The Grammy nominations were recently announced and with them came the typical responses from music fans the world over. Some fans were excited that their favorite artist was receiving recognition, others were upset to see that artists or music they loved weren't nominated, while still others remarked on how little a Grammy means. This is all typical of Grammy season and I was prepared to write about how impressed I was with all of Chance the Rapper's nominations or maybe how surprised I was that Solange didn't receive any nominations, but then it occurred to me that the Grammys, like any award show, need to be put into context.
A Grammy is often called by many people an “industry award,” which is the term that best describes what the Grammys truly are. Unlike some other award shows where people vote for the winners, the Grammys are decided by The Recording Academy. This academy is supposed to be the authority on all things music and is compromised of experts in various fields of music. At least that's the official claim by the Academy. In reality, these experts all come from the recording industry in some shape or form and they can include other artists, members of the media, or even record company employees. This would seem to be an effective way of deciding what music is worthy of receiving an award or even nominated because these experts should have a higher understanding about music, but the main problem with the awards actually come from these “experts.”
As I mentioned before, these experts come from the music industry in some way, but the same politics that pervert the music industry also plague the awards. For instance, let's say hypothetically that an internet reviewer is asked to be a part of the panel of experts. If artists or a record label become aware of this fact, bribery is sure to follow and is actually a common occurrence with these awards. The same goes for anyone on the panel, because although the Grammys are supposed to be about the art and quality of music, they have become a glorified popularity contest. Artists are constantly sending gifts or free samples of music to the Recording Academy in hopes of gaining favor with the very judges who may alter their careers. Even an artist who makes something great will have little chance of winning or even being nominated if they do not put their name in the minds of the judges.
The other big problem with the Grammys is that the “experts” do not actually have to listen to the music that is put up for nomination. It is encouraged that they do, but there are no official rules stating that any expert on the panel has to listen to a submission. Just as bribery works as incentive for panel members to even consider an artist, there's also the fact that “experts” do not have to only vote for topics related to their genre of expertise.
With all these facts in mind, it makes perfect sense why great music is not rewarded with the gold trophy or why terrible music is nominated or even wins. A Grammy is an industry award, so take that for whatever you make of it. If your favorite music gets a Grammy attached to it - great! If terrible music wins a Grammy, just know that it comes with the territory. The Grammys mean different things to different people, but after having some context for the awards, I always take the Grammys with a grain of salt regardless of the results, good or bad.
