Tag: Grammys

Categories
Editorials Industry News News Recommendations

This Week In Music (January 21, 2022)

This Week In Music

From the Weird Al biopic to the most ambitious emo festival ever, we have gathered the biggest stories in music this week.

2022 is barely underway, and the music industry is moving at lightning speed. We have a hard time keeping track of everything happening throughout our business, and we have a good feeling you do as well. After all, who has the time? Between ambitious goal-setting and endless tasks, most professionals barely have time to clear out their inbox, let alone read the latest industry headlines.

We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. That is why we are thrilled to introduce This Week In Music, a brand new weekly column highlighting the best and most talked-about stories throughout the music industry. Each Friday, we will post links to various need-to-know articles and information. 

But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.

The Biggest Stories of the Week:

REST IN PEACE: Meat Loaf (1947-2022)

Friday morning started out rough with the news that rock vocalist Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74. The singer’s manager, Michael Greene, confirmed Meat Loaf died Thursday night. Sources with knowledge tell TMZ he was supposed to attend a business dinner earlier this week for a show he’s working on—”I’d Do Anything for Love”—but the dinner was canceled because he became seriously ill with COVID. Sources tell the outlet that condition quickly became critical.

Daniel Radcliffe to play ‘Weird Al’ ‘ankovic ‘n biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has signed on to play ‘Weird Al’ ‘Yankovic in a biopic written by the famous parody master. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will enter production later this year with plans for an exclusive Roku release soon. “When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic said in a statement. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.” 

Paramore, My Chemical Romance to headline massive When We Were Young Festival in October

The aptly titled When We Were Young festival released its official lineup on Tuesday (January 18), bringing every 2000s emo-pop band to Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 22, 2022. The single-day festival will feature more than 60 bands performing across multiple stages. Emo veterans My Chemical Romance and Paramore will headline. Other nostalgic bands set to take the stage are Bright Eyes, AFI, The Used, Bring Me The Horizon, Boys Like Girls, Avril Lavigne, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, We the Kings, Alkaline Trio, Manchester Orchestra, Dance Gavin Dance, the All-American Rejects, Anberlin, 3OH!3, Atreyu, the Ready Set, Jimmy Eat World, La Dispute, the Wonder Years, Hawthorne Heights, Car Seat Headrest, Wolf Alice and many more.

Bono says he doesn’t like the name of his band U2 and gets ’embarrassed’ listening to their music

During an interview on the Awards Chatter podcast, legendary rock icon and 61-year-old singer Bono said he finds many of U2’s songs cringeworthy, and he now struggles to listen to his vocals. “I’ve been in the car when one of our songs has come on the radio, and I’ve been the color of, as we say in Dublin, scarlet. I’m just so embarrassed,” Bono told the podcast. Later, in the same conversation, he mentioned the band’s early-2000s hit “Vertigo” as one of the few songs in U2’s catalog he enjoys.

GRAMMYS move to April 3, will now take place in Las Vegas

COVID is messing with awards season. The latest victim of Omicron’s continuing havoc is the GRAMMY awards, which were originally scheduled to take place on January 31 in Los Angeles. The awards celebration will now take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, the Recording Academy has confirmed. The CMT Awards, originally scheduled to air live that night on CBS, will be moved to later. Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, will host the event.

The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ Breaks Billboard Global 200 Record

Don’t let those “blinding lights” fool you. The Weeknd may not have the GRAMMY nominations he rightfully deserves, but he does have the biggest album of 2022. Dawn FM has been out less than a month, but the eclectic record is already outperforming its competition. The album continues to be at the top of the charts across the globe, including The Weeknd’s home country Canada, U.K. Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. The album debuted at No. 1 on Apple Music U.S. and in 125 countries and is also No. 1 on Spotify U.S. and Globally. The Dawn FM tracks positioned in the Global 200 list include “Sacrifice” which holds the No. 2 spot, “Take My Breath,” “Gasoline,” “Out of Time,” “Is There Someone Else?” and “How Do I Make You Love Me?.” The “Save Your Tears” remix assisted by Ariana Grande from his 2020 album After Hours is also on the list. According to Billboard, only one other artist has ever had more Global 200 entries in a single week, making The Weeknd just behind the country-pop artist, Taylor Swift. Kanye West trails The Weeknd with 23, followed by fellow Torontonian Drake at 22 and 21 songs on Global 200.

