Grammy's 101
Story by: River Dodd
While I may never be in the running for a Grammy, I do love treating them like my Super Bowl. Each year everyone, who is anyone, gathers at the award ceremony to decide who is the best of the best; do I agree with the results? Almost never. Will I watch each year? Of course.
The Grammys, originally named The Gramophone Awards, began in 1958. Next year will mark sixty-seven years of award ceremonies. The Recording Academy started the Grammys because, at the time, film had the Oscars and TV had the Emmys. Interest in music was also sparked by the Holloway Walk of Fame Project that started a few years prior to the Grammys. The American people are hungry for stardom.
In its early days, the Grammys only featured 28 different categories; now, the ceremony boasts an impressive 84 different categories. While most categories cover genres of music, easily, the four most coveted categories are: best new artist, song of the year, album of the year, and record of the year. Winning in one of these categories is not only highly sought after; it is also incredibly prestigious. To be chosen by the Grammy voters is a bragging right.
Speaking of voters, the Grammys are chosen by a plethora of industry professionals. To be considered a voter for the Grammy is also a bragging right. Each year the voters, known as the academy, then they tally their votes and the votes are sent off the to the independent law firm; Deloitte. Once Deloitte records the votes, they mail off the winners to The Recording Academy and everyone from The Academy to the producers, and even the hosts won't know until the envelope is opened.
The Grammys are one of those things that feel entwined into the Americana fabric, and I am obsessed with this. With The Beetles, Beyoncé, Chappel Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX all competing next year, it's looking like the sixty-seventh Grammys are going to be wild.