What This Year's Grammys Say About the Shallow State of the Music Industry

The time to celebrate the music industry’s finest is upon us. Every year, we dedicate one night to give awards to the artists who have made the most significant contributions to music. The Grammy Awards ceremony is a special night. Musicians of all walks of life gather in the joyous celebration, complete with electrifying performances from the year’s most groundbreaking artists. As January 26th nears, The Recording Academy has announced this year’s Grammy nominations. The top categories are in gridlock, and although all candidates are worthy of commemoration, the high profile list suggests that the focus of the industry has shifted from its original merits, calculating success based on sales and YouTube plays rather than authenticity and originality.

This year’s top artists include Jay Z, who landed nine nominations, while Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pharrell and Justin Timberlake each scored seven. All of these artists have provided bountiful contributions into production. Not only have they tapped into the formula of ‘success,’ pumping out tracks that make Billboard’s Top 40 and garner millions of views on YouTube, but their unique approach to releasing their music has changed industry standards. Artists now often release their music on their own terms, free from record label contracts. They record double albums, they dip their hands in a variance of projects, collaborating with fellow musicians across all genres.

But all it does is create products to be consumed by the masses. The nominees for Song of the Year, which include Lorde’s “Royals” and Katy Perry’s “Roar,” all have multiple writers contributed on each track. Collaboration should be fostered. It pushes the industry forward and creates a blend of sounds from the minds of the world’s best, however, they all adhere to a similar formula. Similar chord progressions, pop production standards and melody lifts make up each song. Every song has it’s own twist, but the parallels are too easy to draw. This standard formula detracts from the heart of music. Instead of artists making music to express their emotion and showcase creative ingenuity, the primary goal is to make as much money and get as much attention as possible.

Now not all music has fallen into this formula. In fact, the majority of recording artists worldwide adhere to a different set of beliefs more synonymous to those previously established by musicians since the beginning, but those who are nominated in the top categories at this years Grammy Awards almost all fall into the same trap.

It’s not completely clear how the Grammy Awards began to shift its focus. Either The Recording Academy has gotten lazy and judges the quality of music based on sales and public acceptance, or perhaps the entire ceremony is geared towards the largest profit margins possible. Instead of awarding those who have made leaps and bounds to push the realms of music’s standards, they choose to showcase those who have the biggest following in hopes that more people will watch the program.

This is not to say that all the artists nominated are poor musicians, just that they lack the creative and innovation that pushes the art forward. Their music contributes to the industry, not music as an art form.

Regardless, the annual Grammy Awards do make for an extraordinary night. If you can look past its shallow motives and instead sit down to enjoy the spectacular, outlandish performances, then you’re in for a treat.

The 56th annual Grammy Awards will air Jan. 26 on CBS.