Steven Wilson 'Grace for Drowning' Grammy Nomination

[elmer]

I agree with the argument posed by rusinurbe and JonUrban. Here we have Steven Wilson submitting a contemporary masterpiece for consideration against a remix of a 40 year old classic which is no longer available. Maybe a rule change is in order. Shouldn't they require a Grammy winner to be available for listening? Now that the Layla remix has received the Grammy some folks may want to hear it and compare it to the submissions that did not win..

Also, winning a Grammy can open doors for an artist and assist in their further career development. Winning a Grammy can also change the direction the music industry takes. In the near term we can expect to see more artists like Adele get the nod from producers and fewer artists like Nikki Menage and Katy Perry. The Grammy is recognition of an artist's popularity and sales. Consumers vote with their dollars and the Grammy reflects the sales. Producers will follow the cash flow and book acts that approach the Grammy winners style.

I don't disagree with you from a philosophical point of view, it's just that it's not how the Grammy works. Specifically in regards to the Surround Mixing nomination and awards. The rules dictate that the nominations are made by NARAS (Grammy) Members from the Recording Sciences division - meaning producers, engineers, and the like (guys like Jimby). Final voting is made by the general membership of NARAS. The largest voting block of course comes from the major labels (Universal, Sony & Warners). Each member can vote for up to 20 categories or genres - so at the end it becomes a popularity contest. ES has been a long standing member of the Recording community and his work not only stands for itself but the majority of it has been done under the auspices of the major labels. It's not to say that an Indie candidate can't win - it's just if they are head to head with another major label candidate it would be more than likely for the major to win. Scheiner most likely was recognized not just for Layla - which of course has it's own recognition, but for the body of his work. If SW keeps at though, he'll get his shot in the not too distant future.

Forget about the argument regarding availability - it's not even a consideration - if it was released during the qualifying period - in whatever configuration, that is all that matters. And lastly, the Surround category is such an insignificant part of it all (except perhaps to QQ members) that a rule change is not even a consideration. Before you could even have an impact on a decision like that, you would first have to be a NARAS member in good standing - so quit your job, move to the city and intern for a couple of years with no pay and then if you're very lucky....

 

[DKA]

Also, winning a Grammy can open doors for an artist and assist in their further career development. Winning a Grammy can also change the direction the music industry takes. In the near term we can expect to see more artists like Adele get the nod from producers and fewer artists like Nikki Menage and Katy Perry. The Grammy is recognition of an artist's popularity and sales.

Nicki Minaj. Nicki Minaj. She is an immensely talented young woman who was at the high school across the street from the high school I worked at during the earlier part of last decade. Katy Perry she is certainly not.

Adele has a wonderful voice, but the person she has to thank for her success was Amy Winehouse. Adele got lumped in there with Duffy when the labels tried to sign any British young woman out there with a soulful voice in order to find their own Amy. Despite that, she's developed very well.

I'm not quite what direction it is the music industry can take. Every category was the thinnest I've ever seen for the Grammys, mainly because there is very little in the way of new music even being put out. What else was out there to capture the mainstream imagination other than Adele, who was on repeat loop on every radio station in America for the past year? The album was very good. There was also practically nothing else to consider.

 

[georgeshannon]

Thanks for the explanation of how the nominations work elmer. Guess its true what they say that the nomination is the real honor. That's the recognition from the industry insiders that really counts. I'll bet half the people who voted for the Layla remix never heard it.

I actually know someone who likes Adele and may have purchased the CD. I've not heard the CD myself but have heard only the two songs Adele sang on the Grammy awards this year and last. My wife and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said "Meh." We were more excited about Paul McCartney playing side 2 of Abbey Road accompanied by Joe Walsh on guitar. Poor Paul, his voice is finally gone.

 

[DKA]

I actually know someone who likes Adele and may have purchased the CD. I've not heard the CD myself but have heard only the two songs Adele sang on the Grammy awards this year and last. My wife and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said "Meh." We were more excited about Paul McCartney playing side 2 of Abbey Road accompanied by Joe Walsh on guitar. Poor Paul, his voice is finally gone.

The Adele album is good. She can sing. She just brings nothing new to the table. She's a solid interpreter of songs. Neil is right, though, in that her voice already has a ton of issues and may not hold up in the lng run.

I thought the legends were fun, but they can't save the day at the end there forever.

 

[grill]

Hey Grill - You haven't voted!...

As I couldn't all heartedly vote for one artist only that's why I didn't vote. My faves are Lindberg, Parsons, Scheiner and Wilson.