How Relevant Are the Grammy Awards?

The 61st Annual Grammy Awards are February 10, and there are questions as to how truly popular these award shows are.

Last year, Grammy’s 60th, received the least amount of popularity since 2009 with 19.8 million views (according to the CBS broadcast), going down 24% since 2017. What’s to expect this year?

The Grammy Awards broadcast on a Sunday night for a two- to four- hour show. The reason behind fewer views could be that most people in the demographic (ages 18-45) have either work or school Monday morning. Reasons for fewer views could also be because of relevancy. Who even votes for nominations/winners? Music creators, including artists, engineers, producers and songwriters are apart of the Recording Academy’s voting membership- only 12,000 of the 21,000 members are eligible to vote, though. To ensure fairness in voting, voters make their decisions in their areas of expertise. With multiple platforms for creators to publish their music (Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, Instagram, Facebook, etc.), however, who is able to really decide “the best of the best?”

With 84 Grammy categories, there were still artists that fans feel were snubbed by the Recording Academy, like Taylor Swift with Reputation, receiving only a nomination for best pop vocal album. Kanye West, who doesn’t have a feud with Swift during this year’s Grammys, was only nominated for best non-classical producer (his album, Ye, received no nomination). Ariana Grande, who has never received a Grammy before, was only nominated for two categories: best pop solo performance for “God is a Woman” and best pop vocal album for “Sweetener.” Here are some surprising artists who didn’t receive a single Grammy nomination: Carrie Underwood, Nicki Minaj, Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, Migos, Zayn Malik, Lil Wayne, and Lil Pump.

Twitter
Demi Lovato’s tweet from December 7, 2018 on her excitement for her Grammy nomination

Besides the snubs, artists nominated are excited for this year’s awards show. Demi Lovato tweeted her thoughts on being nominated for the song “Fall in Line” she is featured in for Christina Aguilera.

The 2019 Grammy Awards is airing live on CBS from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, February 10 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The host is still unclear.