Bowie's double net honour

David Bowie has been dubbed a "cyberstar"

Rock legend David Bowie has scooped a double honour for his website BowieNet at the Yahoo Internet Life Online Music Awards.

Bowie was personally awarded the title of online pioneer at the awards for the design and services provided by BowieNet, which was named best artist site.

BowieNet offers exclusive features including previously unreleased versions of songs, updates on his projects and online chats with the singer.

Bowie was also one of the first major artists to distribute digital copies of his albums over the internet.

His site serves as an internet service provider and he has also launched an online banking service.

The awards ceremony, which took place at the Studio 54 nightclub in New York, featured performances by Bowie, Alanis Morissette, Aimee Mann and Isaac Hayes.

Net music resources

The music website SonicNet.com won the best overall site award for the second consecutive year, for offering "the most comprehensive resource for music fans on the net".

Aimee Mann's online efforts paid off

SonicNet.com beat off strong competition from the immensely popular and controversial MP3.com site, which is facing legal action for alleged copyright infringement by the US recording industry.

Nominees for the online music awards were decided by Yahoo Internet Life readers and winners were selected by an "academy" of artists, technology and media executives including Chuck D and Isaac Hayes.

Other winners included former Beatle Paul McCartney, who won the best live event online award for a concert that took place at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the club in which the Beatles got their start.

Net music exposure

The best internet-only album award, for a work released exclusively over the internet, was awarded to Aimee Mann for Bachelor No. 2, released on her website.

Mann, whose Oscar-nominated song Save Me featured in the film Magnolia, has had a difficult time getting exposure.

"God bless the internet, because it's the only way that independent artists like me can make a living," she said accepting the award.