Todd Devonshire
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second verse, same as the first. the grammys were started as a pubic relations stunt to remove the payola stink from music. kingston trio won for best country act because there was no folk category. on and on.
Chris Spector
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In the 70's we called them The Grannies for good reason…and not much changed. thanks for this analysis.
Johanna Hall
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This is so right on, Bob.
At the end of the day - an artist must ask themselves but ONE question to measure their own success:
"IF your name is put up on the marquee, will people show up?"
THAT answer marks your success. Period.
Nothing more. Not even radio play, and definitely not any award. Not even a Grammy.
I know plenty of Grammy award winning artists that can't draw a fly versus plenty without a Grammy nomination to their name that are selling out shows worldwide.
A Grammy win (or equivalent - a nomination) is nothing more than what your publicist can do with it.
In other words, it means nothing.
Real artists don't chase "awards" or define themselves by them.
I believe these "award shows" days are numbered.
With Gratitude,
Sandra Charamba
www.pavlo.com
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When your client of 23 years, given the honorary title of an "Ambassador of the Blues", gets his first Grammy nomination for "Best Traditional Blues Album", which honored long overlooked Traditional Piedmont Blues artists, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and the award goes to those well know Traditional Blues Artists, the Rolling Stones.
It's as much fun as winning.
At least Guy's in the same boat as his friend and admirer Ian Anderson, who's band Jethro Tull won years ago for Best Hard Rock album. LOL
Cheers,
Thom Wolke
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News Flash.
The major labels encourage all their employees to join the voting membership by faking their credits. I knew people in the mail room who voted!
Universal, with more market share in terms of new artists and catalog, has more Grammy members than any other label. You think they win any awards?
Duh.
The way to level the playing field is to limit voting memberships, or at least make them proportional. This forces both the indies and majors play on the same field.
But reality says this will never happen.
- Please withhold my name for obvious reasons
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I guess they want participation trophies like all the little kids get Bob.
George Johns
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Haven't you heard? Everyone gets a trophy these days.
Marty Winsch
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Since the problem was created by men, it's men who should boycott and take responsibility.
Kai Strandskov
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Bob.
Your scathing indictment of this careless, clumsy foolish organization known as the Grammys is clearly closer to the Grannys.
Revolution indeed.
What an extraordinarily dumb choice..
In the NEW world these Neanderthals must lope away to the caves they came from.
I despise competition in any regard. Your only competitor is yourself. How hard can you push that self to make wonderful music. We are lost in an era that describes an artist whose career has lasted 2 years as legends as icons, mega stars.
Fuck off, get out the way. Art is subjective & kiss my ass.
From the E-mails & Tweets that I have received from my SiriusXM audience it is very clear that Music is not a competitive sport.
Thank you for your severe response to this farce, this absurd "solution" they have come up with. Step aside and step up, a phrase they have heard before.
Michael Des Barres.
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I always find it interesting to look at the more specialist categories. For example, in Metal the winner is often a well known name long past their prime, who should've won it for pioneering work years (even decades) ago but picks up their Grammy for an absolute also-ran of a track because they're the only name on the ballot the judges have heard of. Meanwhile, something that's truly shaken up the scene is lucky to get nominated because it may take years before their name seeps into the wider conscience.
Andy Vale
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I used to consider it an honour to be a Grammy voter. I cared, I worked at it, at doing it honestly and thoughtfully.
But I quit years ago. Not just because it had lost its lustre generally, but mostly because the tossers would NOT let Boston have its own chapter. Soon after I moved here (1999) - a whole bunch of local music folks, many of them Grammy members like me, had a big meeting with the NARAS people at the Paradise one afternoon - it was in the air that this storied and great music city would finally get its due. But no...Boston had to remain an arm of the NYC chapter. How utterly fucking clueless, let alone insulting. I'd been here less than a year and I wanted to cross the room and throttle the little shit who announced it to the crowd of true music movers and shakers here. Absurd.
Come back Michael Greene - almost all is forgiven.
I still get a smattering of "Hey! My artist is up for XXX - give him/her/them a listen and your vote!" emails or FB messages. Wankers.
Honestly - fuck 'em all. Portnow's Complaint.
Hugo Burnham
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Spot on assessment of the Grammys. The awards are the modern-day equivalent of the Titanic. The organizers settle in to their plush leather easy chairs, sip their cognac and puff their cigars, utterly oblivious to the tragedy that awaits them. I agree, it's time to jump ship and get to firmer ground.
Dan Beckerman
Viable Productions
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True words Bob
I've been turned off by the Grammys since they overlooked the Fine Young Cannibals (one of the best pop albums of the time) and awarded Milli Vanilli (fakers)
Aloha
Doc
Aloha
Steve London
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I used to vote but its not what it used to be. I'm not even a Grammy member anymore after 20+ years.
chrissssss
skeleton crew (i dont do that anymore either)
Bogdon Vasquaf
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Yes to all of this!!
Two things that really pissed me off/blew my mind/threw me through a loop etc etc at this years Grammys.
1) I was so stoked that Kendrick was opening the show. I thought 'this is great! The white mans show is actually having a black hip hop artist open. What a moment!' but then they have to bring out U2?!?!? Give me a break! How was that a special 'moment'?! It ruined it! It ruined everything! Immediately I thought 'I should have known they can't just let a black hip hop artist have their time…of course they have to throw a white male into this'
Right off the top of the show after that moment, I was so turned off and could barely pay attention to the rest of it.
THEN U2 GETS THEIR OWN SEPARATE PERFORMANCE. Fuuuuuck offfff! WHO EVEN CARES ABOUT U2 ANYMORE?
