This Week in UNIFI Music News - March 2021 - Week 3

What’s up everybody! It’s A-natural, here with another edition of This Week in UNIFI Music News!
This past Sunday marked the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, and as if it were almost planned for Women’s History Month, the ladies definitely cleaned up this year! Meg the Stallion won Best New Artist and two more awards shared with the surprising guest star of the night, the record breaking Beyonce, who by garnering her 28th Grammy, became the most awarded female artist in Grammy history! Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa also nabbed Grammys this night making the awards a very female-friendly event!
Interestingly enough, but unsurprising were the lack of indie artists taking home any of the major or televised awards. Per usual, the Grammy’s pre-ceremony is where most of the niche categories are presented and typically this is where indie artists shine. But this year was very telling in how not one indie artist took home a major award, something the academy professed to change after all of the scandal and changes that occurred last year.
The absence of indie artist winners combined with some major snubs made for a very spirited commentary on social media with fans and watchers voicing their complaints about the voting system. As we mentioned, 2020 saw a huge wave of scrutiny into the Grammys due to ex-CEO Deborah Dugan’s pronouncement of racism, sexism, and nepotism within the academy. Current CEO Harvey Mason Jr. seemed to counter all of these accusations during the telecast with a flashy commercial detailing the academy’s plan to become more diverse, inclusive and transparent.
The current process involves members of the music industry, both major and indie, submitting music to be voted on by academy members. First-round voting involves all of the submissions being voted upon to determine the nominees. Then Final-round voting on the nominees determines the winners. The conflict that’s been questioned at this point is how much influence do label heads, A&Rs, and other big wigs have in the determination of the winners. As Deborah Dugan alleged, these same people with power also represent the artists signed to their labels, and their influence on various category committees can sway the vote, taking opportunities away from deserving artists.
In any event, time alone will tell if the Recording Academy will make good on their promises. If anything, we hope for there to be some real clarity in the voting and nomination process moving forward, so that in the very least, artists who still aspire to win a Grammy one day will be well-informed on how it all works.
That’s it for This Week in UNIFI Music News! Be sure to check us out next week for an all new episode! Peace!
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