TikTok is falling in love with one of Celine Dion’s biggest hits

There is nothing TikTok users love more than a sound with endless possibilities. The insanely popular video-sharing platform has made a habit of resurrecting forgotten radio hits to amuse young audiences, and the latest trend is no different. As you can see below, people are using the bridge to “It’s All Coming Back To Me” to live out their wildest performance fantasies. While Celine gives the track her all, TikTok users return the energy with wildly creative lip-syncing efforts. Check it out:

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige Featured In Blowout Super Bowl Halftime Trailer

The biggest game of the year is right around the corner, and it boasts one of the most exciting Halftime shows in recent memory. The program itself remains a mystery, but fans can expect to hear some of the biggest pop songs in history performed on the world’s largest stage. This year, taking the mic will be none other than Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. We doubt you need another reason to watch, but if you do, check this out:

Song of the week: Undeath – “Rise From The Grave”

Our friends at Prosthetic Records know how to find the best cutting-edge metal bands on the planet. Their decision to sign Undeath a few years back signaled the start of a death metal revolution in the U.S. We can think of no other heavy band that has undergone the growth or sonic evolution that Undeath has experienced in the last two years. “Rise From The Grave,” the lead single off the group’s upcoming second album, showcases how far they’ve come with brutal instrumentation and guttural vocals. If you like what you hear, please consider preordering the record.

Categories
Business Advice Editorials Industry News News

Who cares if the GRAMMY AWARDS do not appreciate rock and metal?

Honestly, does the opinion of GRAMMY voters and event producers really bother you?

The GRAMMY awards aired last Sunday, which means people everywhere have spent the week discussing and debating the night’s most significant moments. Did you see Tyler The Creator setting the stage on fire? Did you predict Billie Eilish would sweep the night’s biggest awards? Were you blown away by Tanya Tucker’s performance? All of these are great questions about must-see moments that music fans will celebrate for the foreseeable future.

As with every awards show for every area of entertainment, the GRAMMYS also created a lot of discussion for the corners of the industry that didn’t receive very much attention on music’s biggest night. Specifically, rock and metal fans were largely left feeling underserved. Though there were a handful of performances highlighting the most easily accessible rock talent, including Gary Clark Jr. and legendary rock band Aerosmith, the genre awards and their recipients were relegated to the pre-show stream.

Because of this, as well as the fact that rock and metal artists made up less than 10% of the night’s performances, people are once again claiming ‘rock is dead.’

Here’s a counter-point: No, it’s not.

Rock and metal have been declared dead more times in the last decade than anyone can count. I would go as far as to say critics have proclaimed the death of rock more times than any other genre, and every time they are proven wrong by a cavalcade of talented young artists. Rock is alive in virtually every city on the planet, and every night of the week, countless rock and metal artists are performing in bars, clubs, etc.

The GRAMMY awards cater to the largest audience possible using the biggest names in music to lure in viewers who otherwise could care less what some unseen panel of judges thinks of music. Except for a few performances, the vast majority of talent on the GRAMMY stage plays in regular rotation at every top 40 radio station. Rock and metal don’t live on those stations anymore, at least not in a significant way, so it makes sense that we don’t see the biggest bands in the genre performing on the awards show stage.

On the rare occasions when rock acts do play, the same people who claim rock is dead are the first to complain that those groups don’t correctly represent the genre. Unless Tool or Slipknot or Killswitch Engage takes the stage, the scene’s biggest critics (and self-proclaimed biggest fans) will be upset.

