The Grammy's & The Death of Music

The Grammy's used to be a spectacle with new , invigorating, and daring artists being recognized for the music that made the world move or cry. This was before the internet and the piracy (freedom) that was Napster. The music industry is no longer counted by the amount of physical albums but by the rankings of Billboard and iTunes. Without the backing of big record executives - what happens to the little guy that has powerful music locally?

Seems like it takes years for that low cycling single to even make it's way up the charts. The introduction of iTunes has helped in a bit to recognize some truly talented artists, but their recognition is left by supporters at a local concert hall. Of course, by becoming 'big' you are quickly criticized and looked at as being a sellout.

Music used to be about the lyrics, the natural production, and the passion of the artists. I feel that the Grammy's is now awarding the popular singles that pushed Pop Radio and the selling of singles. Not albums. Creating the album is the heart of that single, but since the financially crippled billion dollar music industry can't get enough, music has now become disposable.

I can see why Simon Cowell has moved out of American Idol since there is no longer longevity in the stars it produces.  Finding local music and building it's fan base needs to be the focus of all the striving artists out there. Anyone of us can't grab a Macbook, add a vocalizer, and repeat words over and over, but the fame is based on lack of effort. Emotionless music I guess has it's space in the new generation of Pop, but the Grammy's should go back to being about the music and less about record breaking spins a song has on dying Pop radio.