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.
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