Sunday night, the annual Grammy Awards sparked speculation and debate as musicians, industry analysts and fans watched the spectacle.
Last year, the Grammy Awards went through a restructuring process, shrinking the number of categories recognized from 109 to 78. Among those revisions came a change in the category of dance to be renamed dance/electronica, a reflection of the changing field of electronic dance music.
“(EDM) has taken off in the United States,” said Dave (DJ Time Traveler) Alexander, DJ for Athens electronic group Dave Rave. “Electronic music is still in its growing pains (within the U.S.), but the good thing is it’s here and I don’t see it going away.”
Alexander correctly predicted Skrillex to take home the Grammy for best dance/electronica album for a second year in a row, tying Swedish House Mafia for most wins in the category.
Taylor Swift opened the ceremony, hosted by LL Cool J, with many other performers playing including Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Frank Ocean and Justin Timberlake.
Timberlake made a lot of noise on social media with his first live performance to promote his upcoming album Suit And Tie. Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars and Carrie Underwood were also among the most buzzed about performances of the night.
But, the big winners of the night were Mumford and Sons for winning the award for best album of the year and The Black Keys leading the night with four awards including best rock song, best rock album, best rock performance and Dan Auerbach for best producer.
While many put a large focus on the musicians, Victor Rasgaitis, of the Ridges, said he also focuses on awards given to the production side of the industry including best Film/TV/Media, Midnight In Paris.
However, Rasgaitis along with many other musicians try not to put too much emphasis on the award ceremony.
“I’m not overly critical of the awards because I don’t put a ton of weight on it — it’s just fun,” Rasgaitis said.
Dean Tartaglia, front man for Mind Fish, said he has been critical of The Grammy Awards in the past, but said in recent years the organization has done a better job of paying attention to independent artists.
“The Grammys are branching out and becoming more diverse with more indie bands,” Tartaglia said. “The music is changing and the music has gone back to the people with Internet downloads and Spotify.”
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