And let’s be even more honest: Not all rock and metal bands sound great when they do appear on television. For every show-stopping performance, there are big-name groups whose late-night and awards appearances don’t work due to mixing and production issues. Remember when The Blood Brothers were on TV? Slipknot managed to pull it off on Kimmel last year, but Cory’s vocals were largely lost in the mix.

Here’s the thing: You don’t really care about who does or does not appear at the GRAMMYs. That cannot possibly be true. You fell into rock and metal for all the reasons everyone else does, which includes the sense of rebellion that lives at its core. Rock and metal, especially current iterations of the genres, were never meant for mass consumption. These genres represent boundary-pushing artistic expression that doesn’t shy away from tough topics or tough emotions. It’s outlaw music made for people sick of the system and the oppression they feel while trying to live their lives. The bands rock and metal fans treat like Gods are the same groups who openly loathe corporate events like the GRAMMY awards, so again, why would anyone care that the GRAMMYs don’t recognize them?

Furthermore, if you want to point the finger at people hurting rock music, you need to look first and foremost at the gatekeepers responsible for new music discovery. Do you know why pop and hip-hop continue to thrive while rock music is written off as dated or dead? It’s because the radio stations and entertainment pillars promoting those areas of music follow the lead of their listeners, especially young music fans. When a song takes off online in the realm of hip-hop, radio programmers do everything in their power to get that artist into rotation at their local station. That does not happen for rock bands. Their best hope is Sirius Octane or a single night of play in some ‘new music contest’ hosted by a radio station seeking to fill time in between “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Enter Sandman.”

Rock is very much alive. There has probably never been more rock and metal artists actively recording and touring than there are right now. I receive at least five new rock records in my inbox every single day of the week, and it has been that way for years. There is no shortage of talent, and there is no shortage of fans eager to hear the next song or group that will change their life. Do mainstream audiences care as much as it once did? No, and it may take some time before it does again, but that doesn’t devalue the talent or fans that currently exist.

And if you want rock and metal to become a more important topic of conversation in pop culture, then the fans and aging institutions that support those genres need to evolve. We need to celebrate young artists and appreciate the legends who came before instead of doing the opposite. We need to separate classic rock from modern rock in a meaningful way so that newer artists have a better chance of achieving legendary status. We need to look inward and destroy our pre-conceived notions of what makes a rock or metal band great so that we might be open to the next genre-pushing talent that arises. We need to change, plain and simple, and we need to stop expecting the biggest names in entertainment to make those changes for us.

The GRAMMYs don’t matter. At least, not as much as consumer dollars. Vote with your wallet and support the talent that matters to you. Tell your friends about the artists you love, and invite them to go to concerts. Be the influencer you wish your local radio station or favorite blog would be for the talent you enjoy. Please do your part and do it to the best of your ability. If we all do that, then maybe — just maybe — we will see the focus of pop culture shift in rock’s favor. It also may not, but that’s okay because it doesn’t really matter in the first place.

Categories
News

Over a dozen Haulix clients nominated for the 2017 GRAMMY Awards

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards will be held February 12 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS. For the first time in six years LL Cool J will step down as host so that late night television personality and viral video superstar James Corden can take the reigns. Today, The Recording Academy revealed the 2017 GRAMMY nominees. You can view the full list of contenders here.

We wanted to take a moment and celebrate the more than a dozen talented performers and groups who received GRAMMY nominations today after relying on Haulix for their promotional distribution needs. We have clients nominated in every single genre, including some of the biggest names in music at the moment. Chance The Rapper, Blink-182, Metallica, Weezer, Korn, Periphery, Sia, and Highly Suspect, and just a few of the artists have used Haulix in the last twelve months to ensure their albums were securely and discreetly shared with members of the industry at large.

Everything in this business is connected. The albums that receive GRAMMY nominations are often the records that have strong promotion behind them, and that is only possible if the records are bringing in money and getting a positive word of mouth. We play an integral role in ensuring that happens by providing a platform that connects industry professionals from all corners of the planet with new and unreleased music in a manner that is safe and secure. By keeping leaks to a minimum and helping artists to fight any unwanted sharing of their material online we have helped hundreds, if not thousands of performers find success in this business and we hope to continue doing so for many years to come.

