Golden trophy rewards art, commerce

by Rachel Leibrock
Sacramento Bee
February 9, 2009

Music critics everywhere cringed 19 years ago when Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award for best new artist.

Their shudder was justified six months later when the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences revoked the award after discovering that the chart-topping duo didn't sing a single note on its "Girl, You Know It's True" album.

With that debacle in mind  and with the conclusion of the 51st annual Grammy Awards ceremony  let's examine whether the pursuit of the gold gramophone trophy rewards creative pioneers or is just another way to sell records.

For Billboard magazine executive editor Rob Levine, who chronicles artist growth and album sales, the answer is somewhere at the inter- section of art and commerce.

"The Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Emmys, the Grammys  none of them really reflects the charts, but none of them really reflects the critics' consensus, either," he says. "Instead, they occupy that middle ground."

That's why, Levine says, a band such as Radiohead  both critically adored and best-selling  was nominated in the album of the year category. TV on the Radio, the daring art-rock band whose "Dear Science" disc topped many critics' 2008 "best of" lists, was not.

And while chart-topping country teen Taylor Swift was everywhere in 2008, it wasn't enough to land her a nomination.

"If this was just based on the critics, TV on the Radio would be nominated, and if it were just based on sales, you'd see Taylor right up there with Lil Wayne," Levine says.

As such, Levine adds, Grammy voters have become "surprisingly hip" in recent years, and cringe-worthy moments such as choosing Jethro Tull over Metallica (best metal performance, 1988), DJ Jazzy Jeff over Public Enemy (best rap performance, 1991) or Steely Dan over Eminem (album of the year, 2000) are increasingly rare.

"The idea that Lil Wayne (was) nominated is really a big deal," Levine says. "And M.I.A's nomination for 'Paper Planes' is about as cool as the Grammys have ever been. The Grammys catch up with (trends)  it just takes them a minute."

Beville Darden, editor- in-chief for the Spinner.com music Web site, sees it this way:

"There are two sides to the coin  the Grammys are voted on by 7,000 members of the recording academy," she says. "They're not based on critics or charts, but they are relevant and they do result in sales."

Regardless of hipness (or lack thereof), most artists experience a significant chart boost after a nomination or a win, especially if they actually appear on the televised show. After all, millions tune in to watch (18.7 million in 2008, to be exact), and if they like what they hear, many open up their wallets.

Take Herbie Hancock. After the jazz musician nabbed last year's album of the year honors, sales for "River: The Joni Letters" enjoyed a 964 percent spike, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Hancock's win was considered an upset over Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" album, but Levine says an examination of past Grammy winners shows it's really not that unusual.

"Herbie fits the profile of a winner  musically experienced, personally respected, liked by people who don't know that much about the genre he plays in," Levine says. "It made a certain amount of sense."

Darden agrees.

"I don't think even Herbie Hancock would say his best work was a Joni Mitchell tribute record," she says. "But the Grammys don't just look at what an artist's done in the past year, they recognize an entire body of work."

The Grammys are a boon to fans as well, says Dilyn Radakovitz.

The Dimple Records owner says that, post-awards, she always sees a boost in sales and customer interest at her Sacramento-area stores.

"The hardest part is letting people know that there's good music out there  there are so many choices about what to listen to."

The Grammys help narrow the decisions, she says. "They give artists exposure and recognition."

And, once you try to parse the science of taste, all talk of relevance  artistic or otherwise  flies out the window.

Sure, awards carry some weight and boost sales, Radakovitz says, but personal preferences are at best, subjective. "Ultimately, the people decide what is cool."

Even that much- maligned, now out-of-print Milli Vanilli record has earned a little love over the years.

"You and I might consider it terrible, but other people like them," she says.

"If I get a used copy of that record, I can't keep it in stock  it sells out immediately."