From Honolulu to New Orleans, musicians and fans are bemoaning the loss of categories in the annual Grammy Awards announced yesterday. The revised list cuts 31
categories. At last February’s 53rd annual Grammy Awards Tia Carrere won the award for Best Hawaiian Music Album; the category will not exist for the 54th.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser whimpers that Hawaiian musicians will now have to compete against American Indian, Cajun, zydeco and polka recordings in the newly created Regional Roots Music category. The Atlantic whines that the new structure pits the best male and female vocalists against each other now that Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance are boiled down to Best Pop Solo Performance. Cry Me a River… on one, two, three…
Perhaps this narrows the focus of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and, hence, the visibility of some genres suffer. Or perhaps it’s a branding opportunity for new and established music industry groups?
Who could possibly do a better job of promoting Native American Music? The Recording Academy or The Native American Music Awards? What prevents the Folk Alliance from owning the newly available Best Contemporary Folk category? Is the Recording Academy any more authoritative than the Blues Foundation when it comes to Contemporary Blues? To whom should true aficionados look to first?
