Awards

Urban music entrepreneur lashes out at Grammys

By | Published on Tuesday 22 February 2011

Grammy Awards

So, it’s not just the Beliebers who were pissed that Justin didn’t pick up the Best New Artist gong at the recent Grammy Awards.

Long-time Nas associate Steve Stoute, who also runs an urban-music focused marketing partnerships agency called Translation, wasn’t impressed either. Moreover, he says that the shunning of Bieber was typical of a Grammy’s organisation whose producers use big pop acts to secure viewing figures, but whose voting academy prefer to champion less commercially successful acts.

In an open letter and New York Times advert addressed at the Grammy’s organisers, its parent company the National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences, and its president Neil Portnow, Stoute says the US industry’s big awards show has become “a series of hypocrisies and contradictions”. Meanwhile he calls on the pop stars of America to make a stand against the awards machine.

The letter says: “Over the course of my 20 year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specialises in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture. My being a music fan has left me with an even greater and deeper sense of dismay – so much so that I feel compelled to write this letter. Where I think that the Grammys fail stems from two key sources: (1) over-zealousness to produce a popular show that is at odds with its own system of voting and (2) fundamental disrespect of cultural shifts as being viable and artistic”.

He continues: “We must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation. [Meanwhile], how is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist? While these very artists that the public acknowledges as being worthy of their money and fandom are snubbed year after year at the Grammys, the awards show has absolutely no qualms in inviting these same artists to perform. Interesting that the Grammys understands cultural relevance when it comes to using Eminem’s, Kayne West’s or Justin Bieber’s name in the billing [but not when giving out awards]”.

Calling on artists to demand that Grammy bosses change the “system”, Stoute continued: “I imagine that next year there will be another televised super-close-up of an astonished front-runner as they come to the realisation before a national audience… that he or she was used. To all of the artists that attend the Grammys: Stop accepting the invitation to be the upset of the year and demand that this body upholds its mission for advocacy and support of artistry as culture evolves. Demand that they change this system and truly reflect and truly acknowledge your art”.

I’m not exactly sure how he thinks the voting system should be changed. Presumably he wants Grammy voters to write a list of which artists they think are most popular, rather than the ones they think are best. Actually, in that case you could get rid of the voting system altogether, which would save time and postage stamps, at least.



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