Matt's Grammy's

An RIAA flak (I didn't catch his name) spent a good 10 minutes lambasting thieves who stole music online, throwing out numbers that the RIAA is using in their press releases lately that have proven to not only be lies but to be mathematically improbable (their numbers indicate that 80% of all internet traffic in the US is illegal music transfers. Anyone with the vaguest idea of what sorts of transactions occur online and what volume of scientific data/legal software downloads/legal music downloads/promotional movie trailers/flash/online education traffic goes on knows that the number is probably far closer to 5-10%.) as well. He indicated that it's costing the artists money, something that most artists hotly dispute as they know that their income from album sales is minimal and most of it comes from merchandising/touring. This is why bands like Phish that don't have great album sales but tour constantly make a lot more than top album selling acts that don't tour as much. It's also why artists like Ani DiFranco and Prince refuse to sign with a major label because they know they get screwed.

Personally, I think the reason the Grammy's are always so boring is because they only focus on boring music. Sure, there were some nice bits (Alicia Keys, the N'Sync/Nelly bit, O Brother Where Art Thou) but overall the nominees were simply dull. Does anyone still care about U2? They just keep recycling the same damn song. So does Britney (which may explain the "underperformance" of her current album). Michael Jackson (who was thankfully never mentioned) didn't even do as well as Britney in sales this year. Why not ditch the whole "Album Sales = Great Art" bullshit and focus on merit instead? Remember Milli Vanilli? 'Nuff said.

Here's MY list of winners for the past year:

Record of the Year - Ms. Jackson (Outkast)
Album of the Year - Know Your Enemy (Manic Street Preachers)
Song of the Year - Stay Together For the Kids (Blink 182)
Best New Artist - Flickerstick
Female Pop Vocal Performance - Fallin (Alicia Keys)
Male Pop Vocal Performance - Rockin the Suburbs (Ben Folds)
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Two Of Us (Aimee Mann & Michael Penn, I Am Sam soundtrack)
Pop Collaboration with Vocals - It Wasn't Me (Shaggy & Rik Rok)
Dance Recording - Get The Party Started (Pink)
Pop Vocal Album - Rock Steady (No Doubt)
Female Rock Vocal Performance - Strange Little Girls (Tori Amos)
Male Rock Vocal Performance - Dig In (Lenny Kravitz)
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Our Lips Are Sealed (Everclear)
Hard Rock Performance - Rexall (Dave Navarro)
Metal Performance - Schism (Tool)
Rock Song - Flavor of the Week (America Hi Fi)
Rock Album - Know Your Enemy (Manic Street Preachers)
Alternative Album - All Killer No Filler (Sum 41)
Female R&B Performance - Video (India.Arie)
Male R&B Performance - Digital Garden (Prince)
Rap Solo Performance - Ride Wit Me ...

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