The awards are just so predictable!

Grammys galore

The Grammy Awards 2012 came and went by with as much of a breeze or the lack of it this year.

While Lady Antebellum more than swept the floor last year, this year it was Adele’s turn for six awards and a performance. Other highlights included the return of the band ‘Foo Fighters’ and a most expected but spectacular tribute to Whitney Houston where Jennifer Hudson could barely hold her tears back. While a few avid watchers were surprised with the award announcements, there were others, especially City-based musicians, who thought that the Grammys have become more and more predictable and record related with every passing year.

“The Grammys are very predictable. The nominations are too closely linked to the radio and record companies,” says Gurudarshan Somayaji, musician and audio engineer. Not too impressed with the selection process and the nature of the Grammy now, he goes on to say, “It is just a battle for celebrity musicians. I would like to see some lesser known yet talented artistes on stage. You can’t judge an artiste by the Grammys. Also, I believe there should be no repeat nominations in consecutive years in the same category.”

Popularity based results and a bend towards all things pop aren’t the only things about the awards that make musicians want to keep away – predictability is an important factor too. “Just because someone won a Grammy doesn’t mean he or she is better than the artistes who didn’t. It just means that there are more people out there listening to that specific artiste or genre.

‘Foo Fighters’ winning the awards wasn’t predictable. Repeated TV telecasts almost gave that away. This year Adele wasn’t quite a surprise either, though last year, Lady Antebellum did come as a surprise,” says Vineeth Vincent, a beatboxer. “The awards have a voting system, so it is people at the end of the day, who decide the awards,” he adds.

A bias towards popular music is the easiest response in connection with the awards from any Grammy follower. The large number of categories result in repeat awards and nominations sometimes and leave music fans wondering what it is that drives these accolades. “The Grammy awards have strange rules. Bon Iver this year was awarded in the category of new artistes.

I heard his music back in 2008, he deserves the award but he isn’t a new artiste. They need to be taken with a pinch of salt,” says Anita Singh (name changed), an avid Grammy follower. “There was a time when these awards were all about the music, but now they aren’t looking at music anywhere. Also, there is hardly any recognition of Indie music,” she adds.

Ralph Fernandes, a marketing professional and a Grammy follower since the year 1987, believes that the awards have seen a sea change after the 90s. “The awards in the 90s were quite unpredictable. Now there is an emphasis on performance, marketing and the record label the artiste is associated with. All the music that gets awarded is based on conditioned listening and hardly on what appeals to the masses,” he says.