The 52nd Grammy Awards Re-Cap
Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix wins Best Alternative Album of the Year and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” wins Best Record of Year beating out Lady Gaga and Beyonce. I am kind of impressed with the Grammy’s this year. Beyonce deserved what she won especially after that great cover of Alanis Morissettes’ “You Oughta Know”. I especially enjoy the fact that the Music Industry community has paid their respects to Phoenix and Kings of Leon, bands that have paid their dues in the rock sense – that have toured for over 10 years and have made more than 2 records. But it is definitely the last time we see acts like them. We are moving into a new era where every band has to reinvent themselves every release. They have to treat themselves as a start-up company that has to develop a cutting edge and revolutionary business plan with every single/album/EP that they create and put out.
When Taylor Swift accepted her first award and said “I want to thank my record label for letting me write all my songs.” I finally decide that this industry is done. We are in a time where everything is fair game. Yet another paradigm shift in the musical business world I guess we just need another Radiohead album to show everyone what we should do. Bands, artists, DJs, Producers, labels, promo companies, everyone that is still clinging onto this shell of an industry, it is time to do things differently. Let’s not just send out the same promo emails with the same old free mp3s, press releases and press photos and post it on our blog, let’s all take the time and show that we are trying to do something new and different with our art and crafts. Let’s show that we care about the quality and work that an artists puts into their work. Whether it is a band like Phoenix who spends 2 years crafting an epic song such as “Love Like a Sunset” and never settling even when it was just an infant tune called “Twenty One One Zero” or a band like Kings of Leon who have toured endlessly. Let’s just not settle for mediocrity. Not too sure what I am trying to get at with this rant or what I want to see happen to the industry. No doubt this is an argument/conflict that has been going on for decades in the industry. But I just know it is an exciting time for music.
Also I have so much love for Diplo, who I feel is a walking middle finger to the music industry. He is like thanks for giving me this Grammy for “Paper Planes” – let me shit talk everyone here at this event via twitter. Here is Diplo & Co’s lovely take on multiple Grammy winner, Beyonce’s “Halo”.
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Feb%202010/Major%20Lazer%20-%20HALO%20(Beyonce%20Cover).mp3]
Major Lazer x Elephant Man – HALO (Beyonce Cover)