All that said, this post is not intended to be all about us. We do what we do because we love music, and it makes us extremely happy and proud to see the artists who believe in us receive the recognition we have long known they deserved. Congratulations to everyone. Here’s hoping at least a few of you bring home shiny gold statues in February 2017.

Categories
News

2016 Grammy Awards: A Complete List of Nominations

Today is probably the last major day for the music industry in 2015. As the holiday slowdown quick approaches, more and more people are going to be leaving their offices in hopes of taking a week off with those they love. Before that can happen however, we need to talk about the GRAMMYs, and earlier today a complete list of nominees for the 2016 ceremony were revealed.

The first batch of nominees for the 2016 GRAMMYs were announced by Alicia Keyes on CBS This Morning Monday earlier today. The complete list of nominees was then revealed a short time later in a press release, as well as on the official GRAMMYs website. The artist with the most nomination is Kendrick Lamar with 11 nods, while Taylor Swift and The Weeknd share a close second place position with 7 nominations each. You can view the full list of categories and contenders below.

The 58th Annual Grammy Awards will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 15, 2016, and will be broadcast in high-definition and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. ET. No host has been announced. Performers for the event have also yet to be revealed, but it seems safe to assume a few of the names mentioned in the categories below will make an appearance.

Album of the Year

Alabama Shakes, Sound and Color

Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

Chris Stapleton, Traveller

Taylor Swift, 1989

The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness


Song of the Year

Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”

Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”

Wiz Kahifa feat. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”

Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”

Record of the Year

D’Angelo and the Vanguard, “Really Love”

Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”

Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”

Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”

The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel my Face”

Best New Artist

Courtney Barnett

James Bay

Sam Hunt

Tori Kelly

Meghan Trainor


Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Florence + The Machine, “ Ship to Wreck”

Maroon 5, “Sugar”

Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”

Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”

Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”


Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern

Bob Dylan, Shadows in the Night

Josh Groban, Stages

Seth MacFarlane, No One Ever Tells You

Barry Manilow (& Various Artists), My Dream Duets

Best Pop Vocal Album

Kelly Clarkson, Piece by Piece

Florence + The Machine, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Mark Ronson, Uptown Special

Taylor Swift, 1989

James Taylor, Before This World


Best Dance Recording

Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston, :We’re All We Need"

The Chemical Brothers, “Go:

Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Never Catch Me”

Galantis, “Runaway (U & I)”

Skrillex and Diplo With Justin Bieber, “Where Are Ü Now”

Best Rock Performance

Alabama Shakes, “Don’t Wanna Fight”

Florence + The Machine,“What Kind Of Man”

Foo Fighters, “Something From Nothing”

Elle King, “Ex’s & Oh’s”

Wolf Alice, “Moaning Lisa Smile”

Best Alternative Music Album

Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color

Björk, Vulnicura

My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall

Tame Impala, Currents

Wilco, Star Wars


Best Urban Contemporary Album

The Internet, Ego Death

Kehlani, You Should Be Here

Lianne La Havas, Blood

Miguel, Wildheart

The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness


Best Rap Album

J. Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive

Dr. Dre, Compton

Drake, If Youre Reading This Its Too Late

Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly

Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint


Best Country Album

Sam Hunt, Montevallo

Little Big Town, Pain Killer

Ashley Monroe, The Blade

Kacey Musgraves, Pageant Material

Chris Stapleton, Traveller

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Joey Alexander, My Favorite Things

Terence Blanchard feat. The E-Collective, Breathless

Robert Glasper & The Robert Glasper Trio, Covered: Recorded Live at Capitol Studios

Jimmy Greene, Beautiful Life

John Scofield, Past Present


Best Gospel Album

Karen Clark Sheard, Destined to Win (Live)

Dorinda Clark-Cole, Living It

Tasha Cobbs, One Place Live

Israel & Newbreed, Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe)

