On February 4, 2024, the television network CBS broadcasted the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, hosted at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show showcased performances of many A-list celebrities, such as Dua Lipa, SZA, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo and Travis Scott—some of whom would go on to win a Grammy in their respective categories. However, this year’s Grammys also brought many new and underground artists into the spotlight. This perpetuated heated arguments among the public. In light of the intense discourse, this year’s Grammy Awards suggest one crucial question: are awards shows fair?
To answer this question, we need to obtain more insight on how Grammy nominations are determined. According to Wikipedia, 150 members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) review songs submitted online in certain categories. Submissions that were able to pass NARAS’ scrutiny go to the Recording Academy, the presenters of the Grammys. Voting members of the Recording Academy then choose between the remaining submissions in the category, the top five becoming Grammy nominees. Secondly, we have to define what “the best” music is. But, there is a twist; the criteria for what the best music is makes it difficult to pin down. Sure, you can argue that the best artists are those who made the greatest cultural impact, but music is subjective and highly personal at its core, meaning that there isn’t a concrete set of criteria on what the best music is. Theo Goedde ’26 stated that “the best music is based on how memorable it is. If the song really speaks to you, it’s memorable, and that itself is based on personal preference.” It isn’t about who had more first-week album sales, how many monthly listeners they have on Spotify, or who gave what album a high score on their review of it. Instead, it’s how you truly feel about the music and what you enjoy from it.
While the Grammy Awards try to reward musical talent, they often fail because of its dynamic with its audience. The revenue of the Grammys are almost completely dependent on its viewership. To keep the show running every year, the awards show holds a popularity bias in order to keep its viewers engaged. The Grammys allow more well-known artists in the industry to outshine others that deserve similar recognition; “You only have a chance to get in if you’re already super successful,” Andrew Timberlake ’26 summarized. That way, their huge fan bases are satisfied, which is why you keep seeing the same names every year. This fault stems from the Recording Academy’s refusal to give the public further control of who gets nominated. Grammy nominations are chosen by a group of people the Recording Academy keeps a secret, meaning that the Academy’s opinions are being shown, not the public opinion. Because of this, factors such as genre preferences and industry politics can sway voting outcomes. Essentially, the Grammys has a bias towards popular artists because of its need for a larger audience and its lack of trust for the public to vote.
Despite concentrating on mainstream musicians, the Grammy Awards also recognize some smaller artists too. Take Boygenius for example, a band formed by Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers. Although they won three Grammys, the band isn’t as well known as some of its competitors. But, all three members have solo careers, and they alone are already as successful as the band. Another prime example is Killer Mike, who notably won three Grammys over other rappers like Travis Scott, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. Many people thought he was a newcomer, but he featured in many popular 2000’s rap albums like Stankonia by Outkast and The Blueprint 2 by Jay-Z. By looking at the past works of Boygenius and Killer Mike, oftentimes these “smaller” artists are those who are already prevalent in the music industry. In reality, smaller independent artists receive little to no recognition from awards shows. The attraction of commercial success and industry darlings overshadow the innovative works of smaller artists.
So, are awards shows like the Grammys fair? Not exactly. Though they seek to honor artistic merit, the subjectivity of general art and the Recording Academy’s influence on the music industry challenges the awards show’s fairness. Despite recognizing some smaller artists, lucrative industry politics and the dominance of the mainstream divert attention away from other musicians. As the discussion surrounding independent artists and the fairness of the Grammy Awards starts to grow, it is especially important to advocate for more inclusive and transparent evaluation of its nominees, which reflects the true diversity and innovation of musical talent across all margins.