2) I could NOT believe Despacito didn't win song of the year! You literally cannot say that track wasn't the song of the year. It dominated everything. Forever. Especially looking at the rest of the nominees in that category. How did it not win??!!
And don't even get me started on their treatment of female artists!!!
Ryan Cain
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Damn! Beatdown! Preach on Bob!
Baris Ozyetis
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When Jethro Tull won best Heavy Metal Over Metallica everyone knew plot was over.
An come on! Kendrick Lamar would play he Super Bowl in a minute if anyone asked.
Stevie Salas
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I was a governor and a trustee for the recording academy for many years. One of the few black men from Los Angeles in that room. Most of which spoke with a heavy twang. Also, I was one of the authors of the proposals to get back some of the black categories they took away. I was successful. I also lost a lot of friends, or so called friends during the process.
I can't even tell how on point this letter is. It's actually even worse on the inside than you've written here.
I'm still very active in the music business. Have been for over 30 years now. Trying to get these people to move into the present is like trying to water ski off an oil freighter. You may move, but it'll be the slowest water ski you've ever had in your life!
So glad you wrote this!
Michael Bearden
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I can speak for the classical committee - and please keep me anonymous.
I've been in the classical nominating committees on and off over the past ten years, and it is as fair as it will ever get. We vet entries that can sometimes be a) in the wrong category, and b) contenders that reached their position through bloc voting (this goes back forever - check out articles.latimes.com/1989-03-05/entertainment/ca-55_1_atlanta-symphony)
People on the panel are experts (I usually feel like I somehow snuck in the room) and biased opinions toward potentially nominated "friends" are easily noticed and called out, or invitations are simply no longer extended the following year. To err is human after all, but for the many judging committees I have served over the past 20 or so years, I can think of none fairer.
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To me, the Grammys have only ever been a joke, the winners have mostly been loads of irrelevant forgettable shite, and the point of it a total mystery to me. Rock &
roll has in large part defined my life, but I have never watched the Grammys even once.. And your word "homogenized" perfectly describes it....
Young Hutchison
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Re: Grammys - Art & Music should NEVER be a contest.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers!
G. DaPonte
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I agree strongly with this post, but once again just throwing it out there: I get that Bruno Mars might not be considered "hardcore music fan favorite", but how is the safe bet the half Puerto Rican, half Filipino musician?
I'm sure this isn't your goal, but it feels like you're making the assumption that "minorities" means Black and not all people of color. I can see how it's a relatively "safe" bet, but for Filipino Americans like me, seeing that man and his band win a Grammy meant the world to a generation of Asian Americans who are used to seeing their voices be used as an accented gag--remember William Hung?
Jay Legaspi
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Bob: I agree with you about the Grammy Awards fully. I used to cover them in the '70s and early '80s and I used to bat almost a perfect score in handicapping them. It wasn't hard.
Go for the insider L.A. groups or artists.
Exclude edgy of rebellious.
Consider when A Taste of Honey beat out the Cars, Elvis Costello, Chris Rea and Toto for Best New Artist in 1979.
Or Debby Boone winning the category in 1978 beating out Foreigner and Stephen Bishop but joined by Shaun Cassidy, and Andy Gibb.
There are thousands of these stories tied to the Grammy Awards.
Larry LeBlanc
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3 words.
Fuck the Grammys.
Best,
Steven Sime
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YES BOB!
David Weisz
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The Grammys have be irreverent, well, I was going to say ever since Jethro Tull won the Heavy Metal award, but I'll say forever! One big ego trip!
Doug Pomerantz
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One wonders if this expansion will extend to the jazz vocal category? Until a few years ago there were categories for Best Male Jazz Vocal and Best Female Jazz Vocal. This was consolidated into a single Best Jazz Vocal category some years ago. Since that time the ladies have dominated the category.
As a longtime member of the Screening Committees (which are not a secret) I can attest that what you refer to as "massaging" was far less sinister. A majority of the work involved confirming entrants
were eligible and in the correct categories. At times there were healthy discussions about where best to fit those artists whose music straddled fences.
Eligibility has become a red herring in the past decade with numerous Best New Artist winners who really weren't eligible. Shelby Lynne stands out as an example ( I think she won for her 3rd album!)
Ricky Schultz
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This tracks so precisely what I have been saying about the Grammys ever since Portnoy took over, that I hope you don't mind that I re-post it on my Facebook page with attribution.
Thanks!
Charles McGarry
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Your calculation, math analogy speaks volumes.
Great Bob...
Steve Anderko
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Dave Marsh said it all back in 1978, I think it was, when he broke down exactly WHY the Grammys suck. As the years have passed, NARAS has simply expanded the level of suck. They've never been about rewarding artistry, even though sometimes the goals of NARAS actually allowed someone deserving to receive the award.
Marie Braden
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tommy james never was nominated for a grammy! many people find that hard to believe....but it surely did not stop him from having hits, touring, writing a best selling book, having his own radio show on sirius after 50 years in the business and still going strong......hmmmmm.....carol ross
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My thoughts exactly. There is an outdated and unsuitable pool of voters for the current musical climate. They pick based on name recognition and completely disrespect the sounds and music of the present day musicians. I appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you!
Angela N. Vance
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MLK always said that you had to learn the system and change it from within. I don't believe ignoring will solve the problem. I suspect the ambivalence is people has aided the questionable decision making in the organization. Ignoring is a privileged position.
I agree with you that expanding the number of nominees is a strange way of modernizing and improving the Grammys.
Binta Niambi Brown
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Something that will never happen - doing away the $100 yearly fee to be a voting member.
Let people who qualify to be voters, vote.
Nick Velo
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