Jonathan McReynolds, Life Music: Stage Two

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Jason Crabb, Whatever the Road

Lauren Daigle, How Can It Be

Matt Maher, Saints and Sinners

Tobymac, This Is Not a Test

Chris Tomlin, Love Ran Red

Best Latin Pop Album

Pablo Alborán, Terral

Alex Cuba, Healer

Ricky Martin, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition)

Alejandro Sanz, Sirope

Julieta Venegas, Algo Sucede

Best Americana Album

Brandi Carlile, The Firewatcher’s Daughter

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, The Traveling Kind

Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free

The Mavericks, Mono

Punch Brothers, The Phosphorescent Blues


Best Dance/Electronic Album

Caribou, Our Love

The Chemical Brothers, Born in the Echoes

Disclosure, Caracal

Jamie XX, In Colour

Skrillex and Diplo, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Bill Frisell, Guitar in the Space Age!

Wouter Kellerman, Love Language

Marcus Miller, Afrodeezia

Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest, Sylva

Kirk Whalum, The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter IV


Best Metal Performance

August Burns Red, “Identity”

Cirice, “Ghost”

Lamb of God, “512”

Sevendust, “Thank You”

Slipknot, “Custer”

Best Rock Song

Alabama Shakes, “Don’t Wanna Fight”

Elle King, “Ex’s & Oh’s”

James Bay, “Hold Back the River”

Highly Suspect, “Lydia”

Florence + the Machine, “What Kind of Man”

Best Rock Album

James Bay, Chaos and the Calm

Death Cab for Cutie, Kintsugi

Highly Suspect, Mister Asylum

Muse, Drones

Slipknot, .5: The Gray Chapter

Best R&B Performance

Tamar Braxton, “If I Don’t Have You”

Andra Day, “Rise Up”

Hiatus Kaiyote, “Breathing Underwater”

Jeremih feat. J. Cole, “Planes”

The Weeknd, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Faith Evans, “He Is”

Lalah Hathaway, “Little Ghetto Boy”

Jazmine Sullivan, “Let It Burn”

Tyrese, “Shame”

Charlie Wilson, “My Favorite Part of You”

Best R&B Song

Miguel, “Coffee”

The Weeknd, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”

Jazmine Sullivan, “Let It Burn”

D’Angelo and The Vanguard, “Really Love”

Tyrese, “Shame”

Best R&B Album

Leon Bridges, Coming Home

D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah

Andra Day, Cheers to the Fall

Jazmine Sullivan, Reality Show

Charlie Wilson, Forever Charlie

Best Rap Performance

J. Cole, “Apparently”

Drake, “Back to Back”

Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”

Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

Nicki Minaj feat. Drake & Lil Wayne, “Truffle Butter”

Kanye West feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney, “All Day”

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Big Sean feat. Kanye West & John Legend, “One Man Can Change the World”

Common & John Legend, “Glory”

Jidenna feat. Roman GianArthur, “Classic Man”

Kendrick Lamar feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, “These Walls”

Nicki Minaj feat. Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown, “Only”

Best Rap Song

Kanye West feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney, “All Day”

Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

Drake, “Energy”

Common & John Legend, “Glory”

Fetty Wap, “Trap Queen”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Brothers Osborne, “Stay a Little Longer”

Joey + Rory, “If I Needed You”

Charles Kelley, Dierks Bentley & Eric Paslay, “The Driver”

Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”

Blake Shelton feat. Ashley Monroe, “Lonely Tonight”

Best Country Song

Lee Ann Womack, “Chances Are”

Tim McGraw, “Diamond Rings And Old Barstools”

Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”

Brandy Clark, “Hold My Hand”

Chris Stapleton, “Traveller”

Best Country Solo Performance

Cam, “Burning House”

Chris Stapleton, “Traveller”

Carrie Underwood, “Little Toy Guns”

Keith Urban, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”

Lee Ann Womack, “Chances Are”

