The 2023 Grammies

[Bicycle Bill]

I'm not one to pay a heckuva lot of attention to award shows of any stripe, but I am cognizant of some of the more prestigious and long-lived ones, so when this news about the 2023 GRAMMYs came across my screen yesterday, I kinda perked up and took notice.

Next week we'll get the nominations for the GRAMMYs for 2023 (the awards will be made in February) in all the usual categories, plus five new ones:

• ●  Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical
  ●  Best Alternative Music Performance
  ●  Best Americana Performance
  ●  Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games And Other Interactive Media
  ●  Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

There will also be a Special Merit Award for Best Song For Social Change.  To be determined by a blue ribbon committee and ratified by the Recording Academy Board of Trustees, this honor will celebrate songs that address timely social issues and promote understanding, peace-building, and empathy.

Well, OK – for the most part.  Without songwriters there'd be no music; and if someone can finally pin down a workable definition of ''alternative music" and agree on it so as to recognize it, more power to them.  And there have always been "spoken word" GRAMMYs (George Carlin, Jimmy Carter, Rod McKuen, and Barack Obama all have figurines for this genre), so I suppose giving poetry a niche of its own is probably past due.

But Americana??  By definition, wouldn't any music written by an American or performed by an American band be "Americana"?  And sound-tracks for video games?  That's all we need – a GRAMMY to be awarded for the likes of Nintendo's "Super Mario", or the Russian earworm from TETЯIS.

What's next — a GRAMMY for 'Best Soundcheck by a Live Act'?

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

I thought Houston won this already?

[Gob]

What is "alternative music"? Is it not music?

[MajGenl.Meade]

I think it's anyone on the bill at Woodstock '99. Definitely an alternative to music - Korn, Limpbizkit. All those foul-mouthed morons

[Burning Petard]

I am intrigued by the list n the post at the head of this thread.

Does this mean there already exists an award for the Classical Song Writer of the Year?

Will the award for spoken poetry category include Rap? I think it should. That has been my objection to much of hip-hop 'music' The vocal part is not singing, not even like an operatic recitative. It is just spoken, not sung.

snailgate

[Big RR]

BB--I think they have had an Americana category for more than a decade; I've always thought of it as some sort of alternative country,havingroots in folk and blues (and perhaps cajun music) but using modern influences as electric instruments (not the old hootenanny folk).

[Sue U]

If you are confused about what the "Americana" genre of music is, I refer you to my post of March 21, 2021 as a sterling example:

viewtopic.php?p=305408#p305408

As for video game music, a good deal of what is being produced today is every bit as sophisticated as a good movie soundtrack. (I'm not a gamer, so I don't have any great depth of knowledge in this field, but I have played several video game scores in Pops concerts.)

[Crackpot]

Meade that’s Ni-Metal. Alternative tends to be “not quite Pop music”

[TPFKA@W]

It’s interesting that anyone outside of the industry wastes time caring about this.

[MajGenl.Meade]

It’s interesting that anyone outside of the industry wastes time caring about this.

They do?

[Sue U]

It’s interesting that anyone outside of the industry wastes time caring about this.

They do?

I do.

[Burning Petard]

I use it as a guide to some music I have missed, but might be worth listening to, at least once. Particularly in the various Gospel, Folk and Jazz categories.

snailgate