More Grammy Fallout

Since the Grammys last weekend, there has been a lot of post-Grammy chatter online and publicly (though I guess both act congruently now).  Most of the buzz has been positive, at least from my friends and coworkers.  I think most were fine with the Arcade Fire winning Album of the Year.  Justin Bieber not winning was a shock, but personally I was glad of that.  Most people liked the performances.  Lady Gaga’s new song “Born This Way” sounds eerily like Madonna’s “Express Yourself”.  All in all, a lot of people tuned in, and I think it was for the most part a good show.

Then this morning I read that Steve Stoute, a veteran marketing and music executive (Stoute is the manager of rapper Nas, a highly respected artist who has enjoyed critical and commercial success), publishes in the New York Times on Sunday a scathing advertisement against the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Grammys for “losing touch with contemporary culture and failing to acknowledge the talents of hugely successful artists like Justin Bieber and Eminem” (see http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/02/20/music-exec-slams-grammys-for-snubbing-justin-bieber-eminem/). Stoute also made comments that criticized how the producers picked certain artists to perform that contradicted the system of voting that determines who wins.  Essentially he was arguing that they asked artists like Bieber and Eminem to perform just to boost ratings despite the fact that neither won one of the bigger awards.

Stoute’s argument in this case essentially sounds to me like he would rather the artists of major labels be recognized rather than artists of independent labels.  His reasoning is part of the reasoning why I tuned OUT from the Grammys years ago.  For far too long I believe major label artists of sub-par quality have been picked over indie label artists of above-par quality.  He argues that Justin Bieber should have won New Artist of the Year over actual winner Esperanza Spalding, stating that his “cultural impact and success are even more quantifiable if you factor in his YouTube and Vevo viewership….”  I emboldened “quantifiable” because that’s exactly how he sees importance—by the numbers rather than the substance.  I’m sorry, but there is nothing about Justin Bieber’s music that inspires me.  His story is fascinating, and he is a talented artist, but he is not a talented songwriter, at least not yet.  His songs seem shallow and immature, which is great for a younger audience but does little for an older, more mature audience.

This is not to say that Bieber has no impact on adults.  I am sure there are millions of adults who love his music, the simplicity of it, and would rather have his music any day over someone of Esperanza Spalding’s ilk.  That’s their prerogative.  But to me people like Stoute and others are looking at a “who’s sold the most, who’s on TV the most” artist/band rather than a substantive artist/band.  I would argue that of the list of artists that were nominated for Best New Artist (Bieber, Spalding, Drake, Florence & the Machine and Mumford & Sons), Drake probably most deserved it.  He would be a more ideal balance of popularity and depth than the other artists.

While Stoute doesn’t directly question Arcade Fire’s Suburbs winning Album of the Year, he does question their being picked to perform right before the announcement of the Album of the Year award.  This does seem a little suspect, but it’s not exactly a new concept.  I am certain (though have not researched to confirm) that at least once an artist that has been nominated for Best Original Song on a Motion Picture at the Oscar’s has also performed right before winning the award.  I did question Arcade Fire’s choice of “Month of May” to perform but figured that was the artist using leverage in order to perform.

I admit I was shocked (in a good way) that Arcade Fire won over Eminem and Lady Antebellum.  I thought both Eminem and Arcade Fire were underdogs in the category since Lady Antebellum had already won two awards earlier in the evening.  Eminem’s record Recovery is a very good record and one of my favorites of his.  I think he shows immense depth at attacking his own demons rather than those of others (as he used to) and assumed that the album would follow the typical Grammy trend and win (based on popularity).  Recovery is good, but The Suburbs is better.  Really all of those bands were fortunate that Janelle Monáe’s ArchAndroid album and Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy weren’t nominated in that category because those albums were better.

I despise the hypocrisy on both sides (Stoute along with other major label execs as well as the RIAA and the Grammys) to be honest.  Both sides have frequently fought off more talented artists and picked the “flavor of the moment” for winning awards.  If they want to make that argument, then make the Billboard Awards a bigger deal.  Those awards are based on popularity and sales.  The Grammys should be about awarding artistic excellence regardless of sales.  When award ceremonies start awarding artists based on artistic integrity and depth, I’ll tune in.  Chances are this will never happen again.

Grammy Wrap-Up

I’m not going to while away about what the artists and entertainers were wearing, but I wanted to take a little time to talk about the Grammys.  I’ve long disliked the Grammys because I felt like major label bands were the only ones ever in consideration, and this is still basically true, though this is starting to change (see more later).  I should also clarify that when I refer to “major labels” I mean the primary mass record distributor for a particular genre.  I felt that there were some fantastic records released by independent labels (further known as “indies”) that deserved far greater attention.  I still think this is true.

I also hated the Grammys because back in the day of Napster the president of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) made some obnoxious remarks about how free online file downloads were ruining the industry and preventing major labels from distributing their artists’ music.  While I understand the position he took and how file sharing was taking money away from the artists, I also have argued that the business itself needed to and has to change to catch up with technology and youth in general.  I think the hardest thing they had to deal with is that technology advanced fantastically in a short period of time.  They didn’t want to accept that things were changing, that bands and record companies needed to find other sources of revenue besides physical albums.   The fact that he made this statement annoyed me to no end and basically turned me off completely from the shows.

My anger started to subside a couple of years ago, and I have caught patches of the shows.  I’ve rarely if ever used the Grammys to determine what music to listen to since most indies were shunned.  However, the diversity of artists that were represented started to intrigue me, so I started to watch.  This year’s show did a better job of holding my interest, at least in the artists who actually won.

First, Album of the Year going to the Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs was a major win to me.  The record was released by Merge Records, an indie label that has been around for a long time.  Like most indies, though, Merge had never had a Grammy winner.  This win was a major coup for the indies.  Hopefully more focus will be given to their albums as well as other independent record label albums.

Second, Cee-Lo should have won for “Forget You”.  That song to me was the catchiest song I have heard in a long time, and I only just heard it four months ago.  Sure it’s a revenge song, but he does it with such straight-faced giddiness that I can’t help but like it.  In fact, that entire album deserves some more credit because it is a very solid album from beginning to end with great singing and music.

Third, Lady Gaga is rehashing old Madonna tunes.  It’s true, you cannot deny it.  “Born This Way” is “Express Yourself” all over again.  Even the underlying themes are practically the same.  While I acknowledge she has some talent, I worry that this is a pattern that will continue.  Some of her earlier stuff has harkened to Madonna’s glory days.  And her gimmicks certainly also reflect Madonna’s influence, though Gaga takes it further.

Fourth, the Black Keys won three awards on Sunday, though none were done live.  Though I like a lot of their music, Brothers was their first release to really gain popular acclaim.  So long as they don’t lose sight of who they were when they were just two making lo-fi blues records, they can do no wrong in my eyes.

I enjoyed the performances of a few artists on Sunday night.  Janelle Monae, whose ArchAndroid record is fantastic, was electric and has a great voice.  Bruno Mars, despite the fact that I really am not a fan of his music, exudes the soul of the late 1960s, so I have to give him props here.  Mumford & Sons performed as well as they usually do.  Eminem with Rhianna and Dr. Dre also did an awesome job.  Eminem was the only other band I would have liked to see win Record of the Year.  Recovery is a different record for him but a very good record.

Hopefully next year’s ceremonies will be as good as this year’s.  I think that if the organization shifts some of its focus away from the majors and looks at some indies, I think they’ll do all of us a favor.