The Grammys Are Cutting 31 Categories…

Finally, something that has nothing to do with Steve Stoute (we hope).  Instead, the Recording Academy is now cutting 31 categories from the Grammy Awards, a move that could up the value of the prize. That means “just” 78 awards will be handed out in 2012, from a high of 109.

And that was a lot of awards. In fact, there were just 28 awards in the 50s, a number that grew nearly fourfold over the decades.  So why the trophy inflation?  “This growth springs from a tradition of honoring specific genres and/or subgenres within a field, and it has basically been approached one category at a time without a current overall guiding vision and without consistency across the various genre fields,” explained NARAS chief Neil Portnow.  

Actually, viewers at home may not even notice, since many of the smaller awards are handed out between commercial breaks.  And crowds have less appetite for long, drawn-out programming.  On top of that, some of these simplications were simply overdue.  For example, ‘Best Contemporary R&B Album’ and ‘Best R&B Album’ are now one, and ‘Best Traditional Folk Album’ and ‘Best Contemporary Folk Album’ have been consolidated into ‘Best Folk Album’.  

Sounds like a worthwhile trimming, though not everyone is applauding.  For example, heavy chops are happening in categories like Zydeco and Cajun, and ultimately, this will mark a major reduction in bragging rights.  

Source: Digital Music News