Best Pop Solo Performance

Kelly Clarkson, “Heartbeat Song”

Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do”

Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”

Taylor Swift, “Blank Space”

The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

Empire: Season 1

Fifty Shades of Grey

Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

Pitch Perfect 2

Selma


Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

The Weeknd, “Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)”

Common & John Legend, “Glory”

Ellie Goulding, “Love Me Like You Do”

Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth, “See You Again”

Lady Gaga, “Til It Happens to You”

Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

Birdman

The Imitation Game

Interstellar

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

Best Music Video

A$AP Rocky, “LSD”

The Dead Weather, “I Feel Love”

Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”

Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”

Pharrell Williams, “Freedom”

Best Music Film

Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways

James Brown, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown

Nina Simone, What Happened, Miss Simone

Roger Waters, The Wall

Amy Winehouse, Amy

Best New Age Album

Paul Avgerinos, Grace

Madi Das, Bhakti Without Borders

Catherine Duc, Voyager

Peter Kater, Love

Ron Korb, Asia Beauty

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

Joey Alexander, “Giant Steps”

Christian McBride, “Cherokee”

Donny McCaslin, “Arbiters of Evolution”

Joshua Redman, “Friend or Foe”

John Scofield, “Past Present”

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Karrin Allyson, Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein

Denise Donatelli, Find a Heart

Lorraine Feather, Flirting With Disaster

Jamison Ross, Jamison

Cécile McLorin Salvant, For One to Love

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Gil Evans Project, Lines of Color

Marshall Gilkes & WDR Big Band, Köln

Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Cuba: The Conversation Continues

Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields

Patrick Williams, Home Suite Home

Best Latin Jazz Album

Eliane Elias, Made in Brazil

The Rodriguez Brothers, Impromptu

Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Suite Caminos

Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Intercambio

Miguel Zenón, Identities Are Changeable

Best Gospel Performance/Song

Anthony Brown & Group Therapy, “Worth [Live]”

Kirk Franklin, “Wanna Be Happy?”

Travis Greene, “Intentional”

Israel & Newbreed feat. Yolanda Adams, “How Awesome Is Our God [Live]”

Brian Courtney Wilson, “Worth Fighting For [Live]”

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

Francesca Battistelli, “Holy Spirit”

Crowder, “Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)”

Matt Maher, “Because He Lives (Amen)”

Third Day feat. All Sons & Daughters, “Soul on Fire”

Tobymac feat. Mr. Talkbox, “Feel It”

For the complete list of 2016 nominees, visit Grammy.com.

Categories
News

Where Indie Musicians Fit In At The GRAMMYs

When I was younger I watched the Grammys every year with awe, rooting for my favorites and even imagining myself as a nominee some day, walking up to the stage to accept my golden award.  A singer/songwriter can dream, can’t she?  Year after year I surrendered to the glitz and glam, the eccentric performances, and the fantasies of one day holding my very own Grammy, seemingly the most prestigious award in the music community, proving to the world: I have made it!

Time ticked by and I threw myself completely and happily into my career in music and throughout the years, reality carried me on miles of touring, hours in studios, and the day-to-day duties of running my own business.  As I lived my dreams, I gradually watched the almighty Grammy show less and less, even outright boycotting it one year, resigning to the fact that a Grammy was meant only for the superstars of the world, which I would never be, nor was striving to be—an unrealistic goal and intangible dream.  It was best to stick to my middleclass place of blood, sweat, and tears, I thought—working hard to make ends meet: the real music business.  Real life was traveling, singing my songs, connecting with people—not the life we saw projected so disingenuously dazzling on TV.  

