![]() ![]() This process is already under way for Zevon with the recent release of a CD entitled First Sessions. A Grammy nomination is guaranteed to boost sales and it seems to be a law that a pop musician is worth much more money dead than alive-“new” recordings by The Doors continue to be released with significant commercial success some 30 years after the death of Jim Morrison-especially if the artist has a trove of previously unreleased recordings. There is also no doubt an attempt to cash in on his death. For them, the Grammy nominations are a sincere attempt at an appreciation of Zevon for a unique and lifelong contribution to the industry. Schmit will offer a live musical tribute to Zevon during the event.Īmong the artists who knew and worked with him over the decades, it was understood that Warren Zevon was a significant creative force. In addition, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Jorge Calderon and the Eagles’ Timothy B. Zevon has been nominated for Grammys in the following categories: (1) Song of the Year (2) Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Keep Me In Your Heart” (3) Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and (4) Best Rock Song for “Disorder in the House” with Bruce Springsteen and (5) Best Contemporary Folk Album for The Wind. At the very least, he stands out as an oddity next to the other performers with five or more nominations such as Beyoncé, Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake. One example of this phenomenon is the posthumous nomination of Warren Zevon for five awards in this year’s Grammys.Īt first it might appear that this number of nominations is a stretch for an artist who is not widely known and was never recognized by the industry during his 34-year recording career. Somehow, the best qualities of pop music poke through the cracks in the thick crust of publicity and advertising from time to time. In this upside-down and inside-out world, art is not a reflection of life, but life emulates an artificial art.įortunately, even in this mind-numbing atmosphere there are a few exceptions. Failing to understand, and in many cases unwilling to penetrate the façade, the performers participate in the creation of an imaginary reality (supported by all of the merchandising, cross-promotions and so on) to which the largely youthful audience aspires. When viewed in this light, it is easier to understand why the present generation of pop musicians seems to be so removed from the real lives and concerns of their listeners. In all of this there is little regard for the musicians, the popular culture or the audience. Meanwhile, the shrinking field of media conglomerates are gambling ever-greater sums in the make-it-or-break-it world of pop music superstardom. The free, and often unauthorized, duplication and exchange of electronic files has blindsided industry business leaders and eroded revenues and profits at staggering rates. On this basis, the academy continues to maintain that Grammys are awarded for “artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions.”Īlthough it is likely to be concealed from the Grammy viewing audience, the recording industry is passing through a severe crisis brought on by the digitization of the recording and musical content distribution process. The awards process-entry, screening and categorization, nomination and final award selection-is conducted entirely by members of the academy. Still, the Grammy Awards are given to the year’s best based on the judgment of those within the industry itself. As with the recording industry as a whole, the Grammys have taken advantage of the fantastic achievements in audio technologies-supplemented with MTV-style video imagery-to boost glamour over talent and, in more than one instance, substitute outright charlatanry for musicianship. Over the years, the Grammy Awards ceremony has become an event in which musical creativity and artistic expression are increasingly overwhelmed by commercialism and self-promotion. This year’s ceremony will present Grammys in 105 categories and be broadcast by CBS to a potential television audience of 650 million people. The event-like the Academy Awards for motion pictures-is a ceremony of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in which artists and technicians are recognized by their peers for their work over the previous year. The 46th Annual Grammy Awards will take place Sunday, February 8, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. ![]()
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