It's the ultimate talent show each year, and I don't think you'll find a bigger collection of musical firepower under one roof (Live 8 was outdoors after all): Paul McCartney, U2, Madonna, Gorillaz, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Sly Stone, Herbie Hancock, and on and on.But how many of Stereophile's readers watched the Grammy Awards this past week? I see two hands. The numbers across the US were not much better, trailing even the poor ratings of the last few years.
Our view from the box seats. (Cameras aren't allowed at the Grammys, but someone from our group snuck one in.) Here you can see one of the two stages being prepared while the MC addresses the crowd. Also notice the "crowds" right below each stage, in front of the seated audience. This is so you see arms waving in ecstasy as the TV cameras swoop towards the musicians.
Live and from the stands, however, the Grammy Awards were more exciting than anything I've attended in years. How can this be when I could care less about most of the music being presented? When the entire country seems to care less?A lot of us audiophiles are music snobs, myself included. But let's start by admitting that differentiating "good" versus "bad" music is a slippery slope of personal taste that won't get you very far in a crowded room. There will always be someone within earshot who finds the latest example of corporate Top 40 pabulum a key inspirational song in their life, and then it's your musical taste against theirs.Still, the music industry is in a malaise, and something has to be the trouble. The corporate suits point to online music "piracy" as the root of all evil, even though solid evidence indicates that kids trading songs and adults burning CDs have little to do with sluggish sales. The ever-sensible public (when asked) says that the high price of CDs and bad music are to blame.
Did the public stay away from the Grammy Awards broadcast because they were out downloading it or bootlegging the show? No, they just didn't care enough about the music to show up, just like they don't show up at the record store when uninspired. But if it's that simple, why can't the major labels figure this out and fix it?Plenty of examples of industry pabulum (just my opinion of course) were on display at the Grammy Awards this year. And yet . . . and yet, I loved every second watching the live show. I got goose bumps over and over again, even when people I'd never seen or heard before were wailing their ballads. No doubt you'll never find a Kelly Clarkson disc at our house, but she was entertaining to watch, even for this jaded audio writer.So there it was: The music industry has entered a phase where it is primarily dependent on the visual and charismatic. And televised in HD doesn't even cut it—you have to be in the room to feel the juice.
The case can easily be made that it always has been thus: the successes of Frank Sinatra, then Elvis, then the Beatles, then the Sex Pistols always included a heavy dose of visual impact and riveting live performance. But I would argue that in the past, the strength of the songwriting kept up (footnote 1), and in many ways exceeded the live visual impact, creating timeless music that stood without the original artist's face attached, and that continues to sell records long after the artists are gone.Funny enough, the industry now has the Grateful Dead syndrome: Folks loved to see the Dead live and will probably talk about their shows forever, but few bought the records.It's the same thing with the tunes on the official Grammy disc of nominees we received after the show. Since the event, I've listened to it several times, because sometimes repetition can help a brilliant, yet subtle work seep into your head. But no go. Pop music is a guilty pleasure at our house, but we're trying to forget most of this batch already.
Label execs need to enjoy a long weekend away from Hollywood and take a walk in the woods just listening to their music. Without the deafening distractions of pretty faces and front row seats. Without the free food and satin tour jackets. They need to hear what's left and decide if it's good enough to stand on its own.There's no denying we had a fantastic time watching this music being performed in person at the Grammys this year. I couldn't keep my eyes off the stage, no matter who was on it. The ears, though, were often taking a break out in the hall.
Footnote 1: Yes, even with the Pistols' music: I've got Ukrainian polka versions of "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK" that'll have you singing along from the very first bar.
Our view from the box seats. (Cameras aren't allowed at the Grammys, but someone from our group snuck one in.) Here you can see one of the two stages being prepared while the MC addresses the crowd. Also notice the "crowds" right below each stage, in front of the seated audience. This is so you see arms waving in ecstasy as the TV cameras swoop towards the musicians.Footnote 1: Yes, even with the Pistols' music: I've got Ukrainian polka versions of "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK" that'll have you singing along from the very first bar.