Then one day, short of a year ago, a fellow musician invited me to a networking mixer at a local bar, hosted by the San Francisco Recording Academy chapter.  Having been hibernating in the studio finishing up my new album, I thought it was a good idea to get out and meet people in the local music scene.  I ended up seeing a lot of people I knew, as well as making new friends.  I learned that the mixer was actually an after-party for the San Francisco chapter’s Music Business Night School, a weekly series of panels that they host every year with professionals presenting topics pertinent to the music business.  I hadn’t known this program existed and the more conversations I had, the more I realized that I hardly knew anything about the Recording Academy and in fact, the Grammys was just one thing out of many that the Academy is responsible for—it’s the highest profiled event, so it’s what most people are familiar with.  I learned that the Academy is made up of 12 chapters around the country, and I even knew some of the board members.  They were musicians and local professionals I had met over the last few years—my peers.  Suddenly, the elusive and impervious Recording Academy had faces—familiar faces—and I was instantly less intimidated by the connotations of its title.  One of the board members, who I had incidentally met years ago when we both played with the same drummer, encouraged me to go online and read about the San Francisco chapter and apply to become a member.  I read that their mission is “to advance artistic and technical excellence, work to ensure a vital and free creative environment, and act as an advocate on behalf of music and its makers.” [www.grammypro.com].  I applied and became a voting member of the Recording Academy, which was actually empowering and fulfilling, knowing that I had a voice in the biggest honor in the music industry: the Grammy!

I met a lot of new people, members of the Academy, independents just like me, in all genres: singers, songwriters, musicians, producers, engineers, both in my local chapter and, thanks to the Internet and touring, other chapters too.  And then came the forever-mind-changing nugget of knowledge that slapped me in the face: some of these indie artists have been nominated for a Grammy, and some are even Grammy winners!  After a moment of stunned wonder, I connected the two dots: If they can do it, I can do it.  In other words, you don’t have to be a megastar to win a Grammy after all.  It’s possible for an indie musician too.

This all occurred during submission season and since my new album, Follow Your Heart, had just been released, my fellow members recommended that I submit my new music for the Grammys.  With help and support, I did just that and as it turned out, the two songs I submitted were accepted onto the initial voting ballot.  I was so excited and proud, and this was another stepping stone to unburying a once improbable dream hidden away—a mirage that turned out to be real after all.

During voting season, I saw the amount of hard work that eligible indies who had their music on the ballot for consideration did to get their music heard, in order to gain more exposure with the hope of achieving enough votes for recognition with a nomination.  I learned and networked a lot, and made some amazing friendships in the process.  And when the official nominations were announced, I barely gave a moment’s grief to not being on that list as I was so profoundly excited to see some of the names of people and albums I had grown to know and love, and some I had voted for in black ink myself.  

It was a sensational whirlwind attending my first Grammy awards show this year.  After a week of pre-parties, concerts, and networking events, I got all dressed up in support of music’s biggest night and saw some of my new nominated friends accept their first Grammy at the pre-televised awards show (where the majority of Grammys are presented before the televised edition).  When their names were called, it felt like a win for all of us indies in a way.  Their Grammy-seeking journey, all the way up to the big win, is nothing short of a massive inspiration to the indie nation and most definitely sends a clear message: It is possible.

I’m still trying to navigate my way as a new member of the Recording Academy, but so far it has been a motivating and educational experience.  In recent news, the Academy has announced the Grammy Creators Alliance, with initiatives to advocate for music creators’ rights, an effort in fact for the working musician.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be nominated for a Grammy, but I can say that I’m grateful for discovering a whole community of like-minded music professionals that I now have access to, and this experience has given me a sweet reminder, as it should for all artists, signed or unsigned: don’t be afraid to dream big.

Katie Garibaldi is a San Francisco based singer/songwriter, who released her seventh album, Follow Your Heart, in the summer of 2014. It is her first full-length release of all new compositions since her award winning Next Ride Out in 2009.  The album, produced by Garibaldi, was recorded at John Vanderslice’s world-famous Tiny Telephone Recording Studios in San Francisco, CA, and was engineered by Ian Pellicci. It features some of Garibaldi’s most personal songs, and includes performances by notable musicians, including the Magik*Magik Orchestra. Brent Black of criticaljazz.com calls Follow Your Heart, “Americana music that transcends genre and geographic location,” in his five-star review of the album.  

Exit mobile version