalists were: 2005 Presenter: Vernon Kay The ten finalists were: 2006 The result was: 2007 The result was: 2008 The result was: 2009 The result was: 2010 The result was: 2011 The result was: 2012 The result was: Criticism and praise Many