Issues in Diversity

And The Grammy Goes To…

Imagine that you are the president of the music industry’s biggest, most prestigious, and only peer-recognized award, the Grammy. For several years, you’ve received criticism that the number of Grammy awards dilutes the awards’ impact. How do you respond? If you’re Grammy president and CEO, Neil Portnow, the decision is rather straightforward—consolidate some award categories and eliminate others altogether. Portnow should have expected dissatisfaction from some artists about the decision, especially from those whose category would be eliminated. But what Portnow could not have anticipated was that the decision to restructure the awards would lead to threats of legal action, allegations of racism, and calls to boycott the telecast. The Grammy awards have undergone many changes over the years, from the expansion of award categories to changes in the nomination and voting process, most of the changes that are in response to a changing music industry. What began with 28 award categories in 1959 had increased 289% to 109 in 2010, leading to criticism that the increased number of categories not only confused consumers, it reduced the perceived value of winning a Grammy. The 2011 review of the Grammy award structure was its first-ever comprehensive evaluation.

Some of the most highly publicized changes included the elimination of gender-specific subcategories in the R&B, pop and country fields; the elimination of the Zydeco and Cajun category and its consolidation into a “regional roots music” category with Hawaiian and Native American music; and the reduction of awards in the R&B category, from eight to four. Critics of the changes insisted that the Academy’s restructuring of the awards unfairly targeted ethnic music. Latin jazz musician, Bobby Sanabria called the decision “the most blatant example of racism in the history of any arts organization and a slap in the face to cultural and musical diversity.” Sanabria attributes his own mainstream success to having been nominated for a Grammy in 2001 and again in 2008. He and other Latin jazz artists claimed that the Academy’s decision to restructure the awards would negatively affect their ability to make a living.

Questions

1. Is Sanabria justified in his claim that consolidating “ethnic” category awards will reduce the Grammy’s musical and cultural diversity? Explain.
Yes, I do feel like he is justified in his claim. Unfortuantely, we still live in a world where racism is still alive. By consolidating these “ethnic” categories, this hurts these certain types of cultures, who have worked hard coming from poor backgrounds. 2. To what extent should the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences have considered representation of the different genres in its restructuring decision?
I think they should have expanded differently instead of putting just a “latin” or “R&B” group into a “regional roots music” category. They should have broadened the category so more people are eligible and able to win.

SOURCE: J.C. McKinley, Jr., “Academy defends cutting Grammy categories,” The New York Times (July 17, 2011); N.M. Moody, “Coalition announces boycott of CBS over Grammys,” Associated Press (June 30, 2011); B. Sisario, “Grammys cutting more than 30 categories,” The New York Times (April 6